Kawasaki Versys 1000 in the driving report

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Kawasaki Versys 1000 in the driving report

How sporty is the new Versys?

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So far, the Kawasaki Versys 1000 has not been a hit, at least not in sales. That should change with a new look and some revisions. There was always potential.

I know what you want to say now: a motorcycle like that in a sporty motorcycle magazine? And you are right – ostensibly. But there are three good reasons why Kawasaki Versys 1000 in PS takes place. Firstly, Kawasaki explicitly emphasizes the new sportiness of the Versys at the presentation – which you can now see with the sleeker front fairing. Second, the powerful four-cylinder of the Z 1000 is in the sports tourer – that can’t be that unsportsmanlike. And thirdly, the predecessor was far more eager to attack than his dumb, strolling appearance suggested.

Kawasaki Versys 1000 in the driving report

How sporty is the new Versys?

Versys 1000 should sprint behind. "Oh," I thought back then in Kirkmichael, "this bucket is great."

Revised cylinder head and injection

Now Kawasaki has reworked the cylinder head and the injection system and is drawing nominally two more horsepower from the in-line engine of the Kawasaki Versys 1000. Please don’t hum cynical "madness", because you might not notice two more horsepower on this engine, but on the windy roads up Mount Etna the engine impressed with pressure from 2000 rpm to just over 10,000 rpm, and there it is then it’s sporty.

The Kawasaki Versys 1000 may not offer the greedy punch that the Z 1000 delivers at the top, but it rarely pushes carefree through towns and past car lines by idling – in almost any gear. Although the fluffy transmission invites you to shift gears, you can sometimes slouch when choosing a gear. But not when it’s on the hunt, because if you want to whip the Versys, you have to operate the gearshift lever in supersport style – unfortunately you have to sacrifice power above for torque around the bottom.

All tests and articles about the Kawasaki Versys 1000

Shifting in alternating curves works great

With pleasure, the Kawasaki Versys 1000 reveals a surprising amount of handiness. Moving around in alternating curves is a great success with the wide, now even stronger handlebars and the high center of gravity of the bike. It’s hard to believe that the Versys has become a whopping eleven kilograms! You also play the clean throttle response into your cards here, and the brakes, which have been taken over directly from the Z 1000, work at a very good level, because they do not grip hard in a sporty way, but act accurately and accurately and after a slight yield in the lever Then mark the pressure point on the first part of the Hatz stably.

The new Bosch ABS 9.1 MP is well tuned and only intervenes when the pilot really overdoes it. I would like to say that the typical Versys customer will only feel that he has ABS in an emergency – very good! The Bridgestone T30 sport touring tires, which Pirelli replaced on the Kawasaki Versys 1000, go very well with the motorcycle, never stand up and offer good grip. Should it ever tear, a three-stage traction control is available, which can even be switched off.

Chassis not necessarily sporty

Unfortunately, the chassis is the biggest argument against the sportiness propagated by Kawasaki, because even the new Kayaba fork with preload and rebound stage in each column as well as the shock absorber with preload via handwheel and rebound stage are too much underdamped for real attacks, so that the Kawasaki Versys 1000 in long curves that are driven with a lot of pressure, likes to rock and kicks quickly when braking heavily. This limits the potential of the engine and brakes.

But it is damn comfortable on the sometimes catastrophic Sicilian streets. Responsiveness and comfort are the strengths of this damper solution. For even more comfort, the Kawa engineers have now stored the engine of the Kawasaki Versys 1000, which is connected to the bridge frame at four points, in two places in rubber, in order to stop the well-known fine vibrations of the quadruple at medium speeds. That was partly successful. Very sensitive beings can still feel the vibrations between 4500 and 6000 rpm, but they are hardly worth mentioning.

What else speaks for the Kawasaki Versys 1000

What else speaks for the Kawasaki Versys 1000 are clearly unsporting values ​​such as additional rain mapping or the now standard main stand, which, together with the new fairing and the reinforced rear frame, ensures that extra pounds.

The fact that the latter is now more stable gives the Versys fan a full payload and the option of a real wall unit consisting of a top case and side cases. And that’s why the Kawasaki Versys 1000 may also appear at this point in horsepower, because if you still want to lure your Olle or the new young flame at your side on the back of the motorcycle in this life, a stooped posture and the take- along Simply having a toothbrush is not enough. The Versys could then ensure that it can still be sporty over the weekend despite a cocktail dress, make-up case, three pairs of pumps and high boots – with all compromises, of course.

Technical data Versys 1000

27 Pictures

Pictures: Kawasaki Versys 1000 in the driving report

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