Kawasaki has sprung a surprise by unveiling the new addition to its adventure touring range – the Versys X300.
Built around a new chassis, the Versys X300 draws styling cues from the bigger Versys models. The Versys X300 shares its powertrain with Ninja 300. Though Kawasaki hasn’t revealed the power output, we expect it the parallel twin-cylinder 296cc mill to deliver a little less than 38 horsepower, the baby Ninja’s figure, and trade that for more shove lower in the rev range. The six-speed transmission has a slipper clutch. The Versys X300 gets 41mm long-travel telescopic front forks and a rear monoshock. While the BMW G310 GS has to make do with alloy wheels, the Versys X300 is offered with spoke wheels which should improve its off-road capabilities. ABS is standard.
Apart from the standard bike, Kawasaki also offers Versys X300 in two pre-customised trims – Urban and Adventure. While the former gets a hand guards and a 30-litre top box, the Adventure comes with tubular engine guard and a pair of 17-litre panniers. A tank pad and a centre stand are offered as optional extras. The instrument console gets an analogue tachometer and two LCD screens which display instantaneous range and fuel efficiency apart from other standard functions.
While the market for small-capacity adventure touring motorcycles was non-existent till until recently, manufacturers have now realised the potential of this market space. Apart from the Versys X300, the 2016 EICMA Show also witnessed the unveiling of two more similar bikes – the BMW G310 GS and the Suzuki V-Strom 250. While there is no word about the Versys X300 being launched in India, we can reasonably expect it to make its way here eventually, at least based on the success of the segment that is currently being led by the Royal Enfield Himalayan, and to be joined by the BMW G310GS and eventually by the KTM 390 Adventure.
