Kawasaki Versys 650

Overview

The Versys 650 is an attempt by Kawasaki in the middleweight adventure category, which is gradually becoming very popular owing to its perfect blend of practicality and thrills offered in a balanced package. Essentially a scaled-down version of the biggest adventure motorcycle from Kawasaki, the Versys 1000, the Versys 650 is basically based on the Z650’s platform and shares a lot of mechanicals with the latter. Priced at RM 36,201, the Versys 650 is available in two paint shades of black and red.

Design

As we said earlier, the Versys 650 looks like a scaled-down version of the big Versys 1000 in almost every term. The motorcycle looks quite impressive with its tall stance and modern design elements which have been inspired from that of the Ninja series of sportsbikes.

At the front, the Versys 650 comes with a set of angular headlamps which are engulfed in a nice tapered down front semi-fairing. This front fascia, along with two sharp kinks below the front headlamps, makes it look exactly like that of the Versys 1000. Like the elder sibling, the Versys 650 also comes with a long and fully adjustable front transparent windshield above the fairing.

The fairing extends towards the sideways and blends into the wide but sleekly designed fuel tank. The non-existent side body panels, which expose the offset monoshock below the seat, give the Versys 650 a minimalist appeal. The engine comes with a wide cowl below it which hides the 2-into-1 exhaust pipe nicely. The wide split pillion grab rails mounted on the tail section makes the bike look bigger from the rear. Like the Versys 1000, the Versys 650 also comes with a petite LED tail lamp, small rear fender and black theme for the alloy wheels and the engine.

The instrument console of the Versys 650 is basically the same part digital unit which is available on the ER-6F. Below the all-analog tachometer sits an LCD screen divided into two parts, which displays speedometer, odometer, trip meters, and other essential data.

Ride & Handling

Under the skin, the Versys 650 comes with the same high-tensile steel diamond frame as well as suspension, which the Z650, as well as Ninja 650, have got too. Talking about the suspension, the Versys 650 comes with 41 mm inverted telescopic forks with adjustable rebound damping (right-side) and adjustable preload (left-side) at the front and offset laydown single-shock with remote spring preload adjustability at the rear.

The overall suspension has been tuned on a softer side to make the Versys 650 comfortable for long distance riding. The Versys 650 has been equipped with dual 300mm petal discs at the front and a single 250mm petal disc brake at the rear.

Engine & Fuel Consumption

The Kawasaki Versys 650 shares its powertrain with the other two middleweight motorcycles in the lineup of Kawasaki, the Ninja 650 and the Z650. This means that the mill on duty is a four stroke, parallel twin, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 649cc. However, for the Versys 650, the engine has been reworked to extract a punchier midrange and better bottom end grunt to suit its adventure characteristics.

The engine is good enough to squeeze out a maximum power output of 69PS and a peak torque output of 64Nm, which is considerably lesser than that of the Z650 and Ninja 650. Like the latter two motorcycles, the engine on the Versys 650 has been mated to a 6-speed gearbox.

Braking & Safety

Save for the presence of ABS, there is nothing much to talk about the safety aspect of the Versys 650. Given the rising competition in the middleweight adventure segment, a couple of more safety features on the Versys would have been welcomed.

Verdict

Compared to the other aggressive and focused middleweight motorcycles from Kawasaki, the Versys 650 offers a more user-friendly, practical and comfortable package owing to its adventure theme. The tall stance and the bog body panels definitely give the Versys 650 much needed visual appeal, while at the same time, the proven mechanicals and performance of Kawasaki make the Versys 650 a reliable motorcycle to own.