One tough, reliable little motorcycle
Faithful adventure tourer gets a few tweaks to make it even more versatile
My friend Steve’s 2007 Kawasaki 650 Versys has about 75,000 kilometres on its speedo. Hard, long-distance kilometres, loaded down with camping gear and a 6-foot-6 rider, often in inclement conditions and, befitting an adventure tourer, not all on paved roads.
If that’s not enough recommendation for the toughness of Kawasaki’s little (OK, mid-size) twin, then consider this: Other than one rather bizarre rectifier failure, it’s been stone-axe reliable.
Nor has it been pampered or maintained by the book; other than oil and filters, maintenance has been minimal. Neither of us is quite sure, but we think the last valve adjustment was either four or five years ago and syncing the throttle bodies has so far remained an owner’s manual recommendation.
Yet it burns no oil, perks up at the first push of the starter button and seems not one iota slower than when Steve bought it 10 years ago. Hell, it even survived a fairly highspeed get-off, tough enough to continue the tour, save for a thoroughly fragged saddlebag and a few scratches.
In other words, Kawasaki’s twin-cylinder adventurer has always been a tough little mother.
Only recently has Kawasaki added a tinge of sophistication to that act: to wit, a pair of touring-capable saddlebags and an adjustable windscreen. Perhaps most importantly, with the acknowledgment that an adventure tourer, even a mid-size one, is going to be tasked with varying cargo and passenger accommodations, there is now adjustable suspension.
What hasn’t changed much, however, is the 649-cc parallel twin engine. From the compliments paid above — much like a dog, in the long run a motorcycle’s most prized attribute is loyalty — you can surmise it didn’t need much modification. The fuel injection and exhaust systems have been upgraded so the 2017 Versys now meets Euro 4 emissions standards, and that’s perked up the twin’s throttle response a little. But, essentially, the engine feels much the same as the original: a little thrumming vibration at mid-range speeds but surprisingly smooth when cruising above 6,000 rpm, or 125 km/h (7,000 seems like its sweet spot, but then that would be me encouraging people to cruise our highways at a buck-forty).
At those speeds, the fairing — with a more easily adjustable windscreen for 2017 — offers decent, though not great, wind protection, trading relative turbulence-free aerodynamics for outright coverage. On hot days, like during our test, the trade-off is welcome. Come the fall, we might want a little faceshield-rattling turbulence if it warded off a little wind chill. Nonetheless, it’s well designed and, on the fully loaded LT I tested, it came with handlebar-mounted handguards that also kept the wind — and rain! — off our hands.
The same competence applies to the seat. Not quite Saddleman soft, it’s still a comfortable perch for a decent day’s ride. Steve added an Airhawk seat pad to cushion his posterior, but that’s because the padding is 10 bloody years old, while his combination of 220 pounds pushing down on a bony butt (he is, as I said, 6-foot-6) is particularly hard on seats.
The addition of saddlebags is what makes the LT truly touring-capable. Spacious, at 28 litres apiece, they are also ultra convenient, using the ignition key for locking and unlocking the easily manipulated Givi-like clasps. This is essentially the same luggage used on the Versys 1000 LT, so the 650 is punching — or cargo-ing — above its weight.
Kawasaki Canada also offers convenient saddlebag liners for $154.21 and a 47-L top case for $366.93 (or that plus $107.59 if you want to include the backrest pad to keep your passenger happy).
Speaking of which, the 650, as I mentioned, can now better accommodate varying load conditions, offering both preload and damping adjustments on the front fork and rear monoshock. Said rear suspension’s preload adjuster is a remote hydraulic unit, so changes are made easily, while the front fork uses a unique arrangement whereby the spring is in one fork leg and the damping in the other. Adjustments to preload and damping are therefore accomplished on alternate fork caps, keeping the whole process simple.
Handling, befitting its light 216kg curb weight, is fleet; the 650 LT bends into curves with just the slightest tug of the handlebar. Indeed, dynamically, the most impressive thing about the mid-size Versys is how neutrally it steers. In this age of wide-tired superbikes that require hanging off at every corner, a lithe adventure bike that steers into corners so easily is welcome. The compromise for that steering neutrality is that the 650 wears a 17-inch front tire (a 120/70-16 to be exact), pretty much putting paid to any pretension on the Versys’s part to off-road worthiness.
If all this talk of utilitarian function sounds less than inspiring, understand that it is because Kawasaki’s mid-range Versys has always been something of a workhorse, an honest motorcycle that emphasizes function over flash. It is neither the fastest adventure tourer nor the most glamorous, just a reliable motorcycle ready for an honest day’s work. Pony up the $10,199 Kawasaki Canada wants for a fully loaded LT and chances are it will do so for many a mile.