KAWASAKI KLE 650 VERSYS
When I first saw a Kawasaki KLE650 Versys, my first thought was “dual purpose”. It turned out I was both right and wrong.
When I collected this month’s review bike from Kawasaki Motors South Africa, closer inspection revealed that this was not an off-road bike – the under-body exhaust conspired with the 17” alloy rims (shod with Dunlop Sportmax rubber) to make the Versys unsuitable for bundu bashing.
Being that the bike’s model name is derived from the term “Versatile System” the question arises wherein its versatility lies. Taking the Versys into traffic reveals the first part of it – there are a number of features that work together to make it an excellent commuter.
First off, there is the seat height of 840mm which makes it one of the tallest bikes in its class and which allows you to comfortably see over the roofs of most of the surrounding traffic. Throw in the generous 61Nm of torque at 6800 rpm and a dry weight of only 181kg and you have a responsive, highly manoeuvrable bike – just what the doctor ordered for rush hour traffic.
Although the peak power of 47kW at 8 000 rpm seems somewhat underwhelming on paper, the Versys actually feel a lot more powerful than it is. Keeping the revs in the 5 000 to 8 000 rpm range really brings out the fun factor in this bike – it may not be a hooligan tool but it is a lively, responsive bike.
Take it out on the open road and the second and third aspects of its versatility come into play. The Versys handles extremely well for this type of bike, allowing you to surprise the odd unwary weekend warrior in corners.
The bike’s surprisingly comfortable seat and relaxed, neutral riding position ensure that long distance rides won’t be the proverbial (literal and figurative) pain in the nether regions. It eats up the kilometres on the open road as easily as it does while commuting on congested high¬ways.
On first inspection the windscreen looks no more than ornamental, but in practice it works very well – even at well over the national speed limit, it keeps the wind blast from buf¬feting your head. The screen is adjustable, although you have to use a hexagonal wrench to do so, but I found that it was perfect in its lowest position.
On of the great pleasures of the Versys is its gear change mechanism. While not exactly effortless, gear changes feel solid, positive and accurate. It is one of the few bikes I could stop in top gear and shift down to neutral without switching off the engine or slipping the clutch. Not once during the test period did I hit a false neutral while upshifting.
Kawasaki says that their engineers’ first priority was to find a throttle response that balanced a powerful feeling and a quick-revving character. It is evident that the engineers suc¬ceeded in creating an extremely smooth and powerful engine charac¬ter – it offers both a high level of control when making minute throttle adjustments and a gratifying rush of acceleration in the lower rpm ranges.
With this bike Kawasaki plays in what is perhaps the most tightly-contested sector in the South African bike market, and its main threats are the BMW F650GS, the Honda XL700V Transalp and the Suzuki DL650 V-Strom – all of them excep¬tionally competent bikes.
However, I am convinced that the Versys can easily hold its own in such exalted company.
When I collected this month’s review bike from Kawasaki Motors South Africa, closer inspection revealed that this was not an off-road bike – the under-body exhaust conspired with the 17” alloy rims (shod with Dunlop Sportmax rubber) to make the Versys unsuitable for bundu bashing.
Being that the bike’s model name is derived from the term “Versatile System” the question arises wherein its versatility lies. Taking the Versys into traffic reveals the first part of it – there are a number of features that work together to make it an excellent commuter.
First off, there is the seat height of 840mm which makes it one of the tallest bikes in its class and which allows you to comfortably see over the roofs of most of the surrounding traffic. Throw in the generous 61Nm of torque at 6800 rpm and a dry weight of only 181kg and you have a responsive, highly manoeuvrable bike – just what the doctor ordered for rush hour traffic.
Although the peak power of 47kW at 8 000 rpm seems somewhat underwhelming on paper, the Versys actually feel a lot more powerful than it is. Keeping the revs in the 5 000 to 8 000 rpm range really brings out the fun factor in this bike – it may not be a hooligan tool but it is a lively, responsive bike.
Take it out on the open road and the second and third aspects of its versatility come into play. The Versys handles extremely well for this type of bike, allowing you to surprise the odd unwary weekend warrior in corners.
The bike’s surprisingly comfortable seat and relaxed, neutral riding position ensure that long distance rides won’t be the proverbial (literal and figurative) pain in the nether regions. It eats up the kilometres on the open road as easily as it does while commuting on congested high¬ways.
On first inspection the windscreen looks no more than ornamental, but in practice it works very well – even at well over the national speed limit, it keeps the wind blast from buf¬feting your head. The screen is adjustable, although you have to use a hexagonal wrench to do so, but I found that it was perfect in its lowest position.
On of the great pleasures of the Versys is its gear change mechanism. While not exactly effortless, gear changes feel solid, positive and accurate. It is one of the few bikes I could stop in top gear and shift down to neutral without switching off the engine or slipping the clutch. Not once during the test period did I hit a false neutral while upshifting.
Kawasaki says that their engineers’ first priority was to find a throttle response that balanced a powerful feeling and a quick-revving character. It is evident that the engineers suc¬ceeded in creating an extremely smooth and powerful engine charac¬ter – it offers both a high level of control when making minute throttle adjustments and a gratifying rush of acceleration in the lower rpm ranges.
With this bike Kawasaki plays in what is perhaps the most tightly-contested sector in the South African bike market, and its main threats are the BMW F650GS, the Honda XL700V Transalp and the Suzuki DL650 V-Strom – all of them excep¬tionally competent bikes.
However, I am convinced that the Versys can easily hold its own in such exalted company.