Kawasaki Versys Coming
- Thread starter nikster
- Start date
Many thanks to @The PedroDB for providing the brake rotor hole sizes, I appreciate it.
I have also been communicating with the folks at Moto Werk, the provider of the rear shock relocation block that lowers the rear about 2 inches. They assure me the block will fit the 2011 model year V, but they are not certain about the Big Foot attachment for the kickstand since the 2011 kickstand has a different part number than the 2010 model. They asked me to make some measurements and include them with some photos. I will do that as soon as I take delivery in about 28 days (I hope). These folks also have a handlebar riser, and a foot peg lowering kit - FYI. I'm not sure I will need these lowering devices yet as I spent less than ten minutes on a test ride. We'll see ...
Cheers everyone
Steve
I have also been communicating with the folks at Moto Werk, the provider of the rear shock relocation block that lowers the rear about 2 inches. They assure me the block will fit the 2011 model year V, but they are not certain about the Big Foot attachment for the kickstand since the 2011 kickstand has a different part number than the 2010 model. They asked me to make some measurements and include them with some photos. I will do that as soon as I take delivery in about 28 days (I hope). These folks also have a handlebar riser, and a foot peg lowering kit - FYI. I'm not sure I will need these lowering devices yet as I spent less than ten minutes on a test ride. We'll see ...
Cheers everyone
Steve
Hi
the Versys is on sale already. Price; 285'000 B. in black and darkred and delivery about one months! Great!
the Versys is on sale already. Price; 285'000 B. in black and darkred and delivery about one months! Great!
Tubber just posted this interesting review over on that "other" site. I hope he won't mind if I copy it here:
Interesting article in June issue of Bike magazine. Group test with Versys, F800GS, KTM 690 Duke and Aprilia Dorsoduro.
Reckoned the Versys was the best of the bunch (and easier to get on the back wheel than the BM, so not just you Tony).
Some interesting performance figures as well. Versys SS 1/4 mile 13.8 seconds at 99mph, top speed 114mph. Made an interesting comparison with another bike from 1990 SS 1/4 mile 13.7 seconds at 99mph, top speed 113mph. Other bike was a TDR250, no reflection on the Versys the TDR had a 2 stroke twin engine nicked from the TZR and re-worked. Wicked little bikes and a hoot to ride. They also made 5 very good points about the Versys :-
1. As agile as a GSXR 750. On a kart track it was more agile.
2. As naughty as a Street Triple-easier to wheelie.
3. Last longer than a Tiger-Longer tank range.
4.The space of a GTR1400- same amount of room as the Kawa sports tourer.
5. As quick as an R6- Obviously not top end speed but you don't have to go fast to be quick. 40-100mph roll on for the R6 13.4 seconds for the Versys 13.9 seconds. R6 maybe faster time but by the time you stomp down 2 gears and twist the throttle the Kwak will be well ahead.
Versys was the winner of the test followed closely by the BMW. But given the prices in Thailand you could buy 2 new Versys and still have 250,000B in your pocket to make 1 of them an off-roader.
Woohoo!
Let the Good Times ROLL!
Tony :happy5:
Interesting article in June issue of Bike magazine. Group test with Versys, F800GS, KTM 690 Duke and Aprilia Dorsoduro.
Reckoned the Versys was the best of the bunch (and easier to get on the back wheel than the BM, so not just you Tony).
Some interesting performance figures as well. Versys SS 1/4 mile 13.8 seconds at 99mph, top speed 114mph. Made an interesting comparison with another bike from 1990 SS 1/4 mile 13.7 seconds at 99mph, top speed 113mph. Other bike was a TDR250, no reflection on the Versys the TDR had a 2 stroke twin engine nicked from the TZR and re-worked. Wicked little bikes and a hoot to ride. They also made 5 very good points about the Versys :-
1. As agile as a GSXR 750. On a kart track it was more agile.
2. As naughty as a Street Triple-easier to wheelie.
3. Last longer than a Tiger-Longer tank range.
4.The space of a GTR1400- same amount of room as the Kawa sports tourer.
5. As quick as an R6- Obviously not top end speed but you don't have to go fast to be quick. 40-100mph roll on for the R6 13.4 seconds for the Versys 13.9 seconds. R6 maybe faster time but by the time you stomp down 2 gears and twist the throttle the Kwak will be well ahead.
Versys was the winner of the test followed closely by the BMW. But given the prices in Thailand you could buy 2 new Versys and still have 250,000B in your pocket to make 1 of them an off-roader.
Woohoo!
Let the Good Times ROLL!
Tony :happy5:
Some pix from the magazine which is partially available here: http://issuu.com/tony33/docs/jun10
The Versys beat all the others but to be fair, it beat the F800GS on price so that was a factor. Of course in Thailand the Kawasakis would automatically win everything as soon as price is a factor
Too bad the whole article isn't available online, would love to read it.
Have no fear, Pedro is here!
I scanned my own copy of the Versys test and published it as a PDF for you all to download. Get it here!
Enjoy !!!
P
I scanned my own copy of the Versys test and published it as a PDF for you all to download. Get it here!
Enjoy !!!
P
Totally agree @Captain but, even so, IMO the V is still the best value new bike you can get in LOS. I don't mind paying full UK RRP but I do object to paying double as a result of import duty.
P
How dare they make money??!!
I kind of had the feeling the dealer margins are a bit higher on the Versys - but why wouldn't they be. Even in the USA, land of deals, if a vehicle is in short supply you pay full MSRP for it, or more! If it's some crappy American car, of course, you get it without paying a penny out of your pocket, and they're just happy to get rid of it.
Anyway, the Versys test is pretty convincing, these guys absolutely loved her :smile1:
Funny detail - Bike Magazine calls the stock Dunlop 221 tires on the Versys "shocking". :lol-sign:
Yup! I mentioned that on the 'other place' when Tony was deliberating about changing them at time of purchase. You certainly agree. :thumbup:
"Bike" magazine also described them as being made of 'bakelite'. :crazy:
I just wish Samui roads would stop doing a good impression of rivers, so I can go and find out for myself just how cr@p they are. Weather forecast is better from Friday, so who knows!
Glad you enjoyed the reading material @nikster.
Cheers
P
I don't think that price is for the ABS model though, add another 350-400 notes.
E-z to check on the Kawasaki.co.uk web page. With ABS it's 6699 GBP, which is... 319,158 Baht. Looks like the price in Thailand isn't so bad after all, eh? We're paying 35,000 Baht less than the English for this bike!
I don't think that price is for the ABS model though, add another 350-400 notes.
E-z to check on the Kawasaki.co.uk web page. With ABS it's 6699 GBP, which is... 319,158 Baht. Looks like the price in Thailand isn't so bad after all, eh?
And that's using today's piss-poor exchange rate that the once great british pound now gets us!
The 2010 model was available in a striking yellow:
I may have mine sprayed this color after the new year. Will post up pics once it's done.
Still haven't decided which exhaust to go for. Have been very happy with Arrow, quite enjoyed the MTC on my 650R and I liked the TWO BROS on my old ER6n but sometimes I think it's a bit too loud...
Ride On!
Tony
I dislike noisy exhausts, I hear them every day when I'm in Patong, the "Disneyland" of Phuket - lots of older guys who enjoy their second youth on 400cc choppers with gutted cans or younger "dudes" wearing only shorts, flip flops and sunglasses on howling inline-fours.
The Two Brothers is too flimsy; you need a solid muffler to get a mellow, deep sound with lots of bass without being too loud at higher revvs. The Arrow seems to be alright but a bit pricey.
This selfmade muffler is my favorite, good sound, not too loud and cheap, under a hundred bucks, and not everybody has it:
No info on weight, though, but I rather carry a few pounds more and know I won't wake people up when I come home at night.
The Two Brothers is too flimsy; you need a solid muffler to get a mellow, deep sound with lots of bass without being too loud at higher revvs. The Arrow seems to be alright but a bit pricey.
This selfmade muffler is my favorite, good sound, not too loud and cheap, under a hundred bucks, and not everybody has it:
No info on weight, though, but I rather carry a few pounds more and know I won't wake people up when I come home at night.
I understand a fair bit about wave tuning exhausts, and in fact have been running such a design on my Harleys for about 20 years. I have now designed one for my Enfield and will get it welded up in the new year.
Yes they are a bit loud at WFO, but not so loud really when a light hand is used. At full chat on the dyno or behind the sound is impressive for a gearhead like myself.
What I see here in LOS is not a complete head back system, but simply a slip on can. Granted it sheds weight and the catalytic converter is deleted, but all the marketing fluff aside, the potential power gains are minimal at best and the quoted 2-3 HP is in line with what I would expect. Looking at these mufflers they are simply a nice can with a sound absorbing packing around a central core. I have difficulty believing that there is any science involved, and this is something that one can easily build for far less than 20,000 B while acheiving the same result
I would like to see the Thai slip on products
Now a head back system with the mufflers under the seat ala Ducati would be nice looking and I recall that Tony had a pic of one. I suspect that the bike would be better with the weight centralized and low per the original design, although the pipes are a bit exposed if the going gets rough
Yes they are a bit loud at WFO, but not so loud really when a light hand is used. At full chat on the dyno or behind the sound is impressive for a gearhead like myself.
What I see here in LOS is not a complete head back system, but simply a slip on can. Granted it sheds weight and the catalytic converter is deleted, but all the marketing fluff aside, the potential power gains are minimal at best and the quoted 2-3 HP is in line with what I would expect. Looking at these mufflers they are simply a nice can with a sound absorbing packing around a central core. I have difficulty believing that there is any science involved, and this is something that one can easily build for far less than 20,000 B while acheiving the same result
I would like to see the Thai slip on products
Now a head back system with the mufflers under the seat ala Ducati would be nice looking and I recall that Tony had a pic of one. I suspect that the bike would be better with the weight centralized and low per the original design, although the pipes are a bit exposed if the going gets rough
Maybe a boring little point compared to the high powered tuning discussions, but if you are changing the main colour of the bike, it is worth keeping receipts for the changed panels or the respray job. Ideally you would then go with your green book, pay about 15 baht and have the colour changed in the book. This will not be needed unless you sell the bike, as when checking the frame number etc they also check for colour, and if not as the book, they demand a receipt for the colour change work. As I did not have this for the D-Tracker I bought, which was yellow but now black, I was sent quietly to a nearby shop, who sent a lad off on the motorbike and came back with such a receipt, for which I had to pay 200Baht.
Hi Nikster,nikster wrote: John do I see a beastly s1000rr in your profile pic? Did you post a review somewhere, or could you? Sorry totally OT but I am drooling all over my keyboard just now...
I have kept fairly quiet about this one because I sense some people are rather fed up with me getting new bikes. Mind you I had to lose the wife, the house and the car to get this one. (Not really joking).
I fell in love with the bike when I went to see it one too many times in the BMW showroom, the reviews speak for themselves, but beauty in a bike is a personal thing, but this is one I like to have parked in the drive and I really enjoy looking at it from various angles. Unlike the car, or the .............. Of course you do not spend over 1 million Baht to look at only. The decision was between that and replacing the 2008 R1 with a new 2010 R1. Actually by the time I have sold the R1 and look at the residual value I have left, say after 12 months it is not such an expensive purchase. I rode the 2010 R1 and did not find it significantly different for road use than my old one. The new BMW just seemed to be better value and would be likely to remain of significantly more value than the R1 and appeared to be a much more advanced bike which seemed to offer a lot to the normal road user, as I do not intend to go to the track with it. The various modes, the traction control, linked brakes, ABS, quickshift etc seem to make it a safer and more forgiving bike on normal roads, not to mention more horsepower than almost anything else of its genre. The quality of manufacture appears to be excellent and the more you look at some of its unusual design feature, the better it gets.
3750km in the last 12 days and I am absolutely delighted. It is suprisingly easy to ride, very comfortable and flexible. It just seems to hold any line you point your head at. If you want to experience the top 7k of the 14K rev range you need to do it in the lower gears. At 7k in 6th gear, travelling at 165kph open the throttle and it just takes off, you do not need to change down in normal overtaking, but I found I was doing it because it sounds so good at higher revs. I am taking it easy at the moment and relearning my riding habits, but I must say on todays journey back from KK, I found I was overtaking several vehicles at once, rather than just one or two as normal, partly because you know you have the power to get past very quickly and still hold a good line in to the bend ahead. Anything I say is likely to be heavily critisised, so I do not intend to go on to much, but there is no point in reviewing its perfomance around Chiang Mai moat, or talking about how well it accelerates from the lights up to 50km/hr. Its not that sort of bike, it is a beast, but a tame one if you want to ride it that way. I am happy to answer any genuine questions. There are many who feel such a bike has no place on Thailands roads. Well, when it makes you feel as good riding it as it does me, it has a place on my driveway, and it will be hopefully be making me feel good for many thousand Km over the next couple of years at least, and making a better rider out of me. It also helps an old bugger keep fit, and gives him a reason to keep fit. This is not really a review, just an answer to your question. I will ride it some more and if there is an interest write a review from the point of view of an high mileage rider, rather than a racetrack expert.
Cool stuff John, please do post a little review in the BMW section, would love to read it. I am sure many others would too.
Ignore those "some people" who are fed up with you for buying motorcycles (??? wha???)... paraphrasing Dr. Seuss, do what you want, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind
I don't think there ever needs to be any justification for getting any bike - whatever, I'd buy the S1000RR for the design alone, even though it's clearly wayyyyy to much bike for me to handle... I go by the smile factor... do you have a smile on your face? Then you did the right thing
Now back to the V... didn't get much riding done due to my little run in with that large steel door... I can ride but it's painful to shift which dampens the mood somewhat. I did test the upper speed limit while staying below the redline, was close to 180 but straining. With the ER-6n you could easily go faster but you don't want to, with the V you want to but cant...
Ignore those "some people" who are fed up with you for buying motorcycles (??? wha???)... paraphrasing Dr. Seuss, do what you want, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind
I don't think there ever needs to be any justification for getting any bike - whatever, I'd buy the S1000RR for the design alone, even though it's clearly wayyyyy to much bike for me to handle... I go by the smile factor... do you have a smile on your face? Then you did the right thing
Now back to the V... didn't get much riding done due to my little run in with that large steel door...
I can ride but it's painful to shift which dampens the mood somewhat. I did test the upper speed limit while staying below the redline, was close to 180 but straining. With the ER-6n you could easily go faster but you don't want to, with the V you want to but cant...
I did some research on the 'hard break in' method and it would appear to be an entirely valid way to go. However, most of the folk that use this also appear to be from the racing fraternity... so, are they really concerned about the long term health of their engine? Probably not, because it'll get a rebuild or two before very long.
On the other hand, how many of us will be looking to get 100,000 KM out of our bikes? I suspect most of us will have sold and moved on by then - so maybe we don't need to take the easy way out either... Kawasaki's view that modern engines don't need running in is something I have heard from many manufacturers but I don't see any harm in letting things bed in before giving them a sound hammering.
For what it's worth, here's my approach (currently in progress with the Versys). Always warm the bike up by riding relatively gently. For the first 500 KM no more than 50% max revs - but make sure to give the bike a good blast through the gears and don't labour the engine. Avoid steady speed riding. 1000 KM at a steady 100 KM/hr is not exercising the engine sufficiently - it needs to work through the rev range.
After each 100 KM beyond the initial 500 KM, I increase the rev range by 1000 rpm. I do this until max rev are achieved or 1000 KM are reached. Early oil change is probably good but not absolutely essential. I agree that oil and a filter is much cheaper than an engine but have never had any drama from not replacing the oil before the first (1000km) service interval.
I ran in my VFR750, Yamaha R1 and my KTM Supermoto like this. The mechanics at the Bracken KTM Dealership in 'Sarf Landun' could never understand why my bike didn't use any oil - everybody else's seemed to use a litre or so every 1000 Miles. Maybe that's the reason. Maybe I was just lucky with my bike. Either way, my technique certainly did no harm.
Once the bikes run in, I run my engine pretty hard (i do love an engine that revs!) but only after it has warmed up fully. I also tend to change oil and filter every 2000 KMs and use a decent semi or fully synthetic oil 5w40 or better.
That's about it. Apologies if this sounds a bit like 'teaching Granny to suck eggs' (where did that phrase originate from anyway?).
Laydeez & Gentlemen, the choice is yours...
Best Regards
P
On the other hand, how many of us will be looking to get 100,000 KM out of our bikes? I suspect most of us will have sold and moved on by then - so maybe we don't need to take the easy way out either... Kawasaki's view that modern engines don't need running in is something I have heard from many manufacturers but I don't see any harm in letting things bed in before giving them a sound hammering.
For what it's worth, here's my approach (currently in progress with the Versys). Always warm the bike up by riding relatively gently. For the first 500 KM no more than 50% max revs - but make sure to give the bike a good blast through the gears and don't labour the engine. Avoid steady speed riding. 1000 KM at a steady 100 KM/hr is not exercising the engine sufficiently - it needs to work through the rev range.
After each 100 KM beyond the initial 500 KM, I increase the rev range by 1000 rpm. I do this until max rev are achieved or 1000 KM are reached. Early oil change is probably good but not absolutely essential. I agree that oil and a filter is much cheaper than an engine but have never had any drama from not replacing the oil before the first (1000km) service interval.
I ran in my VFR750, Yamaha R1 and my KTM Supermoto like this. The mechanics at the Bracken KTM Dealership in 'Sarf Landun' could never understand why my bike didn't use any oil - everybody else's seemed to use a litre or so every 1000 Miles. Maybe that's the reason. Maybe I was just lucky with my bike. Either way, my technique certainly did no harm.
Once the bikes run in, I run my engine pretty hard (i do love an engine that revs!) but only after it has warmed up fully. I also tend to change oil and filter every 2000 KMs and use a decent semi or fully synthetic oil 5w40 or better.
That's about it. Apologies if this sounds a bit like 'teaching Granny to suck eggs' (where did that phrase originate from anyway?).
Laydeez & Gentlemen, the choice is yours...
Best Regards
P