"kawasaki calls it "asphalt adventure"... the 17" wheels make it a no go for anything other than light gravel roads.I didn't think of the Versys as a Sport Touring bike.
I thought it was considered an Adventure bike?
Ride safe, Ted
The Versys 1000LT is a sport touring bike. IIRC, that's what our last OTP rider to Europe was provided to ride by Kawasaki of Germany.
I didn't care for the storage either and it is very important to me! My ride was short and I don't know what mode I was in but compared to my flashed 14 it seemed kind of low on power.I think this is a great looking bike & could see myself riding one. The side cases don't appear to be oddly shaped & making them not very user friendly. I haven't located any info on capacity yet though, I would like to see at least 35 liters.
I really liked it a lot to, very fun & easy to ride. The downside for me though is the factory side cases, the odd shape & small size made them almost worthless IMO. Much like a new wing, you can barely fit a six pack in those side cases but otherwise a great bike.
Why make a bike that's made to travel/tour with such little storage capacity is beyond me.
If you haven't noticed storage capacity is a big factor for me since 90% of my riding is travel!
"I think this is a great looking bike & could see myself riding one. The side cases don't appear to be oddly shaped & making them not very user friendly. I haven't located any info on capacity yet though, I would like to see at least 35 liters."
At first glance, I would agree it's a nice looking bike and I find it very intriguing.
After some more research,
Positives; lighter than c14, 36L bags,
Negatives; chain drive, no centerstand, windscreen not adjustable, $$$.
Conclusion; with 20k miles on my 08 c14, I have a long way to go before needing to upgrade...like 230k miles to go.(@Cliff)
Dale
My 2014 Versys 650 did not come with a center stand but one was available through the after market. Perhaps the same is available for this Zuk.No centerstand would be a dealbreaker for me .
Positives; lighter than c14, 36L bags,
Dale
Negatives; chain drive, no centerstand, windscreen not adjustable, $$$.
Dale
No centerstand would be a dealbreaker for me .
Hard to tote that around on a tour .No center stand can be solved with a rear stand.
Don't need to mess with the swingarm on Sportsters.No master link in a belt (obviously). Need to drop the swing arm to replace it...major PITA.
Not knocking chains, I'm a fan of shafts.
āEvery time the rear wheel comes off one of my Connies or GL-series Hondas, so too does the final drive and drive shaft. It's all cleaned, inspected and lubed then reassembled with new seals, O rings, thrust washers, etc.ā
No offense but that sounds like way work than an occasional chain cleaning and periodic lube spraying.
it doesn't look like oneI agree with SISF. The Versys 1000LT is a sport touring bike. IIRC, that's what our last OTP rider to Europe was provided to ride by Kawasaki of Germany.
Nice as it may be, I'd never buy something that costs fairly close to what a new Connie can be had for, yet lacks shaft drive, on-the-fly windshield adjustment, a center stand, and heated grips (I think). Gotta have at least those four attributes to be a true sport-tourer IMO.
Yeah, I'm biased. But a new Connie is still a much better value than the various liter-sized Japanese sport-tourer pretenders.
I've read several articles exulting the Suzuki K-5 motor as one of the best inline 4's ever manufactured.Good news. And I had one of those 2005 GSXR1000 sport bikes and really liked that motor.
Iāve found that itās not really needed. Iāve got a spool stand in the shop for maintenanceMy 2014 Versys 650 did not come with a center stand but one was available through the after market. Perhaps the same is available for this Zuk.
I've heard some say that , blows my mind . . I could not do without it on my C10 .Lost my center stand 10 years ago... dead weight
The ZX 14 headers did not fit with center stand
The ZX 14 headers on my bike do fit with my center stand.I've heard some say that , blows my mind . . I could not do without it on my C10 .