[mobike008]

Originally Posted by gprajeesh

Hey Avi, I have been following your thread from day 1 and really like the stuff that you post. I am planning to buy Versys 650 early next year(have been pushing it for close to a year now due to various reasons) so all the discussion in the thread is very useful

Thanks! Glad to know my thread is liked and has given you information to take a informed decision. All I can say is buy it ASAP, it's a motorcycle you will enjoy and might want to keep it for "LIFE"

Originally Posted by gprajeesh

Just wanted to Update about the 2017 update that Kawasaki has made. Apart from new graphics they have updated the bike with Gear indicator. No other major changes I think.

I'm aware about the changes made to 2017 and I'm glad that it ain't too drastic than the model that I own. So I'm relieved in some way

Gear Indicator is definitely a great addition and will be useful for city riding. But, I personally feel that knowing which gear the bike is in an art that every motorcyclist should know without the aid of a gear indicator

[mobike008]

A friend and fellow Versys owner's comparison take between :

Versys 650 & Ninja 650 !!!

https://onaversys.wordpress.com/2016...-on-ninja-650/

The odds are clearly stacked against the Ninja considering I already own a Versys 650. Fact is, Ninja doesn’t have ABS or Showa separate function fork, both of which makes for a really safe and comfortable ride regardless of the road condition. It also falls short by 5 liters on fuel capacity.

But, I got to say, it did have a few things going for it. Especially the dual tone color that I sorely miss on my Versys. Ninja 650 is a stunning looking motorcycle and my Versys looks like an ugly twin that wants to disappear into the darkness to avoid any comparisons. Ninja is all about pleasing the eye and everyone around knows it’s a sportsbike even without a second look. Give me that green shade on my Versys, please?

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by mobike008

A friend and fellow Versys owner's comparison take between :

Versys 650 & Ninja 650 !!!

As of now the decision making process is simpler - the Ninja 650 doesn't get ABS and for me, it was very easy to decide between the two. Also, I disagree with the blogger about the looks department. For me, it's 2017 Ninja 650 > Versys 650 > current Ninja 650.

But yes - the 2017 N650 looks like its worth every single penny it would retail for, and it can take a lot of prospective customers away from the Versys. I did think about waiting for it, but decided to give more priority to the relaxed nature of the Versys than the outright sporty nature and looks of the 2017 Ninja 650, the looks especially as it looks like a big attention magnet in this new mini ZX10R avatar.

[gprajeesh]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Thanks! Glad to know my thread is liked and has given you information to take a informed decision. All I can say is buy it ASAP, it's a motorcycle you will enjoy and might want to keep it for "LIFE"



I'm aware about the changes made to 2017 and I'm glad that it ain't too drastic than the model that I own. So I'm relieved in some way

Gear Indicator is definitely a great addition and will be useful for city riding. But, I personally feel that knowing which gear the bike is in an art that every motorcyclist should know without the aid of a gear indicator

Seems like Europe has a 2017 special edition. It looks cool compared to the slightly plain Jane look of 2016 model. Hopefully we get this as an option atleast here in india. Highly doubtful but no harm in wishing i guess

[mobike008]

Last weekend enjoyed a ride with a younger sibling (from Kawasaki stable ) and rider is indeed like a younger brother and a BHPian (Rider60) on his Ninja 250

Couldnt resist sharing a few pics of "milaap" (meeting) of these brothers in arms

[mobike008]

VIR (Versys India Riders) group of 88 V owners is one of the most diverse and active motorcycling group that I'm part of with people from different wakes of life who are super helpful to each other and always exchanging information and like most groups which tend to deviate from the core topic, this group is pretty much hard-core and keep the discussion to bikes and especially the V as much as possible with a lot of off-topic generally thrown in by me...Haha!

And, I always thought I was a reasonably serious motorcycle enthusiast but, being part of this group has opened my eyes and made me realize that I'm in the lower rungs of enthusiast category as there are some really crazy folks in there and they seem to be perennially on the road

Guess what? Most people said it's the Versys that has spoilt them rotten.

It's plush ride and comfortable seating and posture has coaxed the V owners to push the bike to it's extreme both in terms of performance as well as long distance riding and each time they come back with a wide smile on their faces and bloody hell; plan their next ride within a few hours of being back !!!

Hat's off to these V owners who are munching miles by the thousands with many crossing 12000kms already and a V owner at 20,000kms and all of these in under 10 months. I think it's a great testament of how the motorcycle is urging it's owner to keep riding. I'm also a victim of this diseases but, due to my tight work schedule can't enjoy rides like most of these folks do

Below are some random long distance rides by V owners in our group over the last few months

1. Bangalore to 29 State Capitals in India in 34 days
2. Bangalore to Nagpur and back in 48 hours
3. Saddle Sore rides (One being attempted on today (Dec 2nd) by a Mumbai V rider)
4. Mumbai to Ahmedabad/Mumbai to Pondicherry
5. Mumbai to Leh/Ladhak
6. Visits to Rann of Kutch
7. Mumbai to Jaisalmer
8. Delhi to Leh/Ladhak
9. Hyderabad to Mahabaleswar/Bangalore
10. Hyderabad to Kanyakumari

And, not to mention 2 attempts at 24-hour non-stop ride which was called off due to personal reasons

List goes on........

Some of us have met but, most of us have not met each other. But, it feels like we know each other from several years as that is the kind of camaraderie developed in such a short time and we now know each others personal characteristics, likes/dislikes etc and all of us are bonded together with a single thread of "Kawasaki Versys 650/1000"

As you can imagine there is a deluge of pictures on the group on a daily basis and it just clicked to me to share "Top 20" pictures here with you all that depicts the different terrain that V has traversed in our country.

Most pictures shared are quite breathtaking and it was tough for me to choose pictures that I liked most. My criteria for choosing
the pictures were a great background, V in the frame & sometimes the rider too if he ain't overwhelming the overall scenery...LOL!

Why 20 pictures? Simple; purely due to the restriction of 20 pictures in a single post as I wanted to curb this photo-share to a single post

Enjoy these pictures !!!

[techfreak]

Lovely compilation Avi. Yes V has spoiled all its riders.
I personally have done couple of rides with my local Bullet group (Bulleteer) in Gwalior in absolutely no road conditions and there too V performed beautifully... Better than the Bulls I will say which is kind of defacto choice of tourer fraternity in India.
3 Cheers to V 🏍️🏍️

[daverm]

Superb clicks !! Proud to be part of VIRs. A Central event nationwide, is long pending.

Keep sharing more pics.

[idpsharma]

Awesome pics Avi. Hope to join such long rides with my Z800. To begin with, i would like to do an overnighter..hopefully in Jan'17.

[onaversys]

It's true that the Versys urges you to change not only your riding style and pushes you to go further but also your entire lifestyle in general.

Any ride less than 1000km ride feels like I'm not doing justice to the motorcycle. Anything less than 500km feels like the ride got over just as I was settling into motorcycle. Anything less than 200km doesn't even count as a ride. Coming to think of it, earlier even an 80km ride felt like an accomplishment 😂

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by techfreak

Better than the Bulls I will say which is kind of defacto choice of tourer fraternity in India. 3 Cheers to V ��️��️

Yes Sambit, I agree with you. Riding a Versys becomes more enjoyable in bad terrain. I actually find riding it boring on beautiful roads (comparitevly)

Originally Posted by daverm

Superb clicks !! Proud to be part of VIRs. A Central event nationwide, is long pending.

Mahi : Plan it dude! I am game during the republic day weekend. You guys should have listened to my last recommendation of Nagpur. It would have been a success

Nagpur because its epi-center of India and perfect/reasonable close to folks from all corners of our country

Originally Posted by idpsharma

Awesome pics Avi. Hope to join such long rides with my Z800. To begin with, i would like to do an overnighter..hopefully in Jan'17.

I just have another weekend to go before my vacation starts so I reckon we'll have to push this weekend overnighter plan to Jan'17. Hope the new year gives us opportunity to ride more

Originally Posted by onaversys

Any ride less than 1000km ride feels like I'm not doing justice to the motorcycle. Anything less than 500km feels like the ride got over just as I was settling into motorcycle. Anything less than 200km doesn't even count as a ride. Coming to think of it, earlier even an 80km ride felt like an accomplishment

Well Said Karthik. I think you perfectly summed it up! I hate going for these breakfast rides of 200-300kms as engine had just settled in and its time to go back home (unfortunately time restrictions force me to keep it to these distances).

IDP Sharma is always urging me to ride long distances along with him on his Z800 and it's a shame on V owners if we cannot take up his invitation

[Haroon]

Thanks for sharing the wonderful pics Avi. The V blends so well in all those backgrounds

Its indeed a very addictive bike and great to see the riders extracting full value for their money...and more.

Ride safe

[idpsharma]

Avi & myself had a blissful short ride (230 kms up & down) this morning on our lovely machines - Versys 650...The Stallion/Mile Cruncher & Z800...The Beast. It was an impromptu ride plan and we decided to meet today (Dec 3) at 7:00AM at our standard meeting point 'Pillar 45'. Had a Irani chai at the meeting point and started off towards airport road to hit the Srisailam highway. We reached the destination in about an hour as the highway (though single road) was a nice tarmac stretch with some decent turns, some greenery by the road side and some hillocks. There’s a famous breakfast point (a nice restaurant-cum-dhaba) on this highway approx. 110 kms from Hyderabad, where we had nice Crispy Masala Dosa along with perfectly made hot coffee. On the way back and at the hotel we took some snaps to cherish fantastic moment we had on our machines

[hyd_traveller]

Originally Posted by idpsharma

On the way back and at the hotel we took some snaps to cherish fantastic moment we had on our machines

Nice.
Did you guys top up your machines with fuel before going? Or enroute? Or after return?
Was fuel available with old notes? Or did you carry small currency?
Did the fuel attendant show the 0? Or was it 00? Or was it 0000?

[unk9ja]

I hope these 2 Versys qualify to the above pics.