Pre-owned Versys 1000 as an upgrade to a Dominar 400: Worth it?

The bike is well-maintained, and is run for just 5000 km, and the dealer says that the person selling it has shifted abroad.

BHPian Ays7 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

My younger brother and are proper opposites when it comes to behaviour, personality and it percolates down to our choice of vehicles as well.

My brother usually prefers his cars and bikes second hand, while I usually prefer the conventional buy straight from the showroom route.

He has so far used a pre-owned Sonata, a Hyundai Accent, a Swift over last 15 years. His only first hand car purchase was a Ciaz Delta MT in 2017, which was then modified and turned into a CNG. We also presently own a Vento 1.2 TSI AT and Hyundai Alcazar Petrol 6 Seater Signature (O) (both new, my purchases)

When it comes to bikes, I do not even know how to ride an Activa, while he is a fanatic and a seasoned rider.

He has owned a Honda Unicorn, a Pulsar 220 (Both new), a used Bullet - don’t know the variant and his current ride is a new Dominor 400.

He is overweight, around 135 kgs, and was planning to lose some weight before he buys a new bike.

But right now, he has come across a Pre-Owned Versys 1000 that is being offered to him at 11 Lakhs. The bike is well-maintained, and is run for just 5000 Kms, and the dealer says that the person selling it has shifted abroad. The condition is good and service records are available.

I really have no clue about bikes - but safe to say that this will be his most expensive vehicular purchase and I was wondering if this makes sense.

For perspective, he is a experienced rider, and he has gone on riding tours from Mumbai - Sikkim, Mumbai - Ladakh, Mumbai - Shimla/Manali, Goa, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kanya Kumari, so pretty much everywhere.

My mind tells me to always go for a new bike, given the amount of riding he does, but he thinks this pre-owned bike with just 5000 Kms should be as good as new.

I wanted thoughts of riders on this forum. He says he has tried 650CC bikes as well, but they do not feel more of an upgrade compared to his 400 CC one. He looks usually for a tourer rather than a cruiser, but I have no clue what it means.

Any thoughts, suggestions will be appreciated as to whether this Pre-Owned bike makes sense for him, what to check for before buying, and so on.

Here's what BHPian Nilesh5417 had to say on the matter:

Sweet sounding In-line 4, seats like a sofa, great suspension for riding 2-up and super touring abilities. Engine is a gem, Kawa service is decent - kinda expensive these days but still not as expensive as say a multi or tiger maybe?

The cons are probably weight and the fact that you can't go off the tarmac much. Not sure about the screen but it was really dated. Electronic aids were missing too, I remember it didn't come with any gizmos (cruise control, cornering abs etc.).

But for the price it was quoting 12ish on road, it was heck of a ride. Your brother should bargain a bit more - I feel it's a food buy for touring if he can knock off a lakh or more.

Here's what BHPian roy_libran had to say on the matter:

I ride the V1000 - about 25k kms now.

Short answer - Go for it!

Super comfortable for 2 people + full luggage. Get the Kawasaki single key luggage system if you can. Soaks up all road undulations and imperfections.

Very reliable, and I have not faced any stalling issues on Stock Air Filter - I did face it on performance filters.

Has a very easy to operate Cruise Control.

It's a heavy bike, but has a low CoG, and masks it's weight very well on the move.

Agile (despite it's weight) and had good dynamics.

TC Off can throw nasty surprises - Beware! Therefore, I keep mine mostly on TC-2, to try and live and fight another day.

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