[2legit2quit]

Hey avinash, first off, let me congratulate you yet again on the dark knight! Hope you have many more amazing adventures with it and lets hope that with these adventures, you start liking dirt biking and ADV'ing a little more Godspeed bro!

[VijayAnand1]

And please forgive me what a beautiful review, and what a beautiful saree guard, that should be enough to block smoke off a home chimney.

Congrats again on the first ownership thread and the motorcycle. Would love to hear the off-road adventures in a bit more detailed review later on from your side.

Cheers!
VJ

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Insearch

Congrats Avi! Many bikers in Hyderabad were waiting for you to get a bike and give the weekend ride scene, a boost! Looks like the prayers have been answered, and we will see you in action with many more interesting trips and stories...
Cheers!

Anurag. Thanks for wishes and also for your kind words. Yeah, many good friends like you have already pinged me to form the old group again and infuse some fresh air to the weekend rides. Waiting for you to get back to riding soon and we can rock like before

Originally Posted by shan_ned

I will be interested to know your feedback on the cushion comfort of the rider seat. How different is it when compared to N650 ? With N650, the max non-stop distance that I can cover without any discomfort to the butt is 120 to 150 kms. With padded cycling shorts, I can do an additional 50 kms. Having gel seats would help a lot while touring.

Thanks Shan! As mentioned before doing 100kms non-stop on stock Classic 500 was painful task. Then Bonnie came along and many times did the 150kms type of non-stop rides with it's stock seat and it was good only till then. After that you need to take a break

I already did a 210 kms round trip on Versys 650 and I must tell you it's in a different league

110kms was done non-stop with no stops anywhere and it was extremely comfortable and this ride was on 2-lane and slightly broken patched road.

With above as a baseline, I'm assuming I can do easily 250kms non-stop on good 4-lane highways

Originally Posted by noopster

Congrats Avi! You know I'm a big fan of your vehicle (lifestyle choices. Can't wait to make a trip to Hyd and ride this beauty. Mind you- I'm not a "bike guy". But this enthusiasm is contagious

I'm wary that am at that stage of life when an impulse purchase like this is not ruled out! Since Porsches are ruled out in India, a bike just might be it. Having said that, am more likely to get a relaxed cruiser than a corner-carver like you describe. I guess we won't know till I test ride this across the Tank Bund, will we!!

Thanks a lot dude! I still remember the fun we both had when you rode my Bullet and I was riding pillion and I was scared witless as you don't know a thing about bikes and you were riding full speed on "Necklace Road" with me hanging on to my dear life

Nice to know that bull ride left a lasting impression. Bulls are like that; they leave an impression

As discussed, a trip to pune is pending from long. Will ride to pune soon or when your in Hyderabad, let's do a repeat with the Dark Knight..LOL!

Originally Posted by ta.joseph

Awesome review... I have been planning a bike for quite some time now. The Versys 650 looks like a great fit for me.But, I am worried about the seat height though. I am about 5'6". Do you think it would be a challenge for me?

I'm 6ft and 1 inch and can easily flat foot the bike when standstill. I think someone mentioned on forum that Versys 650 is good for guys till 5ft. 9 inch and anyone below this height will have some issues when you are waiting at a traffic signal or in general before you start riding etc.

If your decently skilled at riding a motorcycle then height is a non-issue as there are many tricks to ride tall motorcycles ( please search YouTube for videos on how to ride tall bikes)

When the bike is in motion, there is a feel of lightness which is indescribable. In short, weight is not an issue so would recommend you to test ride and buy it

Now the initial euphoria is over, I'm sure Kawasaki will provide test-rides for potential buyers. Make use of that opportunity !!!

Originally Posted by Oreen

welcome to kawasaki
I thought I will move to Triumph Bonneville Street Twin from the ER6n, because of the height. But the Versys is a perfect bike for tall people like you.

Thanks Oreen. Your the man crunching big miles. If you plan to do such high mileage on highways, you should be considering the V650 and not a Bonnie purely for reasons related to seating comfort and touring capabilities.

[dkaile]

Congratulations mobike008 for your new acquisition. This is a tourer that many of us are contemplating. I hope you will try to remain as objective as possible, though I realise it's easy to get swayed in the crush over your new bike. Few queries I had which I would like you to undertake as and when its possible for you -

* How does it compare to a regular Ninja 650 which has been around for ages? Both for city and touring use. As most of us usually do 50~70% city riding on our bikes.
* Try to get your hands on the Himalayan and 'objectively' try to compare both and give us a insight. Does it have the 'mountain goat' kind of flexibility? Because if a Himalayan can do 80~90% of what the Versys does, doesn't it have a huge price advantage?
* How does this 'dual' adjustable front suspension work in actual practice?
* Plan for Panniers?
* What are the after-market exhausts alternatives and cost?

Yes, you should definitely upgrade to a dual horn and a power port. The gear indicator is a big miss by Kawasaki and the after market ones are costly but I definitely feel you should get it installed. I sat on a Versys at the IBW and even though I am 6', I felt it was a tad too high to swing my leg over with ease which I found disconcerting.

Ride safe and Cheers...

[navin_v8]

Dark Night Eh! Avi your naming conventions are as good as your ownership reviews. Thanks for giving an insight about your experiences with the Versys 650. Some of them photos are amazing wherein both you and your friend are riding on dirt trails with your respective motorcycles. I remembered McGregor and Boorman from the Long Way series. I would like to know how does the braking feel on those dirt trails compared to tarmac? What braking ratio did you use while riding on the dirt trail?

[killjoy]

OT, is the saree guard mandatory for all bikes sold in India?

[Sojogator]

Originally Posted by killjoy

OT, is the saree guard mandatory for all bikes sold in India?

Bikes made and assembled (CKD) in India. CBUs are an exception to the rule.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Haroon

As usual a wonderful ownership thread you have started here Avi and double congrats on that. Honestly, Kawasaki can just guide those sitting on the fence for the V650 to your thread and they will have a confirmed sale.Ride safe & wish you many many enjoyable rides on the Dark Knight.

Thanks Haroon. When you mentioned that you would buy this bike without batting an eyelid and it can do to a large extent what most big adventure bikes can do. That was the moment deal was sealed in the "mind"

And, I must confess, you were spot on !

Originally Posted by killjoy

While you are thinking of taking the saree guard off, I would recommend that you check with the showroom about the price and availability of the grab rail that replaces this on the bike. There is another discussion going on somewhere else about the availability and some confusion on price as well with the dealer quoting around 6k for it!!!

Hi Killjoy ( Do you have the habit of killing joy or it's a nice sensational name like the "Dark Knight"...LOL)

Honestly, I didn't quite understand your post. I'm assuming your referring to side grab rails. If yes, that is already available on the motorcycle?

Or are you referring to the large container type of rail that is meant to house a pannier?

Any pics to help understand what you are referring to?

Originally Posted by Latheesh

That saree guard looks like it will help to prevent sarees of whole neighborhood from getting tangled.

Originally Posted by Shivanshu

How did it perform in No - Tarmac conditions when you rode her?Any upgrades you plan to do on this bike?

Well, I cannot say it performed great on No-Tarmac conditions as it's not meant for it.

It would skid and slide quite dangerously ( predominantly due to the road based tyres) so I personally would not recommend riding this in the conditions that you see in pictures ( trails were really bad consisting of soft and lot of sand, potholes, deep trenches etc. made specifically for Jeep off-roading)

It can handle the typical bad roads that we normally encounter on most highways of our country with aplomb and that is what is required and it completely satisfies on that front.

Originally Posted by Ricci

Congratulations on the Verysys, Avi - wish you many miles and years of happy riding!Superb thread and review, and reminds me of something my own threads lack - great pictures, because a picture is worth a 1000 words!Question: is there a main stand, whether standard or optional ?

Thanks Ricci. Glad you liked the pictures. Clicked by a fellow BHPian

There is no main stand and it is NOT even available as an optional accessory from Kawasaki. However, other companies offer this product and requires purchase of same.

I don't really see a need for a main stand except for lubricating the chain

Originally Posted by Sting

Congrats Avi, a wonderful thread as always! I'm sure it will help a lot of potential owners to take a decision, the Black Bruiser thread sure did. Many miles of happy and safe riding.

Thanks Sting. Happy to know you think like that. I started the Bonnie trend on forum and hope to start Versys 650 trend too in near future

[Oreen]

I think Killjoy is referring to the ER6n left-side grab rail, which is missing. The saree guard is fixed there, so once you take it off, it looks ugly. This is actually only about 1300 bucks, but sometimes the service centers try to rip off customers by charging an obscene amount. Like someone just posted in a Kawasaki group that a dealer asked for close to 6 K for the grab rail.

A Versys comes with grab rails for both sides, so it isn't applicable to you.

[downsouth]

Congrats Avi on the new steed, I was wondering where you had disappeared suddenly. With a superb ownership thread online no wonder you are busy out here .

Wish you many miles of happy and safe riding. Looking forward to riding with you very soon.

Cheers

[gthang]

Hi there.

Congrats on your new bike.

A whole new segment, whole new set of opportunities and experiences for you, I hope.

Originally Posted by mobike008

Kawasaki recommended Tyre Pressure (PSI) :

Front Wheel (Single) : 33 PSI

Rear Wheel (Single) : 36 PSI

Front Wheel (Passenger Included) : 34 PSI

Rear Wheel (Passenger Included) : 42 PSI

Kawasaki, and other, manufacturer recommendations are for slightly better roads than our uneven potholed strips of tarmac called roads.

I would suggest sticking with the pillion settings all the time. Low air will lead to premature wear.

Cheers,

Ride safe.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Try blipping when you are going down the 'box.

I always change gears like that Sheel.

Blip and then shift. But, I don't know if you agree with me, BLIP works best for "upshifting" and not similarly for "downshifting". I mean the same smoothness isn't there

Originally Posted by Sheel

Nice. In my humble 250, I have the liberty to redline till 2nd gear almost daily on public roads.

With N250, you will have to do it. Honestly speaking, I rode it a few times and felt it was under-powered. It comes into being only around 7K rpm so it's but obvious that you need to revv it hard to come into the power-band

Originally Posted by Sheel

Please do check in gear speeds once you complete the running-in and do update.

Sure thing !!!

Originally Posted by v12

Congrats Avi!!! Finally get to see the much awaited review. Good to see that you are really enjoying riding the bike - and I can see that in the standing pics. I guess there are more pics of you standing on the bike that sitting.

Thank you Allen. Hope the review was worth the wait?

Honestly speaking, I never stood on foot-pegs of any motorcycle before (except for half baked attempts on C5) but, Versys begs you to stand on pegs as it's simply comfortable to do it

Originally Posted by v12

I would echo everyones opinion on removing the saree guard - but yes, please do it after completing all the formalities. I don't know what others feel - but I find the saree guard too huge and dangerous (especially if you are off-roading). There are huge chances of the saree guard hitting a stone and causing the bike to lose control.

Agree. Will keep the "BBQ grille" for a couple of more weeks and then will take it off. Please bear with me. I don't have patience to argue with RTO authorities or bribe them if they ask me for it's absence when I get it registered

Originally Posted by v12

I like your helmet too - matches the bike. So what other mods have you planned for the Versys?

Thanks! Actually, wanted a solid white but, picked this up impromptu as it perfectly matched the color theme of bike

Originally Posted by 2legit2quit

Hey avinash, first off, let me congratulate you yet again on the dark knight! Hope you have many more amazing adventures with it and lets hope that with these adventures, you start liking dirt biking and ADV'ing a little more Godspeed bro!

Your the Man !!! Ladies and Gentleman. This is the guy behind these lovely action shots on this thread. 3 Cheers to him

Originally Posted by dkaile

Congratulations mobike008 for your new acquisition. This is a tourer that many of us are contemplating. I hope you will try to remain as objective as possible, though I realise it's easy to get swayed in the crush over your new bike.

Thanks Dkaile. Firstly, as you might be aware and noted from my previous ownership reviews. I have my own style of presenting and it's usually very informal ( hate formality...LOL)

I have the habit of calling a spade a spade and that would be purely my opinion and I would encourage all readers/viewers to test ride or use their own discretion before deciding a purchase. What might be excellent for me might be just good/ok for someone else.

With that out of the way, I try to be as much objective as possible and when it's a beautiful feeling, I go over the top in praising it. But, when something bugs me, then I rip it apart equally with my displeasure

In summary, this review like before will be a honest and personal take on Kawasaki Versys 650. So please keep tuned for updates as I ride it more and will try to keep this thread as updated as possible

Originally Posted by dkaile

* How does it compare to a regular Ninja 650 which has been around for ages? Both for city and touring use. As most of us usually do 50~70% city riding on our bikes.

I rode the N650 only a couple of times and that too about 2 years back. Found it an excellent package but, with Versys 650 available. It would not make any new buyer to even consider N650 as V650 is much more upgraded version of the same motorcycle designed specifically to travel further than what you can do with N650

Originally Posted by dkaile

* Try to get your hands on the Himalayan and 'objectively' try to compare both and give us a insight. Does it have the 'mountain goat' kind of flexibility? Because if a Himalayan can do 80~90% of what the Versys does, doesn't it have a huge price advantage?

Sure, I will do. But, I have a feeling Himalayan as the name suggest is meant for touring especially in bad terrain like for e.g. (Leh, Himachal, UK, Arunachal etc.) where the bad terrain is in different league and not many motorcycles can think of taming it

Coming to comparison of Versys vs. Himalayan. I don't think of this as a comparison at all both these bikes have a totally different purpose. One is a long distance tourer and other is as you put it correctly a "mountain goat".

Himalayan would have many rough edges in terms of performance, high speed cruising, smoothness of power of the motor and lastly, the comfort factor will certainly will not be in same league

That is where such a difference in pricing comes !!!

Originally Posted by dkaile

* How does this 'dual' adjustable front suspension work in actual practice?

Very good question. Honestly speaking, I'm not of technical frame of mind so cannot answer this question.

However, what I assume/understand is that usual practice of front forks have dampening and spring combined in single forks and majority of motorcycles have it in this fashion but, in Versys 650 they have separated this function in each of the front fork to absorb better the shock and give you an overall better feel when you go over say e.g. a pot-hole

I would request someone knowledgeable like "Haroon" to maybe throw some detailed light in simple layman language for all of us to understand this feature better

Originally Posted by dkaile

* Plan for Panniers?

Not in near future

Originally Posted by dkaile

* What are the after-market exhausts alternatives and cost?

I believe there are some from Arka. Have not explored it but, this accessory is of interest to me if it's subtle and sounds good

Originally Posted by dkaile

Yes, you should definitely upgrade to a dual horn and a power port. The gear indicator is a big miss by Kawasaki and the after market ones are costly but I definitely feel you should get it installed

Some of the upgrades in mind :

Engine Guard
Horn
Aux Lights
Gear Indicator
Power Port
Barkbusters

That's all I think will ever add to my Dark Knight

Originally Posted by dkaile

I sat on a Versys at the IBW and even though I am 6', I felt it was a tad too high to swing my leg over with ease which I found disconcerting.

Hmmm. If you are 6ft, then it should be fine. But, I agree throwing a leg over the bike even for 6-footers is a bit of a task but, if other boxes tick this should be the least of all issues

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by mobike008

I always change gears like that Sheel.
Blip and then shift. But, I don't know if you agree with me, BLIP works best for "upshifting" and not similarly for "downshifting". I mean the same smoothness isn't there

Well, I don't use the clutch while upshifting at most of the times, especially if on a *ride* Few of my friends don't use the clutch even while downshifting, but this eludes me as does blipping in a car.

I got even a humbler 250, the Honda

[Vasuki]

Congratulations Avinash. Hope you've a great time with this vehicle. I have not seen 650 in flesh but 've climbed upon 1000. It has massive road presence.

BTW just want to know how to decode Kawasaki VIN? I'm going to take delivery of Z800 soon and have received the engine & chasis number.

[Urban_Nomad]

Heartiest congos Avi bhai. Glad to see you having fun from the get go. If your Bonnie thread was anything to go by, I am defintely looking forward to your updates. Wish you many wonderful miles with the Knight

Originally Posted by mobike008

But, I don't know if you agree with me, BLIP works best for "upshifting" and not similarly for "downshifting". I mean the same smoothness isn't there

Did you mean the opposite; as is blipping while downshifting, not upshifting? I mean, there is no need to blip while upshifting. You need to match revs when going down the gears IMO. Would love to hear more on this from you

Originally Posted by mobike008

Very good question. Honestly speaking, I'm not of technical frame of mind so cannot answer this question.

Just start with "Motorcycle sag adjustment" and have fun playing around with the settings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4m4ahZLRMY