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Kawasaki Versys 1000

 
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moriwaki
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PostPosted: Sun Jun 30, 2013 5:13 pm    Post subject: Kawasaki Versys 1000 Reply with quote

As suggested by Nuclear Red, here is my review on the Versys 1000.



Problems with the Aprilia during the first weekend of the Scotland trip, meant I had two choices.....(1) Sit in the cottage on my own while everyone was out having fun or....(2) Hire a bike for a few days. Needless to say I chose option 2 and ended up with the Versy 1000. Not the prettiest bike but proved to be a very capable all-rounder.
It's a big bike but the cut down seat means you sit 'in' the bike, with both feet touching the ground, rather than 'on' it and in fear of it toppling over. From the seat, it's like a big trail bike with wide bars, large tank and small adjustable screen. There is loads of room for a pillion and the low exhaust means there's no problems fitting luggage. There are three engine power settings and options for traction control....I left it on full power and minimum TC. Smile The w/c engine is really smooth...the bike I used had crash bars fitted which made the bike buzz at higher revs, but normally no problem. Once on the move the Versys is really nimble for something so big, and very well balanced. Engine performance was amazing, with low rev grunt to make over takes really easy and safe. On the motorway 80mph was at around 5000 rpm. The engine proved how flexible it was when I rode down the single track roads. Simply leave it in 3rd or 4th and ride like an auto. Cool . And over all returning a range of around 180 miles.
As for riding to and around Scotland, I would say a Versys 1000 would be prefect. I certainly saw more remote places than I would have if the Tuono had been reliable and, to be honest, probably enjoyed the trip more because of it. Need to have a long hard think about my next bike. Going to Morocco.....no problem on the Versys but there would be no serious off roading once there. A Yamaha XT 660Z would be better for that but getting there would be more tiring. Long term, i'd seriously consider buying one, i just need to think about how i'd use my next bike. I used this bike for three days (no riding one day out of four) and covered 530 miles around Scotland on all types of roads and in all conditions. Very impressed 10/10
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nosnowking
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cheers for the write up Waki.

I looked seriously at the Versys 1000. Yes, the engine is fabulous and it's a brilliant all-rounder. However, I found that the weight was a bit excessive and the whole thing was a bit cumbersome. For a large, litre-tourer it's good, but there's a lot of competition in the same class. IMO kawasaki missed a trick by not just giving the Versys 650 an extra 30-40bhp and turning it into a proper hooligan machine, with long distance and luggage carrying capacity to boot.

I took the Ten off road last week: it performs very well (in my relatively unskilled hands) and with a good set of tyres will see off all but the toughest terrain. However, it's also a heavy and tall beast when you decide you're gonna drop it Embarrassed It's not as bad as people make out on the road and at high speed, but bear in mind that "high-speed" on the Ten is 80mph! I've had mine approaching 100 and it's not exactly comfortable...Overtaking is possible but you need to not be too ambitious. The nice thing though, is that the 660 single gives you all of its torque all the time, making it very responsive to big handfuls of throttle. A lot of ten owners say that the bikes gearing is too tall, and I have to agree. In first gear going downhill the bike will roll at about 10mph which is too fast for trickier sections. Changing the sprockets would help, but then you're gonna lose even more top speed on the road!

I can't see that the performance is that much better than the KLR you already have. I know this sounds negative, but the Tenere is certainly a commitment if you want to buy one. You'll want to do a lot of off-roading to justify the purchase over more modern and road-oriented machinery.

Like you said, the V1000 is a more comfortable long distance road machine but you've no chance of ever taking it off road. Looks to me like the F800GS or Tiger 800XC are the best compromises available on the market at the moment. Yamaha's triple engine seems to be getting good reviews in the MT-09 and its likely they're going to release a 900 triple Tenere to directly compete with Triumph...should be good as long as they don't f@!k up the design or the suspension...

The best thing about the 660 Tenere though, is that it looks and feels hardcore and indestructible. Everything is double and triple reinforced, it's imposing on the road and with a decent exhaust will sound like a machine gun on overrun...what more could you want? Laughing
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moriwaki
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Joined: 20 Jan 2007
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PostPosted: Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A quote of mine from Chris' XT660 review......

moriwaki wrote:
Really need the simple layout of the XT for my next bike....easy to fix no matter where etc.....plus can't be doing with any electronic gizmos that come with most new bikes Rolling Eyes

Rolling Eyes
Perhaps I should follow my own advice. Wink



....or check out a KTM Adventure 990 Jimmy Hill

http://www.boxhill.co.uk/forum/phpBB2/album_pic.php?pic_id=11184
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