2019 Kawi Versy

[rajflyboy]

http://www.motorcycledaily.com/2019/05/2019-versys-1000-se-lt-md-first-ride/

Looks pretty good and form fitting, matching hard bags (no meals on wheels boxes).

 

[Sport-Touring]

[kyzrex]

18 grand!   I really want to like these bikes, but I can’t get over thinking that it’s not 3X better than a 6 grand used bike that is just a few years old.  Heck, there’s a used 2005 FJR with 32K on it for sale on another site for under 3 grand.  I just keep thinking that new bikes in the 15-20+K range are aimed at a really small market, and it’s a market that BMW and others already have a firm grip on.

[Blue is Best]

I read the article. $18,000 and it still has a chain. More electronics than a space ship! Just ain't my thing. I guess if a rider has a very lenient budget for their toys.... OK.

Of course, that is what makes the world go 'round. Difference of opinion. I prefer much more simple motorcycles, others will step up to be the first in line to get one.

[rajflyboy]

18g is about 7g more than I’d be willing to pay for it.  

I agree with you’all

[lobo10s]

I know I sure enjoy mine. That's what is so cool about our hobby. There are plenty of options for all types of tastes and budgets.

[rajflyboy]

 :thumbs-up

[jay547]

I tried to buy the 650 version a couple years ago but the dealers here didn't seem interested in making a sale. I ended up with an FJ-09 instead.

[Jeremy Z]

I just traded my Bandit 1250SA for a new one this past Sunday.

No need to bitch about the MSRP, as that's not what they're selling for. I paid $15.7k for mine. It's not cheap, but it's not approaching BMW, Triumph or KTM, either.

I've got a couple hundred miles on it already; here are my first impressions:

+ Class-leading passenger seat. This was important to me, as my girl likes riding

+ Electronic suspension adjustment - This is awesome. Push-button changes for rear shock preload makes it easy when going from passenger to no passenger. If that was all, it wouldn't be worth it, as it's easy enough to turn a remote preload adjustment knob. But it self-adjusts the suspension damping on the fly, as quickly as 1ms. So when I hit a patch of frost-heaved road, it softens it up. When I start cornering hard, it firms up.

+ The LED headlights are awesome. They both light all the time, and the beams seem to be both spot and flood

+ The cornering LED lights are awesome for tight turns at night. For sweeping turns, the regular headlights' beams are wide enough

+ Wind protection. Even on the low setting, there's no buffeting.

+ Display looks awesome. It's fluff, but it's nice to see the data, at least to me. I wouldn't pay extra just for this feature. It shows coolant temperature, range and fuel economy and several other things.

+ Engine's awesome. It makes torque from 4k to 9k, instead of 3k to 7k like the Bandit did. It's smooth, and geared a it lower than the Bandit 1250's engine.

+/- Haven't tried the cornering ABS or traction control, but I felt like they are good safety features.

+ Bags are quite nice

- Quick shifter; I don't like it. It feels mushy. It delays shifts when not using the quick-shifter and sometimes won't let me get into N when stopped. It may just need an adjustment, but it sure was a shock after Suzuki's slick and positive gearbox. I'm going to give it a fair shot, but I'm leaning now toward replacing it with a solid linkage.

+ Suspension is great; not just the easy adjustability, but the long travel. It's not quite as smooth as my KLR's over the frost heaves, but it's close and it doesn't dive right to the bottom when I get on the brakes hard, either

+ Sub-frame: it has one, and a proper one, too!

+ Nice little luggage rack. The plate between the rails is plastic, but thick and reinforced with ribs. I drilled it already and mounted up my cheap top box. It feels pretty strong.

- Turn signal and horn switches are small. I got used to the turn signal already, and can actuate it by touch, but I miss the horn probably 60% of the time when I go for it. Can't rely on that to prevent an accident. The horn is also super-wimpy. Right down there with the one on my scooter.

+/- The starter motor is kind of wimpy. It takes a few cranks to start when cold. The Bandit always fired on the first crank.

+ Centerstand design is tops! The lever doesn't stick way out, but somehow, it doesn't take much pressure to lever the bike up either.

I thought about getting the matching Kawi/Givi trunk, but it doesn't have brake lights, and I feel like for $500, it ought to. I put my cheap old Bestem 40L on it. The poor thing has been on 3 bikes now. I told myself if/when it breaks, I'll replace it with a Kappa. (the no-name version of Givi, which costs $100 less)

[Blue is Best]

Congratulations. You just got the Bandit and it is gone already?! What did you do? Hit the lottery?

[HipGnosis]

I didn't know the Verseys had gotten that advanced.

[slayman]

Sounds excellent. Congrats. Now if only Kawi would transfer the tech to the N1K and rename it GPZ or ZZR.......

[Jeremy Z]

Sounds excellent. Congrats. Now if only Kawi would transfer the tech to the N1K and rename it GPZ or ZZR.......

I read a couple accounts on a Versys forum in which people originally wanted the Ninja 1000, but when they saw the insurance rates, they "settled" for the Versys 1000, which has the same engine. Once they got over the idea of having a "Ninja" they were actually glad they went for the Versys instead.

Apparently, having "Ninja" in the model name is a signal to jack up insurance rates quite a bit, and having the format "ZX-xR" will jack them up even more.

[Jeremy Z]

Congratulations. You just got the Bandit and it is gone already?! What did you do? Hit the lottery?

Well, the full story is that I got the Bandit when my girlfriend didn't want to ride, and was not even sure she wanted to stay with ME, knowing how much I ride.

She saw the Bandit and how happy I was with it. Decided she'd give this motorcycling thing a try, and instantly loved it. She wants to go ride with me all the time now. We went for a couple day trips, and she just didn't have enough room, kept sliding forward into me, etc. Then, I started looking for soft saddle bags that fit the Bandit, since my preferred method of tank+tail+topbox would not work any more. No room for a tail bag when she's with me. I bought one set of nice saddlebags from a local friend, Tourmaster Elite. But they were a bit too long, or I'd have to move the turn signals. I bought another set of Chase-Harper, which looked to be perfect.

But in the interim, I went back to the dealer for something else and started checking out bikes. I was thinking Yamaha Super Tenere. Shaft drive, tubless tires, big enough to easily haul the two of us...

Right next to it was the Versys 1000, which I'd never considered before. The passenger seat is MUCH bigger than that of the Super10. I looked into it some more. Lots of neat safety features. That is important to me, because we're both parents of young kids. If we crash & burn because I cheaped out on cornering ABS, for example, it would be a shame to leave both our kids without a parent. It also had the luggage problem solved. And a sweet LED lighting system.

So I decided to trade the Bandit for it, even though it means I'll be making payments, when I owned the Bandit free & clear.

***

I've got 550 miles on it already, after a couple short rides and this weekend's trip to Road America for the races (supersport, superbike, stock 1000, sport twin and Jr. Cup (300-500 cc twins)) Time to clean and lube the chain. Might just do a short ride and change the oil a bit early.

The saddlebags are brilliant. The lights are brilliant. (ha!) The engine's brilliant, though the power delivery is different. It makes mid-high RPM power, rather than low-mid, like the Bandit. Cruise is brilliant. Wind protection is brilliant.

The shifting, I've got figured out. I use the quick shifter sometimes and am surprised how much I like it.

[Jeremy Z]

I read the article. $18,000 and it still has a chain. More electronics than a space ship! Just ain't my thing. I guess if a rider has a very lenient budget for their toys.... OK.

Of course, that is what makes the world go 'round. Difference of opinion. I prefer much more simple motorcycles, others will step up to be the first in line to get one.

OK blue, my turn to challenge you a bit.

Which bikes with a lot of electronics have you tried? ...because to decide that you prefer simpler ones suggests that you've given advanced ones a serious try.

Be honest, you wouldn't find value in electronic cruise? It works a lot better than throttle locks on those long rides. LED headlights and cornering lights?

How about if you're lightly on the gas to keep weight transfer at least 50% to the rear contact patch, and you hit some sand or chipseal gravel you didn't see? This bike will cut throttle, but not lock brakes, possibly saving a crash. ...and that's a realistic scenario, for me.

I'm not trying to sell it to everyone, but although it is expensive, let's not downplay the value of some of these features.

[Blue is Best]

OK blue, my turn to challenge you a bit.

Which bikes with a lot of electronics have you tried? ...because to decide that you prefer simpler ones suggests that you've given advanced ones a serious try.

Be honest, you wouldn't find value in electronic cruise? It works a lot better than throttle locks on those long rides. LED headlights and cornering lights?

How about if you're lightly on the gas to keep weight transfer at least 50% to the rear contact patch, and you hit some sand or chipseal gravel you didn't see? This bike will cut throttle, but not lock brakes, possibly saving a crash. ...and that's a realistic scenario, for me.

I'm not trying to sell it to everyone, but although it is expensive, let's not downplay the value of some of these features.

I've got riding friends with newer bikes. I don't like ride-by-wire. I don't like LED lights that move because I do my own maintenance and monkeying with all the garbage just because I have to change a burned out bulb doesn't sound like fun to me. I want the power the bike was designed with all the time and trust myself in the rain. If a rider rides on the edge and needs traction control he is soon to be an insurance statistic. I ride solo so I adjust my suspension and I'm happy. I just got back from a 2,050 mile vacation and didn't miss not having a new bike.      I put electronic CC on my 2012 FJR1300. I got up to 53.5 MPG loaded with camp gear.


Again, congratulations on your new bike.

[jay547]

I just got back from a 2,050 mile vacation and didn't miss not having a new bike.  

Beat ya, I got back a couple weeks ago from a 2272 mile vacation ride.

[Blue is Best]

 

Beat ya, I got back a couple weeks ago from a 2272 mile vacation ride.

               I gotta start planning for a longer trip right away!

[micah2074]

I'm doing A 6K trip in August. We'll be coming back through NM.

[Jeremy Z]

I stopped and picked up a Rusty on the way home from Boscobel the other day. Cari was with me, so I had her take the pic, so it includes me, for once!

[Blue is Best]

I'm doing A 6K trip in August. We'll be coming back through NM.

You'll have to let me know your route.