2023 Kawasaki Versys 650 - The Best Mid-Size Sport Tourer you can buy! 

Thanks so much! I've got big things planned for this channel moving forward! Stay tuned!

Haha! Been there! My 2016 had the single light on. I hated that.

You're going to love it! Thanks for sharing!

Good times! I'm currently looking myself and trying to decide between the 650 and 1000. Any chance you could tell me where the RPMs are at doing highway speeds? Like if you are going 75 mph in 6th gear, what RPM are you seeing? My concern is that the 650 might be a bit more high strung or buzzy compared to the 1000 on the highway, especially with a passenger. Thank you! And congratulations!

Me too! Thanks for watching!

Thanks so much for watching!

Yeah this really is a great bike for comfort. I've owned it and taken it on plenty of longer trips. It's awesome. Thanks for watching!

Aammmmmiiiiiinnn

Thanks for watching! I do plan a lot more reviews!

It really is a personal choice. I've owned the Versys 650 for several years in the past, so full disclosure on that. To me, I think the Kawasaki is a little more sporty, but it's very much an on-road only bike. The V-Strom is going to allow you to head off the pavement, where no variation of the Versys 650 is built from the factory for that. If you're not overly aggressive on the road, then there may not be a better or worse one for you. I love both. I bought the Versys because at the time, I wanted the sporty handling. If I was to buy one today, I'd lean towards the any road ability of the V-Strom but I think if you're comparing them, at least sit on both. Check out the dash on both. The Kawasaki now has LED headlights which is an upgrade over the V-Strom and the 2016 model that I had. So it's really a personal choice.

It wasn't listed on the Versys for 2023 in Canada. I'll be reviewing the 2024 as early as this week and will check the specs on that soon.

This bike doesn't have the slipper and assist clutch or a quick shifter, but it does have traction control.

@@PeterLoweOne Thank You for respond

I do this all the time, haven’t had a problem doing so. Hi Ho Silver!

The peg can definitely support the weight. Shorter riders shouldn't shy away from this bike if you think you're comfortable with a taller bike. Having said that, I do hear from a number of shorter riders who don't want a tall seat height to their bikes, so I try to make sure that I communicate things honestly with everyone.

@@PeterLoweOne ...as a brand new rider who has not purchased a bike, my 2 choices are the 650 Versys LT or Vulcan S. Recommendations? Want comfort 😀

@@cheekster96 I'd personally recommend something much, much smaller in displacement. 650 is alot, especially for a new rider. I've just gotten a 2019 model after riding on a 125cc for over a year, and it's still intimidating even with experience.

The V-Strom is a little more off-road oriented, so I can see why people would choose that if you think you'll be going more off-road. I'm biased, not just because I do videos on Kawasaki bikes, but even before I did this, I had to decide what bike I wanted, and I bought the Versys 650. I LOVED it. I think it's a little sportier, and more fun than the V-Strom. To me, motorcycling is about fun. I really appreciate a good handling bike, with good brakes, and I have no doubt that the Versys was the best bike for me.

My friend bought a 650 versys, had it 6 months and hated it! He got me to try it, - I hated it too, much prefer my V Strom! And both of us have been riding over 60 years on all sorts of bikes, so we are very experienced!

Back to claim your throne! Thanks, as always!

Have a cookie 🍪

Thanks Eric!

Honestly, I don't remember. I've driven this engine for years, but that was a few years ago. The 1000 is going to have more torque down low, and more top end power, it's a big difference, but the actual RPM, I don't remember. If I'm going by memory, I feel like 5000 may be close? But I'm honestly not sure off the top of my head.

No, I wouldn't take this in mud or sand, especially with street tires. I used to own a 2016 Versys that didn't come with traction control, and it was very manageable for me. Having said that, I think the only time that I would turn off the traction control on these bikes is if you wanted to wheelie, or something like that. Most of the time, I would keep it on.

@@PeterLoweOne Hey! Thanks for a quick reply. I am not sure if you are aware but I would highly recommend you to watch videos where people have taken it through Himalayas in India or Nepal, places like leh-ladak, mustang (upper or lower), Spiti valley. People have taken and tested versys to its core. You will really be impressed by the capability of this bike. Happy riding 🏍️.

Thanks for watching!

Just got it 2 days ago worth it

Yup! I love that bike. Make sure you’re comfortable with the height of it, remember that the tank is large, so when it’s full, the bike feels a bit too heavy while stopped, but riding that bike is great, and it’s a bike that can do so much. Thanks for watching and sharing your question!

@@PeterLoweOne thank you so much for the help Peter, I am a new rider and I ve been learning so much from your videos I appreciate the effort you ve been putting.

I could definitely do that review in the future. Great point!

It can be tweaked. Make sure the rubber pad near the passenger foot peg is holding the bag correctly on both sides. I haven't had issues with that in my experience, but it's not the first time I've heard it, and my understanding is that it's definitely fixable. Great choice by the way!

I want Kawasaki leave the Versys 650 and 1000 as sporty and luxury tourers, and take the Versys-X 300 and turn it into a KTM 390 adventure competitor with modern tech, and then I want Kawasaki to come out with a high tech middleweight Adventure Tourer to slot in above the KLR and between the Versys 650 and Versys 1000 in price. I think that would be a great bike!

Yes. You'll find it to be tall, and if that bothers you, you'll have to decide if you want to learn to work with it, or look at a different model, but you're not exceptionally short, so you'll probably find that you can get used to it. I'm about 6 feet tall and it's very manageable for me. My wife is your height, and although she doesn't ride, I can't see someone her height having difficulty with the height of they're committed to getting comfortable on it.

We don't have an autobohn here in Canada, but it's not a noisy bike, and it's definitely comfortable for long trips, I think you'd be very happy with choosing it out of the list of bikes that you're looking at. Thanks for watching!

Thank you, it’s really appreciated you’re taking your time making videos and answering comments for the benefit of the viewers. Let me know if you drop by tiny Denmark and I would be happy to show you around👍🏼😀

I film in Canada and we don't have those names. My guess is that one has luggage and maybe hand guards while the other doesn't but you could add them in the future.

Thank you! I will dig in it , thanks for your video! @@PeterLoweOne

I mean... we have them here in Fredericton New Brunswick. I'm not sure where you live.

Sounds like it's not for you! I love this bike. I drove it for years. Its form is all about function, and it functions well. To me, there's a beauty in that, but I now drive a Z900RS SE, and that's definitely more of a looker, but it does miss out on some of the great features that a bike styled like this will bring.

no one responded to this but KLR also has a spec that comes with saddlebags, the adventure spec. For me personally it's just that the KLR isn't exactly great for highway speeds and I'm not taking a bike this large off road when smaller trail and dirt bikes and duel sports are lighter and easier to manage

@@REAPEROFTOES I ended up Buying the klr adventure model, I am a new rider I took it on the highway once and definitely on the scary side, not sure if it was the bike or inexperience, I don’t see myself going over 65mph on these New York roads regardless of the bike though l.

Inseam? If less than 38in, it won't matter. KLR is simpler+cheaper and it's good to 70mph, on or off road. Versys is sport touring. Maybe better for cross country all day highway use. It's going to be a little smoother because it's a twin. 😊

@@chadkline4268 Thanks, I ended up buying the KLR a month ago.

@@paragodful I think you'll like it. Most people do. It will do almost everything you want, unless you're a speed freak. Perform the required maintenance and it won't make many troubles, if any 👍