Kawasaki Versys

You would think that a tall bike with long forks would be a little ungainly in terms of handling. Well, think again. This bike defies the laws of physics. It corners well, can go quite fast and at the same time has incredible ground clearance. It shares the same engine as the ER-6 pair, but not many of their other characteristics. For starters, it's dual purpose nature means you can ride the Versys crouched like a superbike, or upright like a supermotard.

It handles really well in both positions. In fact, I liked it much better than it's 'sportier' siblings, because of the tremendous versatility in riding style. On a weekend run to Genting, I rode it supermotard all the way up, sitting upright and putting my foot down at the corners. The next weekend, I was riding it tucked down like a GP rider on the PLUS highway. The 70hp engine produces enough grunt to keep the bigger superbikes in sight, if not enough to overtake them. In town, the bike also shines.

The high ground clearance puts the mirrors above car-mirror level, so you can cruise through traffic even faster than the 'kapcai' mob. In really heavy traffic jams, the long suspension travel means you can climb tall kerbs (even with a passenger) to make your way through the urban jungle. You can also ride through potholes without slowing down - which is a plus with KLs moon-like road surfaces. It would be really hard to find a single bike that could do so many things for the RM47,000 price tag.

In the Malaysian biking landscape - where good bikes cost an entire fortune to own because of ridiculous taxes- this would be the bike to have. In fact, we liked it so much that it was rarely left in the parking lot. Even the smallest errand became an excuse to take the bike for a spin. If we were to be nitpicky - we would say the headlamp is a bit ugly and the brakes need a bit more stopping power. But other than that - this bike is as good as it gets in the middleweight segment. Highly recommended.

SPECIFICATIONS
Kawasaki Versys 650
Engine: Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke Parallel Twin, 649cc, DOHC 8 Valves
Max power: 64PS @ 8,000rpm
Max torque: 61Nm @ 6,800rpm
Transmission: 6-speed, return
Brakes: Dual semi-floating 300mm petal discs (F); single 220mm petal disc
Dry weight: 181kg
Price: RM46,900 retail