Kawasaki ended the year with a bang, by launching the Versys 650 in the Indian market, earlier this week. Despite being late to the party, the Versys 650 promises to offer the best of both worlds (sports riding and touring) apart from a decent bit of off-road capabilities. We take a look at the biggest highlights of the motorcycle.
The engine:
The torquey character and its lightness compared to inline fours make a parallel twin engine the ideal powertrain for a dual sport motorcycle like the Kawasaki Versys 650. The diamond frame of the Versys 650 houses the Ninja 650's liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine, which displaces 649cc. The slightly detuned engine delivers 68bhp and 64Nm of torque, through a six-speed transmission. Kawasaki has tinkered with the power delivery and throttle response to make it suitable for the Versys 650's sports touring character. The abundance of low-end and mid-range torque makes it perfect for negotiating through city traffic as well as highways.
Adjustable suspension:
The suspension of the Versys 650 mimics the setup of its litre-class sibling, the Versys 1000. Its delightfully long travel aside, the Versys 650 allows you to tinker with the damping and preload settings to suit your preferences. The 41mm Showa inverted suspension setup has its spring components in the left fork and the damping components in the right. This not only helps save weight, but also allows individual adjustment for both components. The rear offset KYB monoshock comes only with preload adjustability.
The brakes:
The Versys 650's braking hardware is made of dual semi-floating 300mm petal discs with two-piston callipers each at the front, and a single 250mm petal disc with a single-piston calliper in the rear. Though this setup is similar to the one in the Ninja 650 and ER-6n, the Versys 650 comes with antilock braking system (ABS) as a standard fitment. An ABS system prevents the motorcycle from skidding (and eventually crashing) by electronically controlling the braking force being applied on the wheels. This is a handy safety feature to avoid accidents caused by panic braking and other inadvertent mishaps. This is fairly essential for a big touring motorcycle like the Versys 650.
Touring aids:
The ergonomics of the Kawasaki Versys 650 have been fine tuned envisaging its dual sport character. The semi-fairing not only enhances the bike's aesthetic appeal, but has been aerodynamically designed to improve the airflow around it. The tall stance, upright riding position and the cosy seats make it ideal for commuting and touring, for both the rider and the pillion. The powerful twin headlamps improve the visibility at night, while the three-level-adjustable windscreen offers protection from wind blast on highways. Touring enthusiasts can also opt for the optional hard case panniers, which come with the user friendly Kawasaki Quick Release (KQR) mechanism.
Pricing and competition:
At Rs 6.6 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), the Kawsaki Versys 650 is priced right in between its two chief rivals, the Benelli TNT 600GT and the Honda CBR650F. While the other two motorcycles are powered by inline four engines, the Versys 650 gets a humble parallel twin powertrain. Nevertheless, the dual-sport nature of the Versys 650 and its advanced cycle parts give it a big advantage over the TNT 600GT and the CBR650F.
