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-   -   One bike to tame them all! 'Black Panther' - My Kawasaki Versys 650. Edit: Now sold! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/183764-one-bike-tame-them-all-black-panther-my-kawasaki-versys-650-edit-now-sold-14.html)

You are riding without any luggage?:eek:...Or is it Tiger carrying your stuff in that large metal top box?:D

The poor man's way - Just a shoulder bag with only the essentials. :D

Tiger 800 belongs to BHPian tarunactivity and is just a couple of months old now. His wife also joined us for this ride. So the top box served them well.

Omigosh! I hate riding with a shoulder bag. It's fine for city rides but, long distance?:Shockked:

There is a constant pressure on the shoulders from the weight of the bag and not to mention they tend to slip off the shoulders too when you lean into corners and only way to get them back into position is to keep shruggingrl:

I use the Rynox Optimus tankbag for overnight or day long rides and is an excellent piece of luggage and worth the three grand too !!

Where are the ride pictures?

Created a seperate thread for it -

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...anushkodi.html

Also, here are some numbers for the Versys post the ride -

Some additional images excluded from the travelogues + couple of Versys images relevant here -


Sorry for the delay. Here's some info about aftermarket windscreens.

1. Option 1 - Add ons to existing windscreens.

2. Option 2 - Ali Express Windscreen.

3. Option 3 - Puig Windscreen.

4. Option 4 - MRA Windscreen
5. Option 5 - Madstad Windscreen.
Comparison Image of MRA windscreen v/s Ali Express one -

Thanks CD for taking the trouble to post this. What guard is the 2605 registered Versys fitted with? Is that only a guard or is it a mounting point for any other accessories?

What are the best protection options that you would recommend? Frame Sliders , the HB type guards that you have or the 2605 ones which jut out? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

That guard was manufactured by Sri - whom you would have probably heard already through many Versys related posts. However, sadly he is not into this work anymore. Those guards were inspired by Dimotiv - which is again an excellent option but extremely hard to source in India.

Another guy has started manufacturing guards too in India - under the brand Zana. Few happy customers are there and is worth considering - although I haven't seen one upclose personally yet.

Out of the branded ones - I would recommend Hepco Becker ones itself for the V650. Has saved my fairing completely during an earlier tipover and took all the damage with just a scratch on it. Acts as a good mount for aux lights too, incase you are going for branded stuff or brilliant Chinese stuff like Gold Runaways.

Got the front brakepads replaced today at Gear Gear motorcycles. EBC FA142HH sintered brake pads were used as against the Kawasaki OEM ones.

Upon inspection, realised that I could have pushed the existing pads for a little bit more. Almost 1.8k kms earlier, the Kawasaki SVC had predicted 1k maximum life of the pads, whereas Gear Gear had predicted it can be stretched till 2k kms - and I probably could have used it for another 1k as per todays inspection. But replaced it anyways since I did not want to risk the rotors and also to keep the bike ready for weekend rides, when possible.

Old worn out pads -

New EBC waiting to go in -


Service costs -

Thanks CD! Oh I didn't know that Sri had stopped making those accessories. He was giving the big guys a run for their money - exceptionally good quality at an exceptional price. I was looking to get the rear spool sliders from him -the one I had bought last year was fitted to the Z.

Regarding the engine and body protection - which ones are more effective? I have frame sliders which I believe provide protection to the engine and the frame. Are the HB ones more effective in the event of a fall?

Yes. And not really sure of the story behind that decision. But it's true. He is not making the items anymore.

I personally would suggest to have both. Sliders (Fork and rear) and engine guard. Sliders are designed to wear off in the event of a slide. However, protects precious little in the event of a low speed fall.

With the Versys, almost everyone has had a fall at silly speeds less than 5 kmph (Twice at 0 kmph for me, inspite of being 5'11" and 90kgs built guy) and thanks to the guards (and some luck) - escaped without having to spend a single rupee. On the first instance especially - the crash guard had visible damage and if not for it - the fairing would certainly have required a replacement.

Such a concern wouldn't have been there on the Z800 for instance and you would have been perfectly safe with a slider.

So I have the Puig R12 Frame Sliders which are meant to protect the Frame and the engine (and probably the fairing as well). Do I still need to install the HB guards?

Bike is rather top heavy. So with the sliders - I would imagine it would first hit the sliders, then go on to to hit the fairing / handlebar and come to rest between these two (Slider - Fairing/ handlebar).

Here's a small crash that happened two weeks back on the VBR anniversary meet. Youtuber Bulu Biker took a fall at slow speeds. At 2:20 you can see the way it crashed to the ground. A slider could have saved the engine from hitting, but the frame would have definitely hit the ground even with it.

At 4:20 you can see that the main damage occurred exactly where the crash guard would have been covering the fairing if there was one installed. Slider comes way lower down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVF-aLZLDb4

PS - If you are unlucky, frame can still break even with the crash guards. Culprit on rare occasions is the indicator which goes inside instead of sideways thereby putting a hole in the fairing around it.

No offense but, do you really think such an extensive video for such a small fall is required?

Sigh! A classic example of downsides of the latest trend of Vblogging, they just make a mountain out of a molehill:D

What size cover (Rjays and Oxford) is appropriate for the Versys 650? I believe the L size would be a perfect fit and the XL would be too loose and floating around. Are there different covers for a top box / side case setup?

You have his number Avi - incase you really want to go after him! lol:

I'm using Oxford Aquatex, size L, and it is just perfect for the Versys 650. However, it wont be able to cover a top box fully.

For that - you will need this variant. Essentially the same product, but with a top box provision.