News – Everything you need to know about the Kawasaki Versys 1000 – Rather high and ” wide ” on the legs

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Everything you need to know about the Kawasaki Versys 1000

News - Everything you need to know about the Kawasaki Versys 1000 - Rather high and '' wide '' on the legs

Unveiled exclusively by Site in early October, the Versys 1000 has since caused much ink to flow. Officially presented at EICMA, the most important new Kawasaki 2012 is now delivered in every detail. Complete file.

Rather high and ” wide ” on legs

The Versys 1000 is a motorcycle with assumed aesthetic choices – the front very inspired by the Versys 650 leaves no one indifferent… -, but its lines are finally quite harmonious "live" while its quality of realization is up to par. current Kawasaki standards, namely very good.

Site was also able to appreciate (in static only) the natural driving position offered by the wide handlebars and the footrests placed much lower and more forward than on the Z1000. On the other hand, the Versys 1000 appears a bit bulkier (1520 mm wheelbase, 900 mm wide and 239 kg all full) and less accessible than expected …

If his saddle ("the most comfortable of the whole range", ensures Kawasaki!) is slightly less high perched (845 mm) than on certain more typical" trail "models, a pilot of 1.75m thus touches the ground only on the tips of the feet. The reason? ‘crotch, due in particular to the size of the aluminum frame, the uprights of which nevertheless pass above the engine to gain narrowness.

Add to that a fuel tank much larger than on the roadster (21.5 liters against 15 on the Z1000) and here are a few precious millimeters which are added here and there at the expense of the shortest bikers on legs….

On the other hand, all "road" that it is, this new model remains nonetheless a trail, at least in broad outline. However, a motorcycle aiming to play with degraded surfaces (and possibly to venture on rolling paths) is necessarily a little bit "high on legs", if only because of a ground clearance and generous suspension travel.

However, in the case of the Versys 1000, the inverted 43mm fork (adjustable for preload and rebound) and the horizontal damper (adjustable for preload via an accessible and rebound dial) only offer 150 mm of travel: values ​​ultimately not much higher than on the Z1000 (120 mm at the front and 135 mm at the rear) and significantly less than on an R1200GS (190 mm and 200 mm) !

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