[iamahunter]

MY 2021 Versys 650

As there are tons and tons of reviews on the Versys 650, this will not be a review, but it will be my perspective about

• Why did I choose the Versys to start?
• What would my experience with this bike would be like.
• My adventures on this ADV.
• Modification, Accessories, Maintenance, so basically up keeping the bike and running it.

Likes

• Comfortable seat and upright sitting posture.
• Adjustable suspension.
• Adjustable Windscreen for height.
• Powerful and Reliable 650cc parallel twin cylinder engine.
• Negligible vibration.
• Virtually unlimited modifications and after market accessories available.
• A super strong and helpful Versys community.
• Bare minimum electronics.

Dislikes

• Seat Height for an average Indian.
• Top heavy nature of the bike
• Kawasaki's expensive service and spares cost.
• Poor stock lights.
• Only one color available.

I feel, a 650cc, tall seating bike is the most suited to our roads, especially if you want to stick to the highways and some off-beat roads. The speed and comfort which a 650cc motorbike can achieve is more manageable. Also, the fuel compatibility of a robust 650cc engine is better than few liter class motorbikes with high octane requirements.

[iamahunter]

The Alternatives Considered

1. Honda CB500X


Honda BigWing's Testride CB500X

Likes

• Honda's buttery smooth engine. (Slight buzz at minimum triple digits)
• Comfortable seating posture
• Light weight
• Brilliant heat management.
• Honda's reliable and less expensive service cost.

Dislikes

• COST
• Literally no such Honda community.
• Limited aftermarket accessories.

This was the first bike I considered and apart from the cost, I was actually willing to sacrifice and settle for the lower power and the simplicity of the bike.

2. KTM Duke 390 ADV


Bhpian Kailash's 390 ADV

Likes

• Light weight, lightest of them all.
• Comfortable sitting posture.
• Loads of Electronic aids.
• Sazzy Colour scheme.
• 19" front wheel.

Dislikes

• Single cylinder vibrations.
• End of day - it’s a jacked up Duke 390.

I felt, this bike is more of a gadget than a bike (may be age is catching up). And I fear so much electronics.


3. Suzuki V-Strom


Mohan's Suzuki V-Strom

Likes

• Wonderful smooth V-twin
• Comfortable seating posture.
• Seat can be lowered by simple "jugad"
• Long service intervals.
• Service and spare costs are way less than the Kawasaki.

Dislikes

• Initial purchase cost.
• Looks - Personally I don’t mind much, but it’s far from a looker.
• The sales team's dis-interest in selling the bike.
• Not a deal breaker, but the accessories are sparse and expensive in India.

What a bike this is! Totally impressed by the motorcycle, but really let down by the super slow and non-interested sales team.


Alternative not considered

1. RE Himalayan - Same power as my CBR, and not a fan of the RE vibes.
2. Benelli TRK 500 - Been there, done that - No Benelli for me anymore.

[iamahunter]

Test ride and pre-booking experience


Thane showroom's TesDrive Versys 650.

I think with the big bikes a test-ride is one of the most important parts. Having a good long test-ride of a bike helps one understand many positives and short-comings of the said motorcycle. At times, you might even want to change the type of motorcycle you want, sports bike, superbike, an adventure tourer or a cruiser may be. Ride each type of the bike and understand what suits your requirement best!

The KTM 390 Adv and Vstorm were kindly lended to me by fellow bhpians for a ride. Neither of the 2 showrooms were eager or had the bike for a test-ride. Where as Honda Bigwing Andheri had the bike and did offer a great test-ride experience. More on it here (Honda CB500X launched at Rs. 6.87 lakh).

So there are 3 Kawasaki showrooms in and around Mumbai.

1. Anzen Kawasaki - Andheri (nearest)
2. Motosaki Kawasaki - Thane
3. Motosaki Kawasaki - Navi Mumbai.

Actual Test ride and showroom experiences.

1. Kawasaki, Andheri.
Their the test-ride was available only inside the compound. Assuming that the bike was not registered and would not be legal to take it out on the road (which also means, that they might sell the test-ride bike to an un-suspecting customer). However, I wanted to "experience" the bike and a short ride inside the compound does not give that opportunity at-all. In-fact, their neighboring Triumph sales team was much more warm and welcoming, someday Triumph!

2. Motosaki, Thane
Next I called up the Thane showroom, and clearly mentioned that I need a thorough test-ride before I proceed with the booking. Also, mentioned that I looking at the competitive bikes as well. Surprisingly their sales team agreed to my demand of a long test-ride with the versys without any clauses. I did a longish test-ride with the bike and that actually helped me understand the bike a lot - Clarified so many doubts and assumptions and tilted my decision in the favor of the Versys. When I was back from the test-ride, the sales was not pushy towards the booking, only enquired if I liked the bike and took the feedback positively.

3. Kawasaki Navi-Mumbai
I did not bother to contact the Navi-Mumbai showroom as it’s owned by the Thane dealer itself.


Booking Experience with the Dealership.

With the MY22 model coming in around March, there was a 40k upfront discount on the MY21 models of the Versys.
The MY22 model will be coming with LED headlights and the wonderful LCD console. I particularly am not a fan of the stock LED's as they are not easy to upgrade and the change in case of failure is very expensive. I have experienced it in the CBR where I had no option but to install powerful aux light for night riding.
Secondly I am a firm believer and follower that the fancy displays are quite a distraction while riding. Also, the initial excitement dials down after a few days.

So, I decided to take the opportunity and go ahead with the booking of the MY21 model. On the booking day, I had just convinced wife to go and have a look at the bike. Somehow, I took along the cheque book and needed documents. Reaching there on a relaxed afternoon, we took our time to look at the bike, took a small ride around, also rode the Versys 1000(just for an experience) and after approval of my better half, we decided to take the plunge. We sat for the next step of negotiations and final quotation.

I was offered a deal with discount + accessories or some more discount. I checked out the accessories that were installed on the test-ride bike and was not very convinced if I would like to have that quality of on my bike. So, I took opportunity to get some more discounts. Once the negotiations were done, the booking process was simple and straight forward. And I booked the Versys 650 with Kawasaki Thane.

As the dealer had earlier said that the bike is available and can be delivered with a week, I was more than excited. But this was all brought down by some more issues at dealer side which led to a delay. The bike arrived at the showroom almost a week later than what was promised. So basically the dealer has to order a consignment of minimum 7 bikes, only then the bikes will be shipped to the showroom. This I felt was some excuse given by the dealer, to save some shipping cost. A container could fit a total of 7 bikes only and shipping them at different times would cost more to the dealer. I was slightly disappointed at this, but its so small that it can be ignored.

So, the bike landed to the dealer on 1st of Feb and was unloaded in front of me. Now a days Kawasaki doesn't send bikes in boxes, but a steel base frame to which the bike is tied up, and covered with some styrofoam type of material. At the first look itself I was awwed at that beautiful green and black shade, it was so beautiful!

Delivery Experience

The delivery date was fixed, before that the dealer would inspect the bike and do a complete PDI with Insurance formalities. During this time, I procured the desired number from the RTO office. On the D-day, I was ready with my number plates so I could get the bike home without any issues.


Curtains are out!

Post reaching the showroom, the RTO formalities were completed and the sales executive explained the bike's features on the test-ride bike itself. Post that a unveiling was done in presence of friends and family.


Handing over the key

The first start was done by my daughter and the young one shed a tear of happiness that moment! My kiddo was handed over a couple of gifts by the showroom, a very kind gesture.

A small Pooja and the bike was ready to roll out on the road! The showroom provided some fuel which was only enough to reach the nearest fuel pump.

[iamahunter]

Warm up Ride!
As a newbie to the ADV life, I decided to take a short 200 kms ride around Mumbai. What better place than Charoti to take the new bike. Smooth tarmac, mix of straights and curves and many bikers along.

Manual says that it’s better to keep the revs below 4k during the first 1000 kms and below 6k for the next 600 kms. At 4k RPM, on the top gear the bike is cruises at 80 kmph! Out on the highway, that felt a little slow. I am also used to ride the CBR in 90s on the highways as its much smoother at those speeds. So after speaking to a couple of experienced riders, I was told that I can take the bike to 6k rpm. At 6k RPM, on the 6th gear, the bike sits comfortably at on the safer side of the triple digit speeds.

So it was the first ride, and I was quite literally surprised on how the bike handles! I did not expect this from the tall Versys! Corners, not an issue, it just dips and comes back up easily! This inspires so much confidence in a new rider. One more thing I noticed is that the bike is quite nimble even at high speeds.

Some clicks from the Ride

Riding with an Old Buddy




Waiting for the fellow Bullet riders at Toll

After this ride, was the first big ride for my every vehicle!


Ride to the Temple.
Now, I am not a very religious person (but my better half is a strong believer). So, since marriage, I have taken all my vehicles to the temple as a first ride/drive. This serves 2 purposes, blessing and a ride. The temple which I ride to is approximately 400 kms from my house in a small village called Zirani.

Route is Mumbai - Nashik - Malegaon - Shewali - Nizampur - Zirani.
Starting from the western suburbs of Mumbai, I took the JVLR to join on the Eastern Express Highway. As I had started early morning, thankfully I did not encounter much traffic, however as it was a weekend; there were good number of cars heading out of Mumbai. Road till Kalyan is bad, post that it improves, but not that much. Till one reaches Kasara the road is just ok. From there the road condition starts to improve.

Some clicks from the Holy Ride

At the Temple


Kasara Ghat


The Beautiful State Highway 10 (psst : there are no such numbers printed on the road - its PSe'd)


Kind of a Scenic Ride


Beautiful Sunset while returning!

Accessories installed
For now I have only installed the basic accessories. I personally am not a very big fan of accessorizing the bike; however there are a few one's which ensure that you can continue the ride safely.

a. Radiator Guard - Zana



A radiator guard is one of the first accessory I installed on the bike. It protects the radiator from debries flying off the road and ensuring that radiator stays functional thru-out the ride.

b. Crash Guard - Zana



These serve 2 main purposes. One, they protect the bike from damage happening on a small or slow speed falls. Two, a fantastic place to mount the aux lights. I chose the Zana guards as they are budget (Rs 10K for the guards), while international models such as Hepco and Becker cost around Rs 20k. The design is such that it also protects the indicators, which in turn ensures that the indicators do not damage the fairing in case of a fall.

c. Aux Lights - HJG



I already have the HJG aux lights on my CBR as I was satisfied with it. A quick comparison of the HJG and Maddog, which are quite popular amongst the biker community, showed that the HJG is bang for the buck. So I simply went with it, in future if I feel the need I might upgrade to the better ones.

Planned accessories
a. A USB Charger - Something that I feel is must. My phone's battery drains out quite quickly while riding as my location, Bluetooth and data is always ON. At times I need to keep the screen ON for navigation purposes.

b. Luggage - For now I have the tank-bag and a viaterra claw for luggage bag. However I am quite intrigued by the aluminum panniers. I might plan it later as needed. But for now I do not need it.

[iamahunter]

Other Details

Kms covered and Usage pattern
Currently the Versys has covered almost 2000 kms. Most of it on the highway. I avoid using it in the city as I have the CBR for that purpose.
The planned use of the Versys is only highway and mainly long rides. This is purely a highway touring machine, and will be used in that manner.

Thru the 2000 kms that I have covered, I have obtained an average fuel economy of 21 kmpl. Overall I've observed thatt he bike is very stable on the highways even when there are some cross-winds. It sits quite comfortable at triple digit highway speeds for crusing.


Styling & design


Front Facis of the Versys

The styling on the Versys has remained same since its inception in India. The Ninja's face makes it look quite aggressive.
However the same would be changing in the coming year. It will be getting the updated Ninja's face.


Overall build quality fit & finish and paint quality



Overall build quality of the Versys is top-notch I would say. I am yet to notice shoddy build quality or paint errors on the motorcycle.
However, the indicators on the bike (all 4) have a lot more ply, somuch that they feel loose. But that's almost the same case with all Kawasakis, so not really a quality issue.
I had previously had the Benelli 300 as a big bike and compared to that the Versys is at least a couple of steps ahead in terms of overall quality.


Wheels & tyres


Front Tyres


Rear Tires

She comes shod with 17" wheels in the front and the back. This is one area where most of the "adventure seekers" dislike the Versys. However, peeps like me, who want highway touring and no offroad, are super-fine with this. The Versys comes shod with Dunlop SportMax 120/70 at the front and 160/60 at the rear.


Handlebar / Switchgear / cluster design & quality


Basic Switches

Handlebar of the Versys can be described as wide and upright. I feel quite comfortable with the stock handlebar and did not feel the need for and handlebar riser yet. The handle bar is reachable even while I stand and ride.

The switch gear on the handle is basic and nothing fancy. Comes with Kill switch and Ignition button on the right, Horn, Indicators, Upper-Lower switch, upper-flasher and a Hazard switch on the left. However I prefer it that way and the quality is quite good. I like the presence of the hazard switch, it’s very useful when the bike stops for a quick break on the road-side. I sorely missed this on the CBR.


Space & comfort...for rider & pillion


The sofa seats

Coming to the seats - its basically quite similar to a sofa. The seat cushioning is soft, but not very soft to make it uncomfortable after a while. I have done 600 kms in a day and I did not feel the need o an iron-butt.
The seat properly wide and is long, riders of different heights can find comfortable riding positions easily.
I haven't sat on the rear seat, but the missus has used it for a short while and is ready for a longer ride. Means its comfortable.
Will update the feedback once we're done with a longish ride.


Comparison of seat lengths of the CBR and Versys

Seat Height
The seat height is 840 mm, I am 5'6" and I tip toe the bike. I can either have one flat foot on the ground or both feet tip-toeing. The bike while moving has no issue with rider height, however, it helps to be tall in the traffic situation.

Would have loved to have an adjustable or an option to lower the seat height without lowering the bike from suspension.


Riding position, ergonomics, controls & MID



Its not very difficult to find a comfortable riding position on this bike. I am comfortable with the current position and haven't felt the need for any handlebar risers as such. But I have to sit a little further on the seat than I like, would be trying tilt the handlebar a couple of degrees towards the rider side and slide back on the seat.

Once you have the riding position, the ergonomics are quite well laid out. The control switched fall right to the place and I did not need to learn anything new. The adjustable clutch leaver made things easier.
The MID is a combination of Digital and Analog meters. The Tachometer is analog and the Digital screen houses information such as Speed, Gear Indicator, Digital clock and Fuel Indicator; it also has a toggle between Odometer, Trip A and Trip B, Current Fuel Efficiency, Average Fuel Efficiency and Range.

I would have liked to have a little more information such as Engine Temperature Indicator, Average speed of the trip.


Visibility & size of Mirrors


CBR vs Versys Mirrors Positioning from Riding Prespective


Mirrors with the circular wide angle mirror.

The Mirrors are of decent size and do a good job of covering sufficient area. However, coming from the CBR, who’s mirrors are right in the line of sight of the rider, here I need to take my eyes off the road to look into the mirrors. Another issue being, as the bike is quite tall, at times the shorter bikes are not visible in the mirror. Especially when they are nearby. I have fixed wide angle mirrors on to help out with the issue.


Headlamps


Stock headlights

Stock headlights of the Versys are Below Average to be best described. An upgrade with bulbs or Aux lights are must.


Storage & practicality


Underseat storage on the versys is ok for a bike. Some papers, basic toolkit and med-kit can be carried in the bike.

Engine Performance and Drivability

City
Despite majorly riding the bike on the highway, the city traffic while exiting or/and entering cannot be skipped. The engine is ok at the city's crawling speeds and does not heat up as much as my Benelli did. The clutch is on the average side, it’s not as light as my CBR, nor is it heavy like the Benelli, its manageable, especially with the adjustable lever, it’s quite easy.
On the move, the bike is comfortable at 50kmph on 5th gear and can cleanly pull away if needed. I have been stuck at crawling speeds for almost 15 minutes and the bike passed with flying colors. Additionally, the bike does not roar or make any kind of super-bike sound so it does not attract any eye-balls. Even while idling at neutral, the bike's sound is low and the pattern is like a 350cc bullet on a silent stock silencer, at the closest for comparison.

Highway
She loves the open roads and is happiest at around 5.5k RPM. Cruising at 110-115 kmph is something she can do all day long. The best part is, even if you have to slow down, she quickly reaches her cruising speed in a jiffy. The comfortable seat and tall stance with straight sitting ergonomics aid in travelling longer distance fatigue-free.
Versys comes with a windscreen, however I found it to be short for me and I do feel buffeting while I ride. An extension or a taller touring windscreen upgrade is recommended.
The bike is completely vibe-free at most RPM, but around 4.7-5k RPM I can feel the buzz on the handlebars and seat. I haven't felt the vibration at any other RPMs yet. I haven't really revved the engine till Red-line, but as all bike I expect it to be quite buzzy on the higher RPMs.


Overall opinion on the engine
Overall the engine on the Versys is a gem and in this state of tune, the bike has loads of torque and power as a good highway cruiser. I have used it solo only till now with not very heavy luggage setup. I will hold my comments on the touring with partner and full luggage setup till I do it myself.


Gearshift & Clutch
The gears are smooth most of the times, however at times I have noticed them to be a little clunky. Finding neutral is not a tough job and every time you shift to 1st from neutral, there's an audible "thud".


Fuel tank capacity & Tange.
The Versys comes with a large 21 liter tank. At highway speeds the fuel efficiency is around 21-22 kmpl, giving out a healthy range of around 350 kms minimum before you have to start looking for a fuel-station. This probably might go up or down depending on one's riding style.


Suspension & ride quality


Rear Suspension with Adjustment


Front Showa suspension

Showa adjustable suspension at front and a single adjustable suspension at the rear gives plenty of options for the knowledgeable ones to fine tune the ride. As of now, I have not played around with them and am quite happy with the setup.


Handling, on-road behavior, grip levels, stability & turning radius
Versys handles like a charm. I initially had a fear, especially as the experienced riders cursed the 17" front wheel as "unstable". It might be, but as they all said "under off-road conditions". I am not going to go off-road with the Versys. For highway's the bike is fantastic and very stable. A few have complained of a slight wobble after installing the top-box, but that's because the top-box drastically shifts the weight of the bike.
The bike also takes corners like a pro. I am a new-bie rider and I can easily lean the bike as much I could lean my CBR. Now CBR's is meant to go that way, Versys is not, but the fact that Versys can, is a testimony to how well the bike handles.
I haven’t measured nor I have faced any issues with the turning radius of the Versys.


Weight
The bike weighs a good 216 kgs. With a full tank and luggage the center of gravity shift higher. As long as I am on the move, I haven't faced any issue. All should be well till the bike is balanced, which it is quite well balanced. But if one looses the balance, the heaviness would be felt immediately.
However, the bike is so well balanced, that even at crawling speeds I can have both the feet on the bike. Only at standstill is when one needs to have the feet/foot down.


Braking



Disc and Brakes

The stock brakes are Nissin and the bike is has non-switchable dual channel ABS. The combination of grippy tires, powerful brakes and the advantage of the ABS is quite powerful and stops the bike with ease. On a recent ride, I had to put all of it to use when a villager walked on to the arbitrarily, I wasn't disappointed by the bike.


Ground clearance


Ground Clearance with Underbelly Exhaust

Versys comes with around 170mm of ground clearance. Its s quite sufficient for highway touring, however the off-reading community might desire more, especially with the underbelly exhaust. I understand that an underbelly exhaust points clearly towards that its not an offroad machine, its for touring. For me, I haven't scrapped any obstacle yet.

Stand
Versys comes with only a side stand. It however seems to be quite sturdy and one can climb on the bike with the bike on the side-stand. Even on the side stand the bike is perfectly leaned, unlike the CBR which initially gave me an impression of falling even with the side-stand ON. However a paddock or a center-stand is recommended for maintenance activities.


Quality of after-sales service, upkeep & maintenance
As mentioned earlier, the cost of maintenance is on the higher side. With the spares costing on the higher side as well. However there are a lot of aftermarket options for the Versys which are less expensive and better quality. Also the basic labor cost of Kawasaki Service is quite high. Just to give an example, the cost of lubing the chain in the service center is around Rs 450-500, one can easily acquire a whole set of Chain lube and Chain clean in that amount.


Overall
So with-in the month's time of purchase, Honda decided to offer a whooping 1.5L discount on the CB500X. To be frank, the CB500X was my first choice, but the earlier initial cost did not make is worth the investment.
In recent time, after extensively riding the Versys, I got to ride the CB500x, nothing much; it just made me happy with my decision on the versys. As I had said in a comparison video, the CB 500X can do everything but it would leave you slightly unsatisfied. The Versys is something which can do the same things in a better manner.
It’s like the CB500X is a beefed up CB200X while the Versys 650 is a toned down Versys 1000.


Some minor parts.


These are the tires of an Adventure Tourer after a curvy section of Kasara Ghat. I am not a pro, but these just go to show how good of a handler Versys is even for a first time rider.



Engine mounts, this also provides a provision to attach the Engine guards. The Zana guard perfectly fits attaches this area.



The rear grabrails. The 2 mounts are for stock panniers. Also notice the coupe of protruding, these help in mounting soft luggage and their bungee cords.



The single weak horn of the Versys, everytime you honk, the bike screams for a louder one.



Smoked out effect on the LED tail lights, give a clean look to the bike. Would have loved to see LED indicators as well. Plan to put the Husquarna ones once these go bust.



This is the brake lever, I just loved the way its crafted, it simply looks so balanced even in isolation.



Rear footrest has these panels, which help in attaching hooks of the bungee cords.


This is the last Hurrah of current generation Kawasaki Versys 650!
As my cars, I shall be keeping this bike for many years to come and will be updating the experience with it on our very own Team-Bhp!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[shancz]

Congrats on the Versys, seems like a perfect match for your usage.

Your idea of "The Holy Trip" is what we call a perfect win-win situation

Ditto on the sofa seats and 21 liter tank. IMO any bike intending for an "ADV" badge should either be able to hold at least 17 litres of fuel or have a 450+ kms tank range .

The paint quality and the pics are drool worthy.

Enjoy your rides

[bf1983]

Hearty congrats on a beautiful bike !

Loved the write up and wish you lots of happy mile munching !

Originally Posted by shancz

IMO any bike intending for an "ADV" badge should either be able to hold at least 17 litres of fuel or have a 450+ kms tank range .

Actually the bike is in the running in period so the mileage is low. I got around 29 kpl on my Z650 on a trip with lots of highways but included a couple of ghats. Since this bike has the same engine I would assume a mileage of 27 is very much doable though I wasn't pushing the bike and was doing around 80-90 kph. Assuming a mileage of 27 then the bike can easily do 450+ kms on a tank with a good amount to spare.

[StepUP!]

Congratulations on your new Versys! Wish you many happy and safe miles!
I have the same bike, bought in 2019 from Anzen. I corroborate your views on the bike, except I find stock Dunlops crap under wet condition. On dry tarmac they work fine though. I had some scary experiences on wet roads while dipping the bike in corners or under harsh braking. Rear tends to slide out.

[Avikbrio]

Congrats on getting the Versys 650. Excellent writeup as well. I am also a CBR 250 owner and had a thought of upgrading to the Versys 650, however it is the weight and the tall seat height (i am almost same height as you) that is giving me a second thought, especially when riding around in the city.

[iamahunter]

Originally Posted by shancz

Congrats on the Versys, seems like a perfect match for your usage.

Your idea of "The Holy Trip" is what we call a perfect win-win situation

Ditto on the sofa seats and 21 liter tank. IMO any bike intending for an "ADV" badge should either be able to hold at least 17 litres of fuel or have a 450+ kms tank range .

The paint quality and the pics are drool worthy.

Enjoy your rides

Thankyou buddy. Yes, my usage is only road-based, do not intend on doing any kind of off-roading. So no need for spoked or 19" wheel.

Originally Posted by bf1983

Hearty congrats on a beautiful bike !

Loved the write up and wish you lots of happy mile munching !



Actually the bike is in the running in period so the mileage is low. I got around 29 kpl on my Z650 on a trip with lots of highways but included a couple of ghats. Since this bike has the same engine I would assume a mileage of 27 is very much doable though I wasn't pushing the bike and was doing around 80-90 kph. Assuming a mileage of 27 then the bike can easily do 450+ kms on a tank with a good amount to spare.

Thankyou so much!

I agree on the mileage part, but compared to the Z650 this one is heavier and poses high resistance due to the windscreen. On a recent short ride to Gujrat, I was able to achieve an average of 24 as the speed was around 100 kmph.

Originally Posted by StepUP!

Congratulations on your new Versys! Wish you many happy and safe miles!
I have the same bike, bought in 2019 from Anzen. I corroborate your views on the bike, except I find stock Dunlops crap under wet condition. On dry tarmac they work fine though. I had some scary experiences on wet roads while dipping the bike in corners or under harsh braking. Rear tends to slide out.

Nice! I haven't experienced any wet roads yet so could not really comment on it.
However bad, they would still be much-much better than the ContiGos which I had got on the CBR. So I don't think I would be complaining any time sooner.

By-the-way, have you upgraded form the Dunlops? If Yes, which ones did you go for, would love to hear your experience.

Originally Posted by Avikbrio

Congrats on getting the Versys 650. Excellent writeup as well. I am also a CBR 250 owner and had a thought of upgrading to the Versys 650, however it is the weight and the tall seat height (i am almost same height as you) that is giving me a second thought, especially when riding around in the city.

Yes, the Versys is tall and at times it does get a little tough to handle in the city, especially if you compare it to the CBR's light and nimble nature.

However, I would like to say that the Versys is very well balanced and you would hardly get a chance to feel the weight. I try to keep it straight as possible when in traffic.

If you are serious, I would suggest to take the plunge, you won't regret.
Here's a short review on the other bikes in this segment - Link (Honda CB500X launched at Rs. 6.87 lakh)

[camitesh]

Congratulations buddy, great upgrade after the baby CBR. I have toured quite a bit alongside a Versys 650 and often exchanged my CBR250 with Versys for short periods while on the rides, so I could resonate with your comparo review very well. Open highways is where this machine shines but the relaxing and commanding ride position on Versys made me feel equally or more comfortable on it than CBR250 at times even in traffic (I’m close to 5”10 so that’s helpful).

Coming to the mileage on highways, the fellow Versys rider easily gets 25+ kmpl constantly while cruising at triple digit speeds and we often ended with similar mileage as I would have to keep a much higher RPM to keep up with the Versys.

On Tyres, IIRC my friend too felt the Dunlops were decent but then he switched to Timsun tyres (affordable and lack of better options last year due to shortage) before our Mumbai-Leh-Mumbai ride last season and he aced it on those tyres without breaking a sweat on lots of tricky surfaces all throughout the journey. I’m sure you already know this but there’s a VIR (Versys India Riders) WhatsApp group IIRC where you’ll get more updated feedback on better tyres and other help.

In terms of reliability, this thing is bulletproof. We had some or the other minor niggles or problems with KTM 390 adventure, brand new REs Meteor and even my CBR while on the ride to mountains but the four year old Versys with 25+ k kms was rock solid all through the ride with just a puncture to slow down things.

Enjoy the new ride and keep updating the ownership log!

[Mahven]

Congratulations on your purchase buddy, Versys 650 has stood the test of times and is one hell of beast giving you versatility that very few bikes can match in the adv segment. I wish you tons of happy and safe miles on your green monster!

Did you ever consider the upcoming Triumph Tiger 660 though?

[ManneAtWheelz]

Congratulations on your new ride Versys 650, bike is real impressive with that agressive stance and I loved this color combination of green and black blend, loved all the great write-up with the lovely pics.

Few questions however from my end,

• What are the engine specs (power/torque), any comparison done?
• What is the on-road price and mind you sharing the split up?
• As @Mahven already highlighted, have you not considered the upcoming Triumph Tiger Sport 660?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congratulations and welcome to the Versys family

The machine surely has it's flaws in 2022 and feels outdated in terms of equipment - but once on the highways - all is forgiven!