‘Perfection for pillions’
Kawasaki’s clever suspension makes two-up riding a cinch
One of my favourite aspects of riding a motorcycle on the road is taking a pillion passenger, and with the Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE that couldn’t be easier.
A chance to share the journey, as well as sharpen your riding skills, it’s at its most enjoyable when taking someone who has never experienced two wheels; giving you the unique opportunity to inspire a new biker at the same time. Using an electronic Showa suspension system, derived from the ZX-10R SE and tweaked for touring duties, altering the Versys’ springs for pillions can be done in seconds, either through the dash, or via the ‘Rideology’ app.
With three riding modes to set the base level of damping, as well as three rear preload options, the damping can be fine-tuned within the bike’s settings, allowing you to create the perfect pillion package. Despite no dedicated solo rider and pillion settings, I’ve found the ideal combination to be the ‘Rider with Passenger and Luggage’ preload option and the ‘Sport’ riding mode for maximum poke. Load can be tweaked, dependant on your pillion’s size and weight. Once underway, the damping is adjusted every millisecond to suit variables like road speed, throttle position, lean angle and suspension movement, thanks to inbuilt stroke sensors within the forks and shock. The result is a serene riding experience that, if sorted correctly, allows you to ride in almost exactly the same manner as you would solo. The electronic support also improves a pillion’s experience, delivering maximum comfort. This opinion was concurred by my brother, Matt, who has been ‘fortunate’ enough to go pillion with me on bikes of most genres. After a recent 120-mile two-up jaunt, he said: “It’s one of the most comfortable bikes I’ve been on. It’s more pillion friendly than most and offers good back support from the curved seat and padded top box.” Good friend Gabriella Hill, who experienced biking for the first time aboard the Versys, added: “It was more relaxing and quieter than I was expecting,” she said. “I thought it’d be sensory overload, but it was smoother than a car and a much more enjoyable way to get around. “The seat was very spacious and in 30mph zones I could just sit back and see everything I wanted.”