[raj.barcode]

Roll Back 2013….

Owning a bike/superbike and crisscrossing the country on two-wheeler has been a life long dream. I was not fortunate enough to own a bike during my college times due to financial constraints and pressures at home. Hence people/friends call me a late bloomer, as i was in late 30s to own a first bike that is a little fast.

Enter Duke 390,

One of those lovely rides through western ghats


my first so called fast bike. After a couple of rides realized this has too much power (around 40ps) and need to understand what a bike can do and what i should not be doing. Hence started to unlearn (most difficult part) and relearning the how to ride a bike the proper way. Enrolled myself in a track training and learned the basics of riding fast and more important safe. Trust me these techniques once learnt are a life saver. (Note: Please understand the power of the machine and how to use it before unleashing your right wrist on roads)


In kari motor speedway

Elephant is touched

Post eight months and 18000kms, I upgraded to Harley Street bob , (just small info., all street bobs are registered as single seater not double.) owing to the Harley craze and post 10,000 kms of riding realized that was not me and had to part ways with it. But it was an awesome bike to own, absolutely no complaints and fuss free ownership, (another tread for the same soon)






Kawasaki calling happened and lateral upgrade was done to z800 ( surely needs a tread). This is one bike that I will cherish for life time since bike made me realize and put to good use what I had learnt during my track days. The free revving torquey nature of the bike and a little skill I was able to keep up with most liter class bikes without fuss and was an absolute blast. After a year of ownership and around 20000kms on the bike which includes a fabulous saddle-sore ride completing under 22 hours realized that if I had to continue biking for longer time needed to shift to a more comfortable bike with touring capabilities.



In hesarghatta grasslands




Final stop of saddle sore




Thus,

One Sunday conversation with wife,

Me: Dear wife, feeling like upgrade time has arrived,
Wife: Yes xuv 500 is getting old we need to upgrade.
Me: Car. uhhh no… it’s my bike …
Wife: what is wrong with you, you bought the bike just a year before.
Me. My back is saying that I need a better bike and also want to ride with you along since you keep insiting that z800 is uncomfortable for pillion.
Wife: stopped talking for 3 days

Meanwhile, in free time, had started to test ride friends’ bikes in the riding group on those regular Sunday morning rides
Options in the mind were:

BMW GSA
Ducati Multistrada
Tiger XCX/ XRX
Suzuki Vstorm

BMW GSA: Those days in Bangalore, GSA was procured through Navneet, as a CBU and the price was a big dampener though I loved the bike felt this bike thought this was made for more for country roads and boxer engine was surely BIG, also with kind of money asking I could have bought a luxury sedan. The value of investing 30+ lakhs did not make sense as I had a car worth 15 lakhs and bike for personal use at 30 lakhs. Though a fabulous bike was rejected

Tiger XCX/XRX: Bike felt slow, period, yes it was built with a different purpose in mind but I did not feel connected with the bike. The price was in budget, service costs were a little high but was in budgeted costs, but procuring parts were usually difficult (feedback from triumph owners). Both wife and me felt like we were in VW showroom, the sales representative thought he was doing us a favor in showing me the bike. (probably because am extremely casually dressed when am not working and on crocs or chappals, shorts and flimsy t-shirt most of the time. He probably felt I was wasting his time, though we booked z800 while wearing similar Hawaii chappals).

Ducati Multistrada: Love the machine 1200s then, a little pricey also felt the machine was very rough. Moving from inline 4 the bike just felt a little weird, the sound and electronics were unbelievable (in contrasting ways ��). That screen/ dash was awesome. Biggest dampener was the service issues of Ducati were well documented in many forums and biking groups. But still shortlisted as this was absolutely amazing bike to ride with handling to my liking.
Suzuki V storm: less told about Suzuki the better, the sales person was more interested to sell Hayabusa rather than V storm, never visited the showroom second time. Also, in terms of riding community, it was non-existent.

A month or so passed, we had to visit Duke showroom, a friend was picking up a Versys 650 (those days Versys 650 and ninja 650 were sold through Duke outlets). Saw the 650 and felt with 17 inches upfront and 17 rear, it would be a good asphalt touring bike, strictly mild off-roading (thought our roads itself felt like off road) but a decent compromise for my style of riding. Rode his bike and the twin cylinder felt lifeless ( coming from z800) and disconnected, during these conversations, we were informed about of Versys 1000 by my friend.

Versys 1000: Though a Kawasaki, it just did not register to me that there was a sports tourer which had an inline 4, this felt good. Also, this was the time when Versys 1000 was a CBU from Japan, unlike other bikes which came from Thailand. Called Khivraj and realized that they might stop V1000 due to lack of sales. This was very surprising since no one markets the bike nor there is any promotion for the same except on kamikaze rides where they would talk about v1000. I was skeptical that if the bike is discontinued the service support and other issues will crop up for discontinued machines. With me owning z800 and at least 10 to 12 bikes were sold to my friend with my reference I had a little bit of clout with Kawasaki outlet Bangalore. They assured me at least for next 6 to 7 years support and parts availability was not a problem, since most engine parts are shared with ninja 1000 and z1000.

Now the confusion started between Versys1000 vs Multistrada, though the difference was about 5 odd lakhs, final quotes started to coming in. Meanwhile at home;

Me: I have ridden 4 or 5 bikes and have shortlisted V1000 and Ducati,
Wife: yeah right, is this what you have done for a month; what happened to upgrading the car,
Me: ok we shall upgrade car and will you let me upgrade the bike, thought this was the best compromise I could come up with
Wife: so, shall we check out options,
Me. (she was insistence on 3 German brands only.) OUCH ….

With a deal stuck at home now, started discussing with Ducati and Kawasaki, time was running out since the talk was for CBU bikes, and they were getting sold out as only couple were left in the country (don’t know how true). During the same time, friend of mine also wanting to upgrade from ninja 650, and was keen on ninja 1000. So now with proposal of 2 bikes we went to Kawasaki and started negotiating since Ducati would not budge on their price.

During negotiations, my friend also decided on Versys 1000 and luckily we got hold of 2 CBU bikes one in Bangalore and other in Pune. Luckily for us both were still in crates. we got a fantastic deal on the bikes and we paid advance and the bike was delivered along with 4 more z800 on the same day.




Took the delivery on the auspicious Friday, and did my first ride the same night made me realize lots of things (more on that later). Me and my friend have this tradition of riding as much as we can the first week to get to know the nuances of the bike and also finish that pain staking 1000 kms before we can unleash the machine. The route was decided, a temple run mandatory it had to be, Belur, Horanadu, kukke Subramanya, Dharamstala and back to Bangalore. This would cover about 800 odd kilometers in one go. And a small ride on Sunday made it 1000 kms so that first service can be done on Monday morning. We promptly finished our ride and ready for first service on Monday


Temple run - Dharmasthala


Friend who rode withme on the first ride


Bangalore Versys riders may recognise these bikes



At the service center, Monday morning 11am after booking appointment

Me: Hello,
Service advisor: He received the bike and asked any problems on the bike since we had taken delivery on Friday evening. (I knew him from z800 days and had told him about Versys-1000 delivery)
Me: No first service
SA: Sir, sarcastically he said, first service is after 1000kms
Me: I am at 1005 Kms
SA: There was a puzzled look in his face and started laughing


Today after having completed over 50k Kilometers by 2020 Jan and no riding due to covid, albeit small breakfast rides. felt like penning down a write up




LIKES :

SIZE: The size really catches ones attention, As proverd goes "First impression is the best impression"

SEATS: Sofa like seats for both Rider and pillion, one can ride fuel stop to fuel stop without much fuss

SUSPENSION: the long travel suspension is amazing for our roads. It absorbs the undulations pretty well

ENGINE: Its very tractable and having same engine block as ninja 1000 has helped the bike though it is tuned differently

ACCESORY CONNECTIONS: Adding Lights and charging sockets for mobile holder is plug and play as the connection is pre wired so no cutting wires and extra extensions needed from battery needed

GEARING: Best part of the bike, it is almost like DCT once you get past 80 to 90 KMPH, in top gear without any shudder pulls cleanly till you hit redline

SOUND: Inline 4 .. need i say more

CENTER STAND: Its smaller siblings 650 does not get one, this is so useful in the long journey helping in lubing the chain, in case of punctures etc. ( Branded one cost 20K for versys 650)

HEAT: Most bikes ridden I have lot of heat eminating from the engine, (especially true for bikes i had owned earlier except z800), Kawasaki has managed to control this aspect well enough not to feel intrusive irrespective of city or long distance riding

SERVICE: Japanese reliability, need i say more, as experienced earlier (With z 800) the spare parts are easily available and probably has highest number service stations (15+ when i last checked) pan-India compared any other Super bike motorcycle brand.They are extremely friendly as I have personally experienced in Ahmedabad and Kolkatta ( One can call it Toyota of bikes priced like Hyundai's)

BIKING COMMUNITY: This is more important than one imagines, they are saviours when needed. With Kawasaki versys riders pan-India the help is never far away


DISLIKES:

HORN: Probably TVS xl gets better ones

WEIGHT: At 245 kgs+, it is extremely heavy and above all the center of gravity is much higer compared to boxer engine layout of BMW

SEAT HEIGHT: At 840mm this is meant for tall riders, what makes it even more difficult is the width of the seat

WIND SCREEN: Should have been a little taller and wider, at good speeds you do feel the wind hitting the top of one's helmet

LIGHTS: Useless, dont understand how manufacturers can provide such bad illumination on tourers.

DASH CONSOLE: As basic as it can get. really kawasaki had to do a better job here, (It has been rectified in the new gen model)

ELECTRONICS: No cornering ABS, No Cruise control, No Quick shifter, list is quite big ( New-Gen has most of the electronics at a better price)

BRAKES: Spongy front brakes needs getting used to especially after coming from excellent braking Z800





continued....

[raj.barcode]

Versys 1000.

Versys 1000

RIDE IMPRESSIONS. (Note that new Versys 1000 is similar except some electronics and a visual change, it has the same engine reworked for new emission norms)

The run-in route had nice mix of highway roads, ghat sections, good roads, bad roads, twistys etc. this may us realize that our assumptions were spot on, that this bike does not behave anyway close to being an off roader. It is purely a road-based tourer which can do bad roads without much fuss. With huge body and miniature 17” tyres bike looks top heavy visually and in actual. The 245 kgs will be felt at low speeds, slow turns and while pushing around the bike.

Engine and Performance: This is a big bike, with a 21-liter fuel tank, 120ps power and 102 Nm of torque, these are pretty modest numbers unlike its competition, Ducati Multistrada 1200/1250s or s1000xr. In real world, especially in highways slot into gear and it has ample levels of performance ( z800 is faster than v1000) aided amazingly punchy mid range that delivers when it actually matters like overtaking and tricky highway situations. Iit has enough performace that belies its weight, as the engine never feels strained at any point, in any gear for speed/pickup except when it goes beyond numbers that are way above legal limits. With 0 to 100 times around 3 to 4 seconds in real world,it does a pretty fast job of munching miles. The heat management on this bike is very impressive, with free revving engine and fabulous inline 4 engine sound (I call it music) .The gearing is so beautifully laid out that we rarely need to change on the highway, it can run in top gear from 80 to what ever speed one can sensibly do on the highways. This aspect is a boon for tourers and will be well appreciated.

Tyres and Alloys: The bike came with battalax tyres and were shod with 120/70/r17 in the front and 180/55/r17 in the rear with alloys. This makes it clear that it is targetted for tarmac-based tourers. The tyres were generally good with decent grip levels and pretty sure footed in ghat sections. The heavy motorcycle can corner the way it does thanks to its 17" front wheel set up. The positive turns negative soon when the tarmac ends. Buyers need to understand this is no off roader kawasaki makes it clear by its choice of wheels.

Suspension:
Front suspension is adjustable both for rebound and preload and they are KYB 43mm inverted type. It has a travel of 150mm
Rear suspension has a preload adjust that can be manually altered via a knob with travel of 150mm again
With 150mm travel and numerous adjusting options, the ride can be tailored to ones need. Though it is not as firm as s1000xr or ducati multistrada, it focusses on long ride comfort with cushy ride and one can carry decent entry and exit speeds in a corner. It has a decent feedback with wheelbase and tyre choice helping it a long way


brakes and inverted telescopic suspenion up front


Rear suspension adjuster


Brakes: Bikes came with Tokico setup, with a dual Disc ABS set up in the front and single disc setup with Abs at the back. Front brakes were extremely spongy to an extent that it would be scary sometimes, Rear as usual was almost useless xcept for some trail braking if some one does to explore limits of riding.


Seats : It has large soft sofa for both rider and pillion with handle bar position a little low for my height of 5’-11” ( got resolved with handle bar risers). Coupled with soft suspension it is an amazing ride on bad roads, humps and other things our roads usually throw at us.


Lights and Horn: Million plus ruppes and it has horrible light as good as two torch lights up front and horn; even I could hear through my dianese helmet.


Mileage: I have been consistently getting about 16 to 18 in the highway and I barely use it in the city, 21 litre tank I usually ride close to 300 kilometers before refulling. Though the tank says 95 RON I have tried fuel in small towns and villages, never has the bike skipped a beat. Yes it may get a little slower and little rough sounds but that is negligible.

Dash: As simple and utilitarian as it can get, it does show
a) Distance to empty
b) Fuel level
c) Engine temp
d) Outside temp
e) Trip meters 2nos
f) Mileage
g) Odo
h) Rpm
i) Digital speedometer
j) And usual neutral high low beam etc.




Complaints and Upgrades done on the bike ( Upgrades happen when there is a complaint or some thing is missing) :

Attachment 2159932
Wrap: Went for a white wrap on the bike to stand apart in the sea of black only versys 1000/650 when it was released, after 2019 version planning to go for candy orange sometime this year.


Engine guard: Day I paid the advance I got engine guard from SW. Motech and it is worth the investment as it has saved me few bucks which inevitably happens due to small falls.



Lights : Have invested in Baja sqaudron pro and XL 80 . I use them depending on the ride that we undertake
Links :
https://www.bajadesigns.com/products...ary-Lights.asp
https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/Squadron-Pro.asp



saddle stay for soft bags

Top box and soft bags: An essential for tourers like me and I have gone for soft side bags, reason was in case of a fall there will be enough cushioning in the sides unlike aluminium panniers. Saddle stay for soft bags were fabricated by a friend. I have aluminium top case. Any topcase is good depending on your budget. Buy ones that can atleast can fit a helmet and your jacket in it. It should also have enough space for some set of tools.

Saddle bags: https://www.rynoxgears.com/products/...ddlebags-black

Attachment 2159931
Stock light upgrade: Got XHP 50 from ali express and they are pretty decent

Phone holder : this is possibly one the most important accessories on the bike helps to keep maps in line of sight, a must for tourers

Sena: A necessity for any tourer so that stops can be minimised and music is an amazing company during those long rides

Gear indicator: yes, missing on this bike expensive bike seriously kawasaki! and 500 rs accesory was added in the slots available, this was procured from ali express


Radiator Guard: Flimsy piece of metal but trust me it is very important in the long run.

CONCLUSION: This is a very potent Bike, best Bang for buck litre class tourer with ample ground clearance thats needed for our road conditions. Yes it does miss out on a few goodies but the whole package is extremely compelling if one needs a fast affordable and no non-sense tourer. With Japanese reliability to boot, its a very difficult proposition to ignore

PS: Please invest on a good jacket, helmet, riding pants with good level of protection or atleast knee guards along with decent riding shoe depending on the intended use.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Big Bikes section. Thanks for sharing!

Your Versys is going to our homepage today

[no_fear]

You, my dear sir, are a true madlad.

Kudos to you for going ahead with the bike purchase even after your mrs stopped speaking for 3 days. Lesser mortals will not go down this path.

I see your fellow riders know their stuff. There is someone riding an Aprilia Dorsoduro in your group. A very rare bike to see in India.

Bangalore always amazes me with its wide and eclectic range of motorbikes. Keep up the good work and happy riding.

[parambyte]

Great read. I don’t know how to ride a bike but I have always dreamt of riding a Kawasaki Versys 1000.

@raj.barcode Does they weight make it very difficult to pull the bike out of parking or raise it on center stand or sit while a read pillion embarks?

Do you have a thread on your Z800 Ownership?

[prajakt_23]

Originally Posted by raj.barcode

DISLIKES:

HORN: Probably TVS xl gets better ones

WEIGHT: At 245 kgs+, it is extremely heavy and above all the center of gravity is much higer compared to boxer engine layout of BMW

SEAT HEIGHT: At 840mm this is meant for tall riders, what makes it even more difficult is the width of the seat

WIND SCREEN: Should have been a little taller and wider, at good speeds you do feel the wind hitting the top of one's helmet

LIGHTS: Useless, dont understand how manufacturers can provide such bad illumination on tourers.

DASH CONSOLE: As basic as it can get. really kawasaki had to do a better job here, (It has been rectified in the new gen model)

ELECTRONICS: No cornering ABS, No Cruise control, No Quick shifter, list is quite big ( New-Gen has most of the electronics at a better price)

BRAKES: Spongy front brakes needs getting used to especially after coming from excellent braking Z800





continued....

Thanks for sharing your feedback. Unfortunately, Kawasaki is least keen in addressing these common issues like headlight, windscreen, console etc. Even with BS6 engine upgrade, they haven't changed anything else in Versys 650 and other models. This is how they will end up losing customers to other brands, I think.

[SnS_12]

Congratulations on the Versys 1000 and looks brilliant in the white wrap.

You have really done justice to all the bike you have owned starting form the Duke even though the duration of ownership will potray you like someone who buys a new one every couple of months, but when you tell hem the Kms done it is much higher than what many people do on their big bikes over a few years of ownership at times. Interestingly for me its my first bike the RX 135 which I have ridden till date the most and between 2005 till 2009 I used to do close to 40k kms every year in that period, which has reduced drastically over the years post then.

BTW I couldn't make out which year your Versys is from? Also, the tyres were different on both the Versys from delivery as there is a different tread pattern on the front tyres?

Finally, which German car did you upgrade too in order to get the Versys home?

Wishing you many more happy and safe miles..

[Maverick_4662]

Congratulations on the Versys sir! It looks absolutely beautiful with that white wrap. I have seen quite a few of these here in kerala and my god is that inline 4 sound a draw. Do keep this thread updated with service costs and your ride stories. Wishing you years and thousands of miles of problem free ownership. Cheers!

[raj.barcode]

Originally Posted by no_fear

You, my dear sir, are a true madlad.



I see your fellow riders know their stuff. There is someone riding an Aprilia Dorsoduro in your group. A very rare bike to see in India.

.

Close friend of mine who also owns Harley Street bob, Like most metros we have our share of bikers

Originally Posted by parambyte

Great read. I don’t know how to ride a bike but I have always dreamt of riding a Kawasaki Versys 1000.

@raj.barcode Does they weight make it very difficult to pull the bike out of parking or raise it on center stand or sit while a read pillion embarks?

Do you have a thread on your Z800 Ownership?

Owning big bikes is like going from Kindergarden to degree, start with small learn how to ride ( mostly getting used to the power ) and slowly upgrade like moto3>moto2 and finally Motogp. Have seen people upgrade directly from pulsar to litre class, some have had bad results since power is addictive. Hence please be careful with our road conditions as danger is always around the corner.

Weight, is a major factor in slow turns or while pushing around to park, once on the move beyond 30 it is not a concerning issue. Using center stand is absolute breeze, even my wife can do it.

Originally Posted by prajakt_23

Thanks for sharing your feedback. Unfortunately, Kawasaki is least keen in addressing these common issues like headlight, windscreen, console etc. Even with BS6 engine upgrade, they haven't changed anything else in Versys 650 and other models. This is how they will end up losing customers to other brands, I think.

Most brands have similar problems i guess

Originally Posted by SnS_12

Congratulations on the Versys 1000 and looks brilliant in the white wrap.

You have really done justice to all the bike you have owned starting form the Duke even though the duration of ownership will potray you like someone who buys a new one every couple of months, but when you tell hem the Kms done it is much higher than what many people do on their big bikes over a few years of ownership at times. Interestingly for me its my first bike the RX 135 which I have ridden till date the most and between 2005 till 2009 I used to do close to 40k kms every year in that period, which has reduced drastically over the years post then.

BTW I couldn't make out which year your Versys is from? Also, the tyres were different on both the Versys from delivery as there is a different tread pattern on the front tyres?

Finally, which German car did you upgrade too in order to get the Versys home?

Wishing you many more happy and safe miles..

Thanks and bike have taken me from Kanyakumari to Delhi, Gujurat to Bangladesh/Nepal/Bhutan. So lots of miles munched for sure, will update the tread in due course.

Mine is 2016 model and right now on Michelin PR4 , earlier on battalax

BMW it was, Have done close to 45K from 3 years

Originally Posted by Maverick_4662

Congratulations on the Versys sir! It looks absolutely beautiful with that white wrap. I have seen quite a few of these here in kerala and my god is that inline 4 sound a draw. Do keep this thread updated with service costs and your ride stories. Wishing you years and thousands of miles of problem free ownership. Cheers!

Service costs and all details will be updated soon. Right from first service till now

[Emvi]

Wonderful writeup! Really fascinating going through it. Wish you million miles of happy ownership.

In fact, my story is quite contrary to yours. Started biking at a very very young age, only to fizzle out about 15 years later. Circumstances and priorities take the blame. I am honestly happy to know that you are living your dream. Among all your bikes, Z800 is my personal favourite. I once had an opportunity to experience this machine, albeit a short stint, it was exhilarating nonetheless.

[Added_flavor]

Originally Posted by raj.barcode

ample ground clearance

Thank you raj.barcode for the well-written review and moreover using the bike the way these bikes need to be used! Always a good feeling when a fellow rider clocks miles on these big bikes!

During my hunt for an Adv, the one thing I was always apprehensive about the V1000 was the ground clearance (or the lack of it) at 150mm. Since I travel quite a bit with pillion and luggage and the GC in my previous bike (133mm) was an issue, this was a deal-breaker for me. All other Advs have at least 170-180mm GC if not more, which ensures you don't scrape anything on the mountains built on our roads in the name of speed breakers.

So I was surprised you mentioned 'ample' GC. Can you please share your thoughts on this? And do you ride extensively with a pillion?

[raj.barcode]

Originally Posted by Added_flavor

Thank you raj.barcode for the well-written review and moreover using the bike the way these bikes need to be used! Always a good feeling when a fellow rider clocks miles on these big bikes!

During my hunt for an Adv, the one thing I was always apprehensive about the V1000 was the ground clearance (or the lack of it) at 150mm. Since I travel quite a bit with pillion and luggage and the GC in my previous bike (133mm) was an issue, this was a deal-breaker for me. All other Advs have at least 170-180mm GC if not more, which ensures you don't scrape anything on the mountains built on our roads in the name of speed breakers.

So I was surprised you mentioned 'ample' GC. Can you please share your thoughts on this? And do you ride extensively with a pillion?

Thanks, ground clearance of 150mm has never been a problem with two up or single riding, been into many bad roads like below with small/ medium sized boulders.

[HYPERTOURER]

Great read. The versys is a very underrated bike which outperforms many bikes. Try upgrading to morimoto projectors if u want to but since u have baja you might not need them anyway. Keep posting new updates and if u ever visit Goa or Belgaum ping me.

[anandpadhye]

Congratulations!

I opened team bhp this morning and this thread came up, made my day.

I also recently bought the Ninja 1000SX and it's such a fun to ride that bike.

This 1000cc inline 4 engine is so silky smooth, throughout the rev range, it's pure bliss

Kudos to you for doing 50000km on the Versys, way to go 👍 I will keep following this thread for all your detailed updates and hope to see you crossing 1L mark soon.

Cheers!

[raj.barcode]

Originally Posted by HYPERTOURER

Great read. The versys is a very underrated bike which outperforms many bikes. Try upgrading to morimoto projectors if u want to but since u have baja you might not need them anyway. Keep posting new updates and if u ever visit Goa or Belgaum ping me.

Yes, truly an underrated bike, we keep visiting belgaum, since wife is from there. Will surely ping you as we might travel come post pandemic as it has been almost 2 years since she has visited her parents