‘It ticks all the boxes’
READER REVIEW Versys 1000 GT
dventure-sports bikes have been squeezing sports-tourers out of the market for a decade or so now, offering the power, performance and practicality to make them the ideal all-rounder. Pete Muir is one rider who made the switch, but not after discovering the pitfalls of owning his dream ride. “I’d always wanted a Hayabusa,” says Pete, “but when I finally managed to save enough to afford one, I found I didn’t like it. I was so disappointed! It wasn’t the outright speed, just the riding position. It was so uncomfortable and killed my wrists.” Pete chopped in the Busa for a ZZR1400, but it wasn’t long before he found himself at On Yer Bike in Aylesbury
Alooking at another Kawasaki, this time a Versys. “I loved the upright stance and the fact that you could do anything on it, ” he says. “My budget wouldn’t stretch to the 1000, so I bought the 650, even though it was way down on power to what I was used to. It was a great bike, but after a couple of years I could afford the bigger model.” Pete test rode the SE first, but decided against it due to the price. “I went through the spec of the Grand Tourer and was more than happy with the package OK, it didn’t have the electronic suspension, but the difference was nearly £5k. The buying experience was really good, they’re not at all pushy at On Yer Bike and I’m happy that they met my needs.”
I put down £1000 on a PCP deal with payments of £135 per month and annual mileage of 5000. I’ve barely used it this year, so those miles are in the bank. Running-in wasn’t too much of a hardship. For the first service I took it to Niki Spreng at NS Motorcycles in Aylesbury, he does a fantastic job and charges just £50 per hour.
The engine and gearbox felt a lot smoother with fresh oil and it seemed to rev more freely, however the inspection did throw up a weeping fork seal. As that was a potential warranty job I had to take the bike to an official dealer, so I went to Abingdon Kawasaki. There was no issue with them covering the work, plus they lent me a Z1000SX for the week I was without my bike, which was a nice gesture.
The front brakes are fantastic and give me so much confidence that I feel as though I could stop on a sixpence. The rear is adequate, but I generally use it for slow control and keeping the bike level under heavy braking. The ABS is very impressive, it activated when I had to brake suddenly to avoid a car and although I felt the pump working it was still very smooth and certainly did its job in keeping me upright.
I managed to get away to spend a few days touring the Peak District, but on the heavily cambered roads and uneven car park surfaces I had a lot of trouble getting my feet down safely. When I got back Niki at NS suggested I fit a Lust Racing lowering kit (£94.90) to drop the ride height by 30mm.
Fitting the lowering kit changed the dynamics slightly, which meant I had to have the suspension tailored to me. The ride is fantastic now and it holds a line perfectly. I wouldn’t chuck it into a bend the same I would a sportsbike, but the Versys isn’t really about that. The rear shock can get a bit bouncy with full luggage and a pillion though.
Because the bike is touring orientated, I expected it to have a better-quality seat. After around 100 odd miles I started getting a numb bum, so I sent it away to Saddlecraft in Newcastle to get a gel pad inserted (£100). It’s better, but still not brilliant. The riding position itself is great, there’s loads of room to move about and all the controls are in exactly where I want them. The adjustable screen is fine, but I do get a little buffeting.
The engine has all the grunt I need for most situations; just twist the throttle and off you go. The gearing is fantastic, spot on for touring and makes pushing on effortless. The only downside is that neutral can be hard to find before the engine’s warmed up. Economy is better on long trips than short ones, I can do almost 200 miles to a tank with consumption between 43-54mpg.
I have had the traction control (KRTC) kick in on a wet road, but rather than cut the power dramatically it just eased it off and back on again. I don’t use the different engine modes much and tend to ride in full power most of the time, probably because most of the bikes I’ve owned haven’t had that option. The head and spotlights are absolutely incredible, the best on any machine I’ve ever owned. That said, the switch for the spotlights is buried on the right side of the dash and can be really awkward to reach when you are on the move. It’s just had an annual service at NS Motorcycles, which came to a very reasonable £178.