Kawasaki Versys 300 ABS

Thoughts?

$5,699 w/ABS and comes standard with a 4.5 gallon fuel tank (!). Advertised as a long distance runner and a commuter. I like the fuel efficient parallel twin 296cc engine from the Ninja (but tuned for torque), the 19 inch front wheel, the range, and the weight...only 386 lbs fully-fueled and ready to go. That gives you a lot of capacity for packing and still keeps GVWR under a quarter-ton...Important when trying to muscle it off a trail or out of a ditch...

Suddenly my NC is looking a bit like a porker ;-)

I imagine the engine has to spin like crazy to make any power, especially near highway speeds. I'm thinking instead of interstates and limited access roads this would make a great Blue Highway cruiser/tourer and be light enough to get a bit off road for some stealth camping.....Might be the perfect tool for the Trans-Labrador or a ride to Panama ;-)

I'm following development of this bike as well. The concept makes sense. The engine might end up being the weakest link. I sat on one at Chicago motorcycle show. Bike feels light and ergos are spot on for me, even though the seat is rock hard.

If it really comes with all the farkles I see in that photo - it is a contender! (I am a pushover for spoke wheels)

Zman..the farkles in my photo are "official" Kawaski accessories...translation? Way too expensive and you can get similar (or better) for less in the aftermarket. However, for those without any $$ you can order the bike with these and roll them into your "low monthly payment"...that is the main (but not only) reason someone might go for these...

City rider...what are your specs? I fit on the NC easily (flat foot without issue) and I'm comfortable with the stock handlebar location and pegs. 5'10 w/32" inseam. All the dealers around here still have snowmobiles on their floor, bikes won't be out for another month ;-)

That's a cute puppy but it would probably be a bit meager power-size.

I think "a bit meager" is being generous ;-)

Certainly not enough power for typical American highways but on the right road running say 45 or 50 mph with a solo rider and packed with equipment and provisions I see this as being a true adventure motorcycle. You really can't run 70 mph too often on the Dempster, Top of the World, or Trans-Labrador highways in North America. All three are serious adventure rides ;-) Even when I rode down to Mexico the speeds there were much lower than what you find on most highways in America.

You are right though about the power, I wouldn't want to try running on the Trans-Canada or I-80 on a fully loaded, maxed-out 34 hp motorcycle ;-)

Yes, it is a bit of a <niche> motorcycle but what an interesting niche it might be with the right mindset!

Well said id_rider. My first bike was a Yamaha 250 enduro and it was perfectly suited for the roads in the Philippines. Fast forward 45 years and I played with a CRF250L. Just didn't have enough guts for me even though it is very highly thought of as a small dual sport.

ld_rider said:

Zman..the farkles in my photo are "official" Kawaski accessories...translation? Way too expensive and you can get similar (or better) for less in the aftermarket. However, for those without any $$ you can order the bike with these and roll them into your "low monthly payment"...that is the main (but not only) reason someone might go for these...

City rider...what are your specs? I fit on the NC easily (flat foot without issue) and I'm comfortable with the stock handlebar location and pegs. 5'10 w/32" inseam. All the dealers around here still have snowmobiles on their floor, bikes won't be out for another month ;-)

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I'm 5'8 with 30" inseam. I find NC ergos comfortable as well, but I'm unable to flat foot. I'm almost flat footing 300 x.

Regarding the 300 x, I'm only afraid that the engine will not have sufficient amount of torque down low, like true advanture/dual sport bikes should have.

I understand the engine is re-tuned for "torque" compared to the Ninja street version. Oh good, that drops the redline from 13,000 to 12,000. I don't think I'd get on that well with a motor that doesn't wake up until 8 or 9,000 rpm and has to be kept on the boil to get usable power out of it. That's just me though, Kawasaki will probably sell a jillion of them.

It just isn't going to be much of an advantage to have a 300 over the 250 that's already in say a WR250R when you are on pavement. People already tour the world on WR250Rs and the like. And once you are off pavement, on gravel, hardpack, or whatever, it's going to be so apparent the Kawi 300 not going to do nearly as well -- and not be nearly as fun if you actually remember what that is. As far as I'm concerned a lot of these recent smaller bike are sucker traps, or easy styling projects for the manufacturers that can be sold at low prices.

As I always harp on, it's going to take at least a smart-tuned 450 to really do what people are imagining this 300 would do: handle faster highways/freeways decently if any hills or wind happens to be around. Actually the original ADV bike ethos at around 650 cc was NOT such a bad place to be. You can still build such without too many exotic materials and components and come in at under 375 pounds, and deliver good fuel economy, better off-pavement characteristics and decent highway speeds. You will pay more for a lighter one than you would a heavier version, of course, but it's so do-able.

I fear that big singles are on the way out because of emissions though. Too bad. It helps keep weight down for one thing, and makes maintenance simpler and cheaper, which is really desirable for going places where services are not sophisticated or even available ; }

...The Honda CB500X motor or the NC700X motor would be credible hearts for a true ADV and end up better and cheaper than one that's converted with an after-market kit, if Honda really cared to go beyond just styling stuff. In fact, the downside about a lot of ADVs past and present is not going with dirt-bike [lack of] styling and plastic, because that makes maintenance easier and weighs less and you can actually have wrecks without Hans-Dieter charging you an arm and a leg for repairs. Screw the paint jobs, do it in the molds!

greenboy said:

It just isn't going to be much of an advantage to have a 300 over the 250 that's already in say a WR250R when you are on pavement. People already tour the world on WR250Rs and the like. And once you are off pavement, on gravel, hardpack, or whatever, it's going to be so apparent the Kawi 300 not going to do nearly as well -- and not be nearly as fun if you actually remember what that is. As far as I'm concerned a lot of these recent smaller bike are sucker traps, or easy styling projects for the manufacturers that can be sold at low prices.

As I always harp on, it's going to take at least a smart-tuned 450 to really do what people are imagining this 300 would do: handle faster highways/freeways decently if any hills or wind happens to be around. Actually the original ADV bike ethos at around 650 cc was NOT such a bad place to be. You can still build such without too many exotic materials and components and come in at under 375 pounds, and deliver good fuel economy, better off-pavement characteristics and decent highway speeds. You will pay more for a lighter one than you would a heavier version, of course, but it's so do-able.

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Spot on evaluation.
The Kawi made move in right direction with spoke wheels and 19" front. Suspension/engine combo might sink this ship.
At this point, I still believe that DR650 is closest to 50/50. I would own one, but I can't do much with it in Chicago.... except riding it thru pot holes

On unimproved roads the Versys would be perfect. The WR250R? Not so much. Yes it is a much better dirt bike, but it has too many nods to the dirt side of its family to make a long distance ADV ride possible unless you spend more $$ and cobble something together.

First is the range of about 120 miles. That would drive me nuts but more importantly, if I was on a WR250R when I rode the Dempster Highway I would still be there. No services for 300+km. The stock Versys can probably do 450km under most conditions so that is a big plus (to me). The seat height is a bit over 3 feet (!) on the Yamaha, great about 10% of the time, just plain sucky the other 90%.. Weight. The Yamaha is much lighter, again super-duper great in the dirt, but the first time you get blown over two lanes (or into the weeds) by a passing truck you will wish for bit more "road hugging weight".

I also like the idea of a smooth twin cylinder engine vs the single. Last, even Yamaha states that the WR250R is for off road more than on road...And I agree 100 percent with them.

Off-Road Focused Performance
Not exactly an enduro model and not a streetbike either, the WR250R is for riders who ride off-road more than on.

greenboy said:

As I always harp on, it's going to take at least a smart-tuned 450 to really do what people are imagining this 300 would do: handle faster highways/freeways decently if any hills or wind happens to be around. Actually the original ADV bike ethos at around 650 cc was NOT such a bad place to be.

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You mean like a KLR 650?
;-)

The DR650 is an old design that's hardly changed for ages, but yes, but a little bit of aftermarket attention (which by the way is prolifically endowed) can make the DR a fairly light and eminently capable ADV. Neither it or the heavy KLR650 are glamorous which seems to mean more than it should to most buyers these days ; }

ld_rider said:

You mean like a KLR 650?
;-)

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A newer KLR is a bargain that's pretty capable for the most part, but it's HEAVY and other than slight suspension improvement, like the DR, it is pretty long in the tooth. It might be on the way out soon. It could be done better nowdays if some manufacturer actually gave a toss : \ -- the main selling point of the KLR is low low price. But the many KLRs that I've inspected or seen on Craigslist locally seem to suffer from body damage that really is avoidable on a DR with a good windshield, and all that extra weight ends up being to their detriment. Some real large athletic types do pretty good on them off-road though.

For about $2000 less ($3,895) you can get the CSC 250 pretty well loaded.



I admit it is not from as trusted a company but that $2,000 price difference is glaring!

It would be hard to spend that much more on one of the major brands after seeing one of these and it's price tag.

2016 RX3 Adventure - CSC Motorcycles - Adventure Touring Motorcycle - Zongshen

But like most others, I am not sold yet that this size can do the job I would need it to do. I really want to become a believer though in this size bike.... there are a ton of advantages in them!

ld_rider said:

On unimproved roads the Versys would be perfect. The WR250R? Not so much. Yes it is a much better dirt bike, but it has too many nods to the dirt side of its family to make a long distance ADV ride possible unless you spend more $$ and cobble something together.
First is the range of about 120 miles. That would drive me nuts but more importantly, if I was on a WR250R when I rode the Dempster Highway I would still be there. No services for 300+km. The stock Versys can probably do 450km under most conditions so that is a big plus (to me).

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Aftermarket 4.7 or 3.5 gallon tanks, and even Rotopacks. With good fuel economy that's some range. You probably haven't ridden one. I have. But yeah, you have to spend some money for that tank. The bigger deal to most is a wider, or at least better seat. It's cost though. But certainly not cobbled together -- no more than adding crash bars to an NC is "cobbling".

The seat height is a bit over 3 feet (!) on the Yamaha, great about 10% of the time, just plain sucky the other 90%..

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Easily lowered 2 inches, but yeah, those who are short of stature aren't going to like not being able to flatfoot on both sides. But it's not SUCKY for 90% of the time. Unless you spend 90% of the time at stop signs and traffic lights ; } -- it feels GREAT most of the time. Very nimble, handles beautifully on pavement.

Weight. The Yamaha is much lighter, again super-duper great in the dirt, but the first time you get blown over two lanes (or into the weeds) by a passing truck you will wish for bit more "road hugging weight".

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Again, maybe you haven't ridden one (that's set up nicely). I have ; } -- I do WOT highway miles all the time. The lack of weight is not a problem (and anyway, once you get your supplies/luggage on, whatcha talkin' 'bout, Willis?) , having less power than many would be comfortable with for US fast highways is the real problem. And the 300 is still not going to have the speed most will feel is needed...

I also like the idea of a smooth twin cylinder engine vs the single. Last, even Yamaha states that the WR250R is for off road more than on road...And I agree 100 percent with them.

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I think you missed the real point of what I was saying. I'm not saying you should rush out and get a WR and do a few mods -- I'm saying the Kawi 300 is ultimately going to feel like a "half-measures" machine to many people, like so many other machines that check some of the boxes nicely, but fail to tick some others they will find they consider important. thus the mention of needing 450 to 650 cc machines built around an ADV ethos...

Off-Road Focused Performance
Not exactly an enduro model and not a streetbike either, the WR250R is for riders who ride off-road more than on.

Click to expand...

I ride one and regularly talk to hundreds of other guys who've done long trips on them or at least do a lot of highway miles commuting -- or to get to good off-road and off-pavement areas, and I've seen a fair share of Ride Reports of big adventures in various parts of the world that WR and other 250 cc riders have done.

But again, you totally miss the point. I am not saying everybody should get a 250 dualsport -- I am saying that there's a big gap in what is offered in the market that simply hasn't been addressed well. We don't need more bikes that can barely do 80mph in the more paved areas. And do we REALLY need more entries in the expensive big heavy pig ADV tier??? ...There's so little going on in the 450 to 650 cc range, and none of it engages with the ADV mindset fully. Thus people end up (just as they do with 250 cc dualsports), trying to adapt machines like the V-Strom or even the NC700X or the CB500X that are KINDA PARTWAYS there or at least stylistically, when the manufacturers could be making entries that could tick a lot more of the boxes.

I fear the manufacturers would rather have a good thing going, though: selling to guys who buy machine after machine seeking something that fits the bill better than what they already have, or at least to have many bikes for different purposes. well, the newer entries are pretty cool on the surface, but they aren't really addressing the particular niche all that well.

netizen said:

For about $2000 less ($3,895) you can get the CSC 250 pretty well loaded.

View attachment 32853

I admit it is not from as trusted a company but that $2,000 price difference is glaring! It would be hard to spend that much more on one of the major brands after seeing one of these and it's price tag.

2016 RX3 Adventure - CSC Motorcycles - Adventure Touring Motorcycle - Zongshen

But like most others, I am not sold yet that this size can do the job I would need it to do. I really want to become a believer though in this size bike.... there are a ton of advantages in them!

Click to expand...

I met and rode with a guy would been touring across North America on the china bike, and doing off-roading in the local areas along the way. He was frank about the pluses and minuses. Enough so that I hung out on CSC-oriented board for awhile just to get a sense of the longer-term. I guess there could be a 450 version at some point. I don't know that I'd buy in right away, but this company and importer are really intent on progressing in designs and durability and presence, and actually ticking more of the boxes.


2016-09-23 15;37;45 by greenboy, on Flickr

I know it's still more OFF-TOPIC data, but here's a comparison between a Rally Raid equipped CB500X and a hopped-up KLR650:

Rally Raid CB500X Adventure First Ride - ADV Pulse




Too bad Honda doesn't do ADVs built around their great 500 and 670 engines. It'd be cheaper, and some gotchas could be avoided. But even the stock machines they are in already enjoy one great advantage - a low center of gravity and a general feel that doesn't waste that c-g. Both bikes usually feel (in a good sense) like they weigh considerably less, 50-60 pounds I'd say...