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-   -   Kawasaki Versys 650 launched at Rs. 6.6 lakh (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/171682-kawasaki-versys-650-launched-rs-6-6-lakh-14.html)

Please check this review people. It gives a different perspective of the bike and if you are tired of reading 'only' positive things about the Bike, this one would highlight some negative ones.

I am still thinking if I should go down to 650cc after owning a 883 now. What do you guys think?

Watching a lot of YouTube bobojones videos on Tiger XCx (or XRx) and some other videos on Versys 1000. I loved bobojones videos as they are like ownership report. Most of the other reviews are purely commercial in nature and I hardly found a few ownership reviews. But some I found are definitely not informative.

I would love to see some crisp ownership reviews that details bikes' various attributes. Did you guys come across anything of this sort? Please do share.

Nice Calculation. Btw, wha's Zauba?

Read this review sometime back. There is nothing negative in that review. Infact, there is more of positive and very little negative. But, remember he is comparing with a true blue off roader like DR650 or a much bigger Vstorm 1000 and his comments were only about the suspension which weren't positive

When compared to either of those two bikes (One is hard core off roader and another is bigger bike) , I am not really surprised.

Not sure what you mean by that? Are you saying an 883 cc is more powerful than a 650 cc just because of additional cubic capacity? If it's simply straight line power, If I am not wrong a Ninja 650 at 72 bhp is more powerful than an Iron 883 (883 cc) or a Bonneville (865cc and 68bhp).....correct me if I am wrong.

When considering a bike you consider plenty of things like torque, bhp, style of bike, handling ability and comfort

But, if your heart is tugging towards a Tiger XRX then you should simply go ahead and buy that as it would certainly be better ( not sure how much though) than the Versys 650:)

Zauba is www.zauba.com, a website which gives out details of import export data.

That review is actually very complimentary to the Versys and it sounds like the perfect bike to buy in India. I just hope that bajaj can give good after sales support to this. Oh and the colour....please Bajaj or Kawasaki....give us the white

You are right absolutely. When I said 650cc over 883cc it is not a comparison of just cc's as these two are two different bikes and different segments. There is more to this than what I put in words and unfortunately, It did not come out well. :Frustrati

I always do two-ups with my son or my wife for long distances. In most of the reviews, they always recommended Versys 1000 for really long hauls and two ups. It is not that 650 is not capable and I am not really sure if I would be doing such long hauls immediately. But in my mind it is set that 'if I have to do then what' confusion. In addition, went through a lot of Tiger / Triumph forums (t-bhp included) and Triumph reliability confused me even more. This kept pushing me towards Versys 1000, the one I fell in love with and my friends pushed me for. But I shied away because it required my budget to be doubled and I was not ready.

Then read this forum here.

So, it reinforced my thought to go for Versys 1000 as many are finally ending up with this from other bikes. Only thing is that I might I have to wait a bit more. This would be better than going with 650 having the mind set on Versys 1000. The dealer sent me the picture of 2016 model this morning.

Such an eye candy!!


So, I have decided not to take any decision while I am under confusion still.

My 2 paisa. I think the Versys will have enough and more for 2 ups in our country. I am pretty sure the reviews that have suggested the Versys 1K are from the west. They usually suggest anything under 100bhp to be not good enough for 2 up touring. The 650 imo is much better suited to our country with its footprint, weight, sales and support and everything else. The seats are plenty comfy too for everyone and gets all the luggage options too.

Also, do give the 'sales and support' factor a big thought because you are looking at long hauls. A KTM service center, that handles Kawasaki CKDs, will almost always be nearer than a Kawasaki CBU service center. Also the CKDs are tuned for low quality fuel as well.

I would go for the V650 with the usage that you are looking for.

Yesterday, saw the Versys 650 for the first at Indiranagar showroom, Bangalore.

The bike is big to look at and may be just a tad bit smaller then V1000. Fit and finish looks fine. I am not a big fan of plastic fairings, etc but there are not many choices out there. Black matt + Gloss combination looks something which i can live with. Would have preferred white anyday given the choice.

Sat on the bike and it felt a bit taller then even the V1000, which was ofcourse a much used test ride bike. I am 5 feet 9.5 inches, and could only not flat foot, but only half of each. This does bother a bit, but going by everyones words that we will get used to the tall height, i am not breaking the deal over it. Started the engine and sounded typical of an inline two. Decently loud, could be closed showroom acoustics. Revved a bit and vibrations at bar, seat, footpegs etc felt very much in control. All in all everything was as heard or expected and nothing unusual. They still do not have a price list for accessories, nor sure about deliveries, or test ride bike.

Yes.It is not 2 paisa, it is 98 paisa advice. This is a very crucial thing to consider and that is also getting into my mind. Having said that, I am not new to the CKD route as well. We had to wait for months to get even some basic parts during the initial days of HD. Now it seems a bit better though, still not to the extent we would like it to be. Many of us paid up and waited for months.

All the Kawasaki accessories / parts are still routed through IKM and I doubt if they enough stock. This is also the reason they are launching with only black color option. They will, once the sales figures catch up to a sizable number for them to have meaningful inventory. Till then, we need to keep our fingers crossed.

But for regular service, yes, the number of service centres in India and even some of my own friends who can attend to this bike is definitely a plus.

Regarding the review, wondering why I felt that to be negative, while others did not. It could be because of the Part 2, where he talks about the suspension and the bad front tire set up.

Here is an interesting story of a guy in UK who sold his 2010 Versys 650 after clocking 40K miles and bought himself another brand new 2015 Versys 650. This is just a couple of months ago:)

http://advrider.com/index.php?thread...s-650.1108147/

Btw, on this forum everyone seems to be saying 650 can do everything that a 1000 can do.

Only difference is if you want bigger grins when twisting the throttle get the 1000:D

Sojogator has put it rightly. As a owner of Ninja 650, I found no drop in the performance even with the pillion rider and it pulls delightfully even in the 6th gear. I think Versys 650 has a better torque curve compared to Ninja 650 and so you shouldn't have any problem (unless you love the I4 sound :)).

Thanks shan_ned. As always bigger grins come with bigger dents. Needless to say the I4 exhaust of V1K will make any one fall in love.

Vprabhu,

It's simple really and do not see why you should be confused :)

If you have the money for the V1000 buy it and if you do not, buy the V650. There is a reason for the existence of both bikes, the displacement and everything else. If the budget does not exist then try and make the justifications of how much the V650 can do over the V1000 and also its half the price etc etc. I would not waste my time or energy on this.

If your heart is set on the V1000 (as it seems to be) do not buy the V650, you will never be happy.

Cheers buddy.

Here's a mid term review of the baby versys http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcyc...iew/part-2.htm

Now this is a negative article. If anyone reads this will not buy the Versys 650:uncontrol

Part 1 and 2 seem to be contradictory and its not clear what he wants to say as he brings in too many technical verbiage that's hard to fathom for the average reader

He bashes the V650 but, at same time says its better than the V-Storm including the build quality...Some of these journos play it too complicated. Maybe want to show they are different than others ( he disguisedly mentions it too) Whew!!!

On a separate note, Hyderabad Kawasaki dealer is playing cat-and-mouse games. Now he says there is some issue in production in plant and deliveries to south and east has been effected and bikes are not yet dispatched. Anyone knows if there is any truth in this?

Also, is there someone at national level who can clarify such things? Email or contact number would be appreciated

Happy Republics Day....Jai Hind !!!

Oh I see!! Now you guys are reading it. That is what I mentioned in my post earlier. I read all the parts and was wondering what was he trying to say.

Absolutely no updates from the dealer. Ideally there should have been some shipments to my dealer too and since no news I would assume he has not received it.

Happy republic day folks...enjoy!!