Kawasaki Versys reviews

Really fun bike to ride. Does good on and off road. Installed crash bars . Has Dunlop 50/50 knobby tires. Handles really well. Lighter bike. Excellent gas mileage. Only reason selling bought a bigger street bike. Show less

2018 Kawasaki Versys300x. My red 300x is a fantastic adventure bike for commuting and medium offroading. I have it equipped with armor, 15 tooth sprocket and 50/50 tires. Fuel mileage avg is 50 and it is easy to ride. Cons are lack of power for any long stretch of hwy and being light crosswinds can move it easily. Overall I would highly recommend the Kawasaki 300x it is great small adventure motorcycle with exceptional reliability. Show less

Great motorcycle for Columbus. The touring Versys 650 LT model can gobble up highway miles and get you anywhere in the Midwest quickly. Once you get where you are going the Versys can carve up the back roads like a sports tourer. The engine is sweet and loves to rev. The suspension with the adjustable Showa shocks gives the best ride in its class. Show less

Great bike for those looking for a smaller but still versatile bike. To work or a ride down the back roads. Has surprising power and great handling. Kawasaki did good. Styling is nice. The display has all you need. Smooth ride and shifting. A lil higher rpm but the fuel mileage is superb. Show less

I have wanted one for years and finally bought it. I am still breaking it in. Its comfortable and similar to riding on a dual sport but heavier and smoother. I like it so far. Show less

It's somewhat cramped for the taller rider, not the most comfortable, It vibrates, not much bottom end and no top end above 8000 and yet it is some of the best fun that I have had on a street bike. It's very nimble with big inch punch in the midrange from 4 to 8,000. If I had endless twisties on my doorstep, the Versys would be hard to beat given that my outsize self is not going to fit on a sportbike and my neck couldn't take it even if I could. My V-Strom is a better bike, but the Versys is way more fun. Of course a Triumph 800 XC is a better bike, better handling and way more fun than both, but it's also way more money. For the money; it's hard to have more fun than on a Versys. Show less

I traded a 2009 Kawasaki 900 Custom (the nice one with the copper cylinder heads) for the Versys 1000. I was looking for something that would be better as a performance cruiser and something you would feel more comfortable on when you needed to use the big expressways. I think I made a great decision. I just put over 250 kms. on a weekend ride where I used predominately expressways and this thing just moves right along without any effort at speeds around 120 to 145 kms. (407 ETR here in the Toronto area). The bike traced beautifully and did not seem strained whatsoever and this was with 25% of the power toggled back. The bike comes with adjustable automatic traction control, ABS and the ability to automatically cut the power by 25%. Given I was coming from something that had maybe 70 hp. at 525 lbs. to something close to 120 hp. (rear wheel) at 525 lbs., with a completely different riding position, the old man inside me elected to cut his teeth with something a little more detuned until I felt comfortable enough to lose the "moto Depends" and step it up. Regardless, this bike was very sweet to ride. I have the optional hard side bags, rear hard bag, crash bars, 12 volt adapter and heated grips. The only things missing are the GPS and the radio (I will try to solve that). The saddle is pretty comfortable and should work out fine for long rides...but since the season is just getting going up here in Toronto, the butt needs some more time to get reacquainted with the saddle. The throttle response is impressive, the rev range is high and the Ninja 1000 engine makes some pretty nice sound effects as you quickly cycle up and down thru the gears. I had to laugh as I came off of the 407 ETR toll route on to the 403 near Hamilton, and as I was merging I noticed a couple of HD deckers as I was merging in. I thought about pulling in behind them but their pace was not to my "new liking", so I just gave the throttle a very slight turn and watched the American Iron disappear into my side view mirrors. Worst thing about the bike: It would have been nice for some other color options. You either like it or hate it. The bike does appear to be a little stange looking but it works well with great visibility and solid performance. If you are coming off a low center of gravity cruiser, this bike is much taller and therefore the weight kicks in early when you are standing still and leaning it over (a little.) Also, given its height, you better stretch your hamstrings out so you can slide your foot over the top of the seat, especially if you have all the bags. The tradiitonal leg swing will not work unless you are a 14-year-old Chinese gymnast. I have 360 kms. so far (not much) and so far so good and I need to up my riding game some given the hp. and the control I have on the Versys 1000 but I highly recommend the bike given what I came from. It is a very sporty but comfortable ride with oodles of power. Safe riding. Show less

I am very happy with this bike. For the money it is a good value. Show less

Touring the Rockies, carving canyons, two up or solo, this bike dishes out the fun factor in spades! It's one of the most underrated bikes - a must ride. Show less

I took the bike on an overnighter as soon as possible, under the worst possible conditions: Interstate, high speed, bad crosswinds, and rain. I could not have been more satisfied with the bike's performance. Mine was the smallest bike in the bunch (I was chasing a couple of BMW GS1200's) but it was no handicap. The little 650 kept up just fine. It has great mid-range for passing those pesky big rigs. It did just fine with the crosswinds. Gas mileage on the trip averaged 45 mpg. (average speed was 85). My future touring trips won't be so extreme (or so fast) but it showed just how great a bike this is. The trip was 350 miles each way, and I was quite comfortable. I couldn't have asked for a better result. Show less