Kawasaki Versys 300 - Test Ride & Review 

With only 296 cc, an ultra short stroke, with peak power of 40 ps (39.5 bhp) designed to arrive at 11,500 rpm, & maximum torque set to arrive at 10,000 rpm, with the rev limiter only kicking in at 12,800 - just where exactly would you expect this tiny engine to be happiest in its rev range? It is a massively over square engine design (large bore/short stroke) specifically to generate high power from small displacement by accessing very high revs. If its rev ceiling were 8500 rpm, it would only be developing about 30 bhp. This is why the gearing is deliberately set short, at 8.4 mph per 1000 in top, to allow the engine to access the revs it was designed to excel at. It can see 175 km/hr by speedo @ 12800 rpm in perfect conditions, which is pretty incredible for a 296 cc 4 stroke twin in a wide handlebar tall trail bike. It is a genuine 100 mph motorcycle, & all day cruising at 80-85 mph, though tiring on your ears, is inside its capabilities, & smack dab where the engine is most efficient in specific fuel consumption vs power developed. it's a fantastic little unit. To put it into perspective, it's only 6.5 bhp shy of Honda's 500 cc twin! But whether you like its power characteristics or not, is entirely down to your own sensibilities, NOT the engine's designed capability.

I have a 300x. Changed the front sprocket to 15 tooth. 130 km/hr is about 9000 rpm. Recently rode 1000 km round trip from Pennsylvania to Virginia ,mostly at 130km/ht. This is effortless for this engine. The short stroke design allows this. I do not believe this will shorten engine life. It is a great bike!

I am a Versys X300 owner and you just confirmed what I already knew it is a better bike than the BMW. Thank you for an excellent review.

Thank you for accurate introduction to this bike. I have this exact bike but added the following: Dual sport tires 70% dirt, Larger off-road foot-pegs, bar raised 1", Bark Busters and heated grips to keep hands warm on freezing mornings, 12V plug, tank bag, saddle bags, skid plate, tank grips for my knees. When the seat feels hard, I can easily stand up. I live 3 miles down a dirt road in Oregon and commute ~ 18 miles each way on this bike, It is GREAT for exploring smaller paved roads and dirt roads, it loves wet gravel and windshield work very well in Oregon rain and cold wind. I do not jump or wheelie it, but do have a lot of fun rural dirt road touring. Lean forwards around gravel corners and it will slide predictably. I get consistent 65 mpg. and have had no problems in 5000 miles.

What an excellent review. I too like many of your subscribers ride one of these little gems. Initially I was weary of the high revs but after much research found that the stoke is fairly short thus minimising wear. Yes it does rev high but it was developed for the Ninja 300 and has proven very reliable in that bike. I live in South Africa and use my bike as a daily commuter and tourer. In 10 months I've done 12000km. Never had a moment's trouble and about 3000km of that was on African dirt roads. The weight makes it so easy to ride on loose gravel. Give it a try....... you'll love it.

I have been using it for 1 year and I am very hepy. And I'm planning a tour this summer. From Istanbul to Italy via the balkans Thank you for an excellent rewiew.

Size isn't everything. (My good lady told me..) Excellent honest appraisal.

I'm delighted you are covering these smaller bikes, they've certainly gained a foothold in the past year and allow those on more modest budgets and perhaps who don't want a big heavy bike to have their own adventures. I certainly fall into this class of rider and I have just bought the Honda 250 Rally, which has even less power than the two you have looked at so far. Of course I've looked at all these smaller capacity machines and i only chose the Honda over the Kawasaki because it has greater off road capability. I have no desire to travel at speed, and if possible I prefer to take the more minor roads (or no road at all). People are travelling the world on the Honda 250, it's bullet proof engineering is proven along with it's reliability and parts are available everywhere. Standard dirt bike wheel sizes mean a huge selection of rubber is available and ground clearance is the best in class. That was enough to tip the scales towards the Honda. The Kawasaki is excellent though.

Thank you very much for the fair and honest review of the Versys-X 300. (And thank you for all your videos!) I have had my Versys-X 300 for 11 months now (about 7500 km so far) and I very much like it. While your observations about high rpms at highway speeds are correct (i.e., 9000 rpm @ 120 kmh), you might consider that the Versys-X 300 engine is the Ninja 300 engine which has proven itself over many years to be very strong and which, if properly maintained, typically lasts many thousands of kms. The redline on the engine is 12,800 rpm.. One more thing, in Europe the Versys-X comes with the high seat option (840 mm height) but in North America and Asia (and other markets?) it comes with the standard seat option (815 mm height).

Hi Pavlin, I have almost 15,000km on my Versys X 300, no problems. Yes, it revs a bit, but once you get used to riding like that, even offroad, it is a great lightweight tourer, especially for a shorter rider like me (174cm, 75kg). I have taken mine over quite a number of off-road trails and passes in South Africa, no problems, just negotiate them a little slower when it gets technical. For cruising on good dirt roads, I stick with guys on bigger bikes no problem. I prefer this bike to my Triumph 800XCX actually. Thanks for the great review!

I find real world touring speeds are around 50 - 55 mph if you want to see the scenic views of the places your traveling through .I considered this bike as I have to downsize due to age a health reasons & needed a lighter bike .I only travel down motorways as a last resort for the odd few sections at around 70 mph & find this bike far too revvy at that speed .Also I don’t do any heavy off roading the odd cinder or hard gravel / Earth track is the most I ever get to off roading .I don’t need the wire spoked wheels ,& find the cast wheels & tubeless tires easier to repair with a simple string plug to get me on my way .I chose the Suzuki V strom 250 only 25 HP top speed of 85 mph although revvy not as revvy as the Versys as it’s engine is slightly long stroke .The other reason I chose the little 250 V strom is it was an ex demonstrator with less than 1000 miles on clock & still looked factory mint condition ,from a reputable dealer I have had bikes off before .Although a demonstrator the bike had been run in properly & always with supervised test rides & runs like a Swiss watch .Its a Suzuki & I never had one new or old break down on me ,only the odd puncture .I got the bike for a very good price fully serviced & with a guarantee .As for the BMW GS 300 I wouldn’t give one garage space ,at any price .The 300 Versys is a bit more off road focused than the 25O v strom & has the more suitable spoked wheels ,But for my purposes which is mainly local runs ,& the odd short adventure / tours of around 200 miles daily riding on A & B roads ,with the odd section of motorway ,the Suzuki suits me the best & has a good fuel range & economy .A good honest review of the Versys 300 👍

Well pavlin, I've now bought one! Absolutely love it. Seat lowered cause I'm small and softened. 76mpg.perfect for 90% of of general riding. Loow insurance, cheap road tax, yeah it revs a little too much on the highway. But remember who designed it... THE JAPANESE. it will be almost indestructible. Certainly one, if not the best bike I've ever owned, and I've owned a lot

Very good review. Just to say, as a x300 user, you won't destroy the engine at 9000 or 10000 rpm... It's totally reliable and following many x300 groups I haven't read about a broken engine...

Kawasaki now has a Ninja 400. Hopefully they will use that engine to make a Versys x 400 in the near future without an increase in overall weight. That might make it a better highway bike.

Thanks for the nice review. Would love to see ur review of CB 500x

Hi Pavlin, a interessting review. The Versys 300 seems to be the better alternative to the BMW 310. I guess, the high revs are not really a problem. Kawasaki is one of the best motor-builder in the world. To the topic "lightweight": My good old DR600 DAKAR has 45 hp and only 165 kg ... but of course no electronic gadgets. Ride safe, Hans

Long Distance has NO problem. I just ran 1,500 km in 4 days on Northern Thailand and LOVE it.

Kawazaki Verzys Drei Hundred, I love it

Great video Pavlin, thanks for sharing with us all. Safe travels. 👍🇬🇧

U always saing: Travel lightweight. So I choosed this. After 2K km, it is amazing first bike. Thank you for all your videos. in 2 weeks going on it Thailand-Laos-Vietnam and back... will be fun :)

I've been waiting for a review of this bike. Great!

The owners of this bike seem satisfied. I have heard many owners of ancient Honda 125CB and more modern 125 Varadero assuring that these little bikes can ride very long time at high revs. Even my CRF 250L seems capable to log runs at almost max speed, though it is a monocylinder. This Kawasaki should very efficient. I feel very confident that it can endure long rides at high revs. As people wrote, the noise might be more an issue than the reliability.

Good review: straight, simple and with an opinion at the end. Good job, thanks.

Versys X-300 has the same engine as the Ninja 300. Many ninja 300 owners rev their bikes to 12,000rpm all the time with no problems. That engine was an update to the ninja 250cc engine and it is a very solid design. It came out in 2013 and many owners have 30-50,000km with no problems.

Every Kawasaki parallel-twin I've ever ridden had an RPM range at which it felt like it was really strained, followed by a Smooth Spot and it even higher RPM My old Ninja 500R, sold as the GPZ 500 in Europe I believe, was smooth as glass at about a hundred miles per hour, and we'll over 7000 RPM

Many thanks for doing the review, thumbs up!

Saw one of these for the first time on the road the other day riding to work. Really good looking bike, I could see myself picking one up in a few years when they start showing up on the used market. The Kawi 300 engine is honestly pretty solid, one of my riding buddies has a Ninja 300 he takes on longer trips with our group and we've put a lot of miles on it with zero issues. I know it sounds bad to be revving it so high but the twins seem to hold up better than some of the smaller single cylinder bikes.

I have this motorcycle, along with a Triumph Tiger 800XRt and a Honda CB500X. I bought it because of its looks, especially in the green. As you say, it revs very high, but after fitting a one tooth larger front sprocket the ride has improved, and I am happy with it now. I believe that any further increase will upset the gear position indicator, which is unfortunate because another tooth on the front sprocket would be perfect...

Nice review, I’m enjoying this set of small capacity reviews.

Interesting they made it a parallel twin, assume for smoothness but with the power delivered over two smaller pistons come the ability to rev higher with less stress on the engine. I’m sure it would happily sit at 9k revs all day even if it’s screaming away, as the manufactures have well and truly ensured that redline matches the capabilities of the engine. But probably doesn’t sound very comfortable. You are used to your thumper Pavlin. 😀

I am a Versys X 300 owner and it is a great bike for city and twisty country roads. Just got mine so still breaking in the engine and have not run it up above 100 kph yet.

Awesome review, thank you for deciding to do smaller bikes! Good content and very honest and unbiased presentation, keep it up!

A city scooter with pep! The high RPMs is a concern for fuel economy and highway use. Good review,very helpful,thanks!

I also own a Versys-X 300 as a second bike (my first is a V-Strom 1000) and love it. Kawasaki told me the rpm's are fine at 70 mph all day long and day after day. They said don't re-gear it like so many are. The Ninja 300 engine which it uses was meant to run at those rpm's with it's short stroke and other things.

You should turn on your indicaters when you change lanes

It has a spoked wheels. Funny and usefull bike. Cant wait for Tenere 700 i think it will be real proper ADV bike.

Great review mate, thanks

Keep going... very informative... badi from Oman

Thank you for a very good and informative review!

Hi Pavlin my friend, thats gona be my next bike! Ride safe, ciao

Loved the review I’m a big Kawasaki fan I was looking at the versy 300 but like my klr650 to much so I think I will stay with that all the best keep up the great reviews and videos

Hi I've just finished running in my new versys 650 which is good and I'm already thinking of 300 next bike when I'm much older and want lighter smaller bike it's amazing how good off road considering low pipes.. fellow American utuber has been in desert off road in places it shouldn't really be👍👍cheers from dave in england

Again great review!

Hi Pavlin, Nice Review. I own a Versys X300 in the Philippines. In my opinion this is a PERFECT bike for the roads and riding conditions here. Very easy to maneuver, fast breakaway acceleration from scooters trikes and cars. All the fun on this bike is in the Higher Revs. In the 8 to 11K Revs range this bike screams and performs very well. As I said the roads in the Philippines are not very good and many roads suddenly end and turns into off roads (dirt, gravel, rock, holes,etc). The X300 handles this perfectly until you get back onto pavement. Overall a very Fun Bike to ride in The Philippines. Cheers!

Yes..Pavlin review proof that the Green machine honestly is the winner in its category..thnx man..

Belive it high RPMs are of no concern; the stroke on engine is only 49mm so at 9000 RPM pistons are moving slower than on your Tenere at 5000. And engine will last many thousands miles. There was a guy who did Iron Butt Rally on earlier version of that engine, 10 days 11,000mi

I think is a great motorbike. Power/weight ratio is very good for long rides alone.

yes! please do honda crf250l and rallye

Thank you for this video

I rented a Ninja 500 twin in England. It doesn't have the engine characteristics I prefer, but I had fun 'bikepacking' on the country lanes.

Another great review! Very enjoyable thanks for the info

You touch in every point I'd like to know about it, very nice review!

Hello Pavlin. I saw almost all of your great videos. Keep going! You talk about protection, safety but I still miss something about ear protection. This is such an important topic but a lot of people don't care about it. Maybe you could do a video related to this?

Hvala! Very objective review !!!

Those are cool little bikes !!

great review, thanks a lot!

It's not really a touring bike. 300cc is just not enough. I ride a Versys 650 and I already think that is bit high in RPM sometimes while covering longer distances. I think this Versys 300 is a great machine to start riding on. Cheap, easy handling, reliable and fun. I think it will sell like hot cakes. Especially for the A2 license (

I am not a big fan of all the plastic fairing panels, I know the reason behind the design but if I was a new rider, especially on dirt roads I would worry about damage. Drop the bike a few times and it could damage the bike enough to make it unrideable, not always a deal breaker but just something to think about.

Apart from the rock hard seat it is a good machine - except it has been designed for getting the most HP out of the diminutive engine, rather than cruising comfort and decent gearing. The tiny stroke means Kawasaki had to attain all the torque very close to max rpm. That makes this bike grossly under-geared. Very entertaining for quick bursts of energy but incredibly tiring to hear that engine screaming away on longer journeys. It won't harm the engine much but for long distances you'd need an aftermarket softer seat and much higher geared sprockets as the alternative is to rev the pants of it permanently. In all other respects it's a great little bike.

I got my versys back in June one of the best bike I have owned I ride it every day and love it got 62000 km on it I like the engine as keeps me at 100 km per hour just nice but will sit on 120 OK thinks for the review

I want this bike...but with there 650cc engine in! The 650 is a huge bike for what it is IMO.And the 1000cc is a Monster! Especially with all the luggage. Surprised to hear that you have to change gear more on your 660cc Single cylinder than this though?? Also that vibration is more on this bike, as the press did criticise your Yamaha for vibration. (who cares what they think?) I think you like simplicity of large cc single cylinder motorcycles.....like me :)

As long as you break the motor in right. Change the oil with the best oil you can buy. You can ride these things at just below the redline all day long with no worries.

HI SIR, VERY INTERESTING THE PRESENTATION. THE SAME TYPE WITH SMALLER CC VERSYS 250, ALREADY USED ON 30.000 KM TOURING FROM JAKARTA/INDONESIA TO LONDON/UK, BY MR. STEPHEN LANGITAN, INDONESIAN SOLO RIDER. THE BIKE WAS QUITE EXCELLENT, EASY TO RIDE BOTH HI WAY AND RURAL ROAD, AND GOOD MANEUVER ON THE TURNING HILL SITE AND ECONOMIC RIDING COST. HAVE A JOY RIDE, KAWASAKI....TWO THUMB UP.

thanks for the review

I wanted a little dual-sport that I could run forest service roads with, and looked at the Yamaha WR 250 and Honda CRF (which felt like sitting on a plank). When I saw the Versys last year it checked a lot more boxes for me so I bought it instead and I'm glad I did.

Bike does 10k revs like a champ, just look at the oil temp. The ninja 300 engine does great at normal speeds, even for longer distances.

This bike is designed to be comfortable in high rpm don't worry about the high rpm.

I believe Honda made a 6 cylinder 250 cc racing motor once , reved to 15000 rpm .

Thanks friend

Which gloves are these?

Hi man, great reviews! I suggest reviewing the Suzuki Vstrom 250 next as well as the Tenere 250. Cheers!

Like you I didn't like the high RPM's I would of thought that if Kawasaki and BMW would make high RPM engines they would of just went with two strokes. I decided when it comes time to buy a different bike it will probably be a 650-800 lower RPM and higher torque. I don't like having to choke a motorcycle around the neck demanding performance, it makes me feel like I'm on a sport bike.

Great option to chose from the TVS BMW 310GS

Thank you for this look over small machines. I guess that two cylinder engine has better results regarding emissions than singles and, in my opinion, the profit is better for manufacture if the engine can be used on differents types of bikes. Which is more easy to do with twins than singles. Just have a look over the endless use of CB 500 by Honda... Once again, Pavlin, thank you for your very good chanel!

BMW is not the best bike in the world, its only German propaganda and price. I fully agree with this review and additionally this bike looks very good. I would not be afraid of rpm. Twin engine is a little bit different from single cylinder engine and is much more flexible. From my experience for long trips you have to buy minimum 500 ccm motorbike (better twin than single-work culture).

Ride safe. Donˋt drive on red light!

Back in the day people crossed continents on motorcycles with 20 hp air cooled engines.

Nice review. It seems like there is same engine as in 300cc Ninja. I am wondering about comparison 650cc Versys and Suzuki V-Storm

in this range the choice I believe is not too much , maybe if we add suzuki v storm 250 there are not many more choices left. , in my opinion to travel long distances we must chose a bigger bike at least 500 cc (nor necessary 1000 or 1200 cc)but you have much more experience than me so i always like to ear your opinion.

I want to get the 2019 CB500X but having trouble, they said May 15 but now May 18, if not hear by the 21 will be going to the Kawasaki dealer and try to make a deal on the Versys 300. The only thing is not use to high rev. engines.

Thanks for the video(s) and, above all, your honest assessments. Very rare stuff these days, congratulations. Do you think the Versys 300 could manage a passenger, structure wise (pegs, etc) and engine-wise? Greetings from Portugal!

Do you think that a smaller rear sprocket will help bring the revs down at higher speed but still give enough power in lower gears?

Prefect solution for car driver s first motcycel-because B cat driver can make first hihger license up A2 not A= 35kW and smooth ride is very important

Well done Pavlin - the Kwaka l found it to be far superior to the bmw - l've owned a number of Kwakas the engines are "bullet-proof" & more than capable of 100,000+ klms - l found it a great little bike a "soft roader" lack of ground clearance & tyres being the major limitation

Hi there great idea for the new series of videos, are you going to review the Honda cb500x?

Hi! Would there be a big downside if someone like me (96kg, 1. 91m tall) would use the bike? Is the sitting position heavily influenced? What modifications should be made to adapt to my hight and weight?

Nice video Pavlin.Recently watched your video on the BMW G310GS.However in my country the Versys X comes with 250cc engine so it is hard to compare with the GS.I think the 300cc on this bike solved the torque that the 250 lacks.

Awesome bike. I bought the adventure model with paniers etc. I put on a lightweight pipe, removed the emisions rubbish, new air filter, added a power commander and had it tuned on a dyno and its so much fun. Yes, its a high revving engine but it loves it. Suspension is well balanced and on the tight twisty stuff its a laugh a minute. Every time I sit on it I smile.

This bike is very expensive. Here in Moscow it cost 8000 euros brand new without any cases. I bought bmw r1200r adventure 2008 with three hard cases and all stuff with 20k kilometers and museum condition from japan. Bmw is made with attentions to details. I rode 5k kilometers trip on may holidays and more than happy with it. It is nice to hesr that bike sounds like an airplane)

Great review again! I only wish it would be longer test, and more on gravel/ dirt roads. How about review of NC750X? :)

Thanks for the review. Just thinking ... with the Ninja 400 out already, I wonder if they will come out with a Versys 400 X soon.

A useful review. Thank you. Unfortunately, as I'm even taller and heavier than you, it seems unsuitable for me. Pity. 😕

But how it works on off-road???

Hai when will you be test riding the royal enfield himalayan?? I have been waiting for a long time. Anyway you have been doing a great job with your reviews.

Hi Pavlin. Thanks for your great reviews. Did you manage to do a review of the Suzuki V Strom 250? I am looking at buying that bike as my first machine. Perhaps you could make a video if not. Cheers

I've noticed this about your reviews...you review a bike to you and your needs...you should be reviewing a bike to the bikes designe and its market. I have to ask if you understand how big bore short stroke engines work? Its designed specifically to cruise at 9 to 10 thousand rpm. These engines will run a few hundred thousand kilometers no problem if proper maintenance is done.

this engine is designed to rev, 9k RPMs all day will not hurt it

+1 tooth front sprocket. More accurate speedo and lower revs, problem solved.. Nice bike

Hello! Will you make a test ride on Suzuki V-Strom 250cc? Thank you!

Enjoyed your review on the Versys and the G310GS. While not an adventure bike I would appreciate your thoughts on the KTM 390 Duke?