Kawasaki Versys-X 300 - Test Ride and First Impressions (On Road and Off Road!) 

What are your thoughts on the Versys-X 300? Let me know down below! 🏍 GEAR I USE AND RECOMMEND - bit.ly/ea-links 👕 STICKERS, SHIRTS & MERCH - bit.ly/ea-merch 🙌 HELP SUPPORT THE CHANNEL - bit.ly/ea-patreon

In-case anyone is interested or thinking about the Versys X-300, your description of it being a lightweight adventure bike is Spot-On. I bought mine in April this year, and I'm about an 80/20 rider (20% offroad, mostly using it for commuting). I've commuted to/from work in Texas all summer long, and it is SMOOOOTH. Quiet too. I've added a trunk and slightly taller windscreen, but otherwise stock. A large portion of my commute is 40-55mph, and this is it's happy place. I've done windy-days ripping up the freeway at 80mph and it handles with ease. Keep in mind, this is not a bike that screams down the interstate at 175mph, but I love the ability to run through the gears, hitting 10k RPM, and it sounds amazing, while not hitting Arrest-Me-Now speeds. I've been averaging 65mpg, If I am riding through the hill country, back-curvy roads, it's light, agile, not afraid to detour down a side road (usually turns to gravel, but those are the roads you find the old bridges, creeks, and places that DON'T have cell coverage ;-) Bottom line - it's a dependable, fun, lightweight, bike that is comfortable on or offroad, great mileage and range. Worth it!

Thanks for sharing! Just picked one of these up and your vid was the first one I've seen that really showed it in the dirt.

Nice ride, I pretty much grew up riding in all that areas around Hesperia. I would go all day long riding from Hesperia to wherever and not hit any pavement. It was a great place to ride...Thank you for all the great footage brings back alot of good memories.

In today's video we have the opportunity to take a test ride on a Kawasaki Versys-X 300! Join me as I take the Versys-X 300 through it's paces both off road and off road, and talk about my first impressions of this awesome little adventure motorcycle. Enjoy!

Great video! As a 5'4" woman, I love how light weight and versatile my Versys X300 is compared to the 1600 Nomad cruiser I used to ride everyday. I'm relatively new to off-road riding, but like you, found the VX300 handles fire-roads easily as long as I didn't get too rambunctious. If you do decide to buy one, I would recommend the Ricochet bash plate and T-Rex engine guards, plus Barkbusters hand guards to protect the bike. Go up a tooth with a 15 on the front sprocket to make long distance travel easier on the bike. It made a world of difference on highway riding without killing the dirt riding capability (or at least the type of easy dirt roads I take). Good luck and I look forward to seeing more of your adventures on this great little bike.

Thanks awesome ride along. Sounds like a great on road off road bike.

Ordered mine today I am so excited to get it in!

Love my X300 will do 80 easy and cruise at 65 all day. I got it up to 97 one time. Off road as long as you put on a skid plate, she will go anywhere as long as it has the right tires

I just found you, liked and subscribed. This was just what I wanted to know about this bike. Thank you.

great review.

Always cool when a guy can try out a different bike.👍

Just now seeing this video and it’s one of the best reviews of this bike. I’ve had one for about a year and agree with you on all points. It’s pretty underrated and a lot of people overlook it for bigger bikes but it does a lot of things well. My only complaint is the fork rake is steep which feels a bit weird. Anyway it’s great to see you show it’s off-road capability. I also have a big twin but don’t ride it much since I got this. It’s so easy to jump on and go anywhere, hauls luggage well too. I did go up a tooth in the front to calm it down a bit on road.

use to ride this spot all the time when i lived in hesperia. memories :)

Man if it can handle that dirt road, it can certainly handle some banged up asphalt road we got here in Quebec!

great video; Just got mine late summer so only have 6,000 Km on it so far but hope to put a lot more next year, Had many bikes over 55 yr and this has to be one of the most fun bikes, and like the light weight, as I am 70 Yr and don't want the heavy bikes any more. I put the Givi 33 l bags on and engine guard and center stand and lights. and heated grips needed in Canada for early spring and late fall riding. The only thing is needs better tires for gravel roads and a better windscreen. Love the Versys X 300, thank you Kawasaki.

clutch is insanely Light!!!! Just replaced foot pegs, very cheap. Bash plate, ez install an cheap, Loveing this bike.. My first Adv an im so glad I got the lightest one of 5 I was looking at... seems to run in hot range but most of peps ive seen on here also said same thing...... Good Review.. i love unfiltered just fun, show screw up tests...Thanks God bless

Good video!

Good times! Nice motorcycle.

Killer little bike !!

I just purchased my almost new 2017 Kawasaki X300 Versys on Monday of this week. It had 1540 miles on the odometer and looks absolutely brand new! It was delivered to me by the original owner on Tuesday April 13, 2022 which is the first day that I rode my new motorcycle. The previous owner rode it to my state so that he could rest assured that I would register and title his motorcycle before he turned it over to me. First let me say that I am 68 years old. I am 5-10" tall, weigh 269 pounds and I have a 29/30" pants inseam. I looked all over for specifics on whether this motorcycle would be a good fit for me. I knew it was tall with the seat height at 30.9". But would I fit this motorcycle well. I already had a bad experience owning a 2002 BMW R1150GS that was a huge machine, a real monster. That BMW proved much too tall and heavy for me to safely handle so I sold it right away. I replaced that BMW with a 2001 R1200C Pheonix which proved much more manageable with it's seat height of a mere 29.9". But it is a 1200cc machine which means it is VERY heavy! So I bought a little Honda Grom which proved to be so much fun that I thought to myself, "wow, look at what I have been missing." Then I discovered a Blog online where a girl named Noraly is riding her 2022 Honda CRF300L from South America to Alaska. She calls her site "Itchy Boots" where she posts 3 videos per week on average. After watching her great adventures for a couple of months I decided that I must have a motorcycle just like hers. But then I discovered that the Honda CRF300L is nearly impossible to acquire right now unless you are willing to pay $2,000 over MSRP. Yikes. That is when I discovered the 310 BMW and the X300 Kawasaki Versys. I went with the Versys for several reasons. First, it was availability. Next was value and finally after watching many reviews on RU-vid I liked the twin cylinder water cooled engine making 40hp. So I bought one! I have ridden it 60 miles so far. This is what I can report. First, it IS TALL. We lowered the rear shocks to the lowest factory settings and now I can almost flat foot the motorcycle. It actually seems manageable although I almost dropped it going up the ramp into my shop today. Scared me a bit. The motorcycle is whisper quiet. I like this because my Honda Grom snarls like a mad dog with it's aftermarket Vance & Hines pipe. Really it is too loud. But the X300 has a very nice exhaust note. I do not plan to change this. Next, This motorcycle handles beautifully. The ride height seems tall but the bike is so friendly in every situation. I just love my new X300. Finally, this motorcycle is geared very low. Extremely low. But I guess Kawasaki wanted it this way. I go through the gears to find that I am in 5th at 37mph lol. I hit 6th at about 43 mph and that is the last gear. It seems like it should have a 7th & 8th gear lol. The bike redlines at 12,000 rpm. Whoa, that makes it a screaming machine. When you ride 65mph the engine turns 7,500 rpm. This is very alien to me and seems insane. But there is tons more throttle left after that, all the way to 12,000rpm. Amazing! This bike gets 51mpg so the high rpm must be efficient. I researched re-gearing the bike but you cannot alter it very much without disturbing the engine's code(s). For this reason I plan to leave mine all stock. Finally, the seat is very hard, most uncomfortable. I rode 40 miles today and my Fanny wanted off of this torture device. I guess I am spoiled by the Corbin Seat on my BMW R1200C. Finally, my biggest concern was, "will this motorcycle have enough power to haul my fat butt around lol". Yes it does! The low gearing is so powerful that this little Kawasaki doesn't even know that I am onboard. I get the impression that the X300 could carry a circus elephant if one was so inclined. I hope this little report will help others decide to buy a X300 Versys. I sure am happy with mine. So lite and easy to handle. That is where the fun is!!!

Great video.

Thanks for this vid!!! I bought a red Versys X300 in April and love it! (I also have a Husaberg FE390 for pure dirt). You mentioned the foot pegs - I bought aluminum INSERTS that replace the rubber and fit the factory foot peg bases - just two screws for each - WAY better in general and profoundly better for muddy boots! The teeth are not as sharp as the foot pegs on the Berg, but still far better - and under $20 on Amazon (or eBay, I forget which). I've ridden the Colorado section of the TAT on the BERG and I think it would be just as doable on the X300, even on the rough, high mountain passes near Silverton (the toughest part of the ride). I average over 70 mpg (mostly commuting to Durango on county roads) so I get over 300 miles per tank, if I run it low. The X300 is certainly not a Tenere, etc, but for a baby ADV bike, pretty impressive. (I'm 6'3 and 210 lbs). I'm also 71 years old and my first priority was a bike I can pick up alone. The X300 ticked all my boxes, incl 70 mph on the hay all day long. Upgrades: T-Rex engine guards, T-Rex skid plate, LED auxiliary lights (Auxbeam spots on home brewed bracket), Mitas E07 tires, and a home brewed acrylic windshield (about 5 inches taller than stock - Carefully heated in kitchen oven to shape it). The verses does 0-60 mph about the same as a KLR650, so it's not a dog! 3,000 miles so far and I'm impressed! - Ray near Durango, CO

A big shout out to the guy who let you ride that. Enjoyed you video.

2:10 Why are you shifting at 8K RPM? That's where your usable power starts. Peak power is at 11.5K. Wind the engine up. She has plenty of punch, but it's in the last third of the tach.

Seems like a great mini adv bike.

Well done thank you

Wow the spraying was out of control that day. Clouds dissipate into a fine haze. Classic Cali chem trails. Great video thanks!!!

Looks like a good trail and a good bike. Seriously considering dropping some cash on one of these. Seems like a great commuter for work and on the days off maybe a bit of dirt.

First time seeing this bike. Seems like a good option minus that seat. Needs a seat concepts! I like the relatively low seat height though of 32.1 inches (only an inch more than TW).

the video is good!

Good review. I've been interested in the Versys 300 myself. You mostly confirmed my expectations, that it's more highway capable and less trail-worthy than a dual sport. You didn't seem to have any real problem adjusting to the high rpm power band of the Ninja 300 engine. Did you ride it from a standing position and if so, was that comfortable? I'm wondering if there may be some aftermarket accessories on the horizon that would help make it better suited for bashing around off the highway. Thanks Josh!

I would get the 16 tooth front sprocket for that. 👍 Pretty nice..

I love my Himalayan, but moving back to the US, I am looking or something that will be able to eat highway miles. I do worry about needing a bash plate. And it must be hard to ride the clutch if it is so sensitive. Most of my off road is like this, farmer/fire lanes, and crappy gravel.

Could you do two-up on that road at a slower pace? I'm looking for a CO forest road and two track bike to putt around with my wife. I'm down to KLR vs Versys-X. I'd appreciate your thoughts based on your dirt bike experience. I like the Versys-x fuel injection for very high altitudes vs the KLR. But I've had the KLR and it's a very good bike for putting around. I like the technology updates in the Versys-x though.

300 is a good adventure number .

Nice bike

Can't help but notice that at about 2:20, you said that it "doesn't have that punch," but you weren't letting it hit it's peak power in the powerband. This thing needs to be revved to 7000+ RPMs. I have no issues getting to highway speeds in 3rd, because I let it get to the redline. That's the way it was meant to be ridden, and it'll happily ride the redline all day with no cooling issues and no damage to the engine.

When you first hit the freeway doing 60, what gear were you in? Thanks for the review btw! 👍

I have a sudden strange urge to gear up and go hit Cleghorn lol.

What do you think about this as a first bike? Also do you know if it's hard to work basic maintenance on it by myself.

Things that are different from what you have experienced are not necessarily “weird”.

lift suspension height, how to do on the versys x 300?

I just bought one! Let me know what I need to look out for! Peace

Sweet looking little bike going to look at one monday. My buddy has the DRZ. Would you recomend this bike if you gad to commute to offroad rides?

I have the Versys x300 with the cogent dinamycs suspension kit for almost 2 years. Then this year I bought the Ktm 790 adventure, and the truth is... I still like the Versys a lot!!! 😄 In Offroad is still very fast, for been so light, and the Cogent kit makes a lot of difference. If I had to sell one of the motorcycles, I would sell the 790, not the Versys. That little bike makes me very happy every time we go on an adventure

Great video, thank you How's the vibration in your hands for longer rides? Does the engine hum lie like a ninja? How many miles per tank? Thank you 🙏🙏🙏

How would u compare this to the Csc TT250 for off-road? Namely suspension?

picking my 2022 with ABS up tomorrow old Motocross guy here but have had all kinds .my first bike was a RD400 second a EX500 third KX250 forth YZ125 fifth Honda CR250 and now a Versys 300 2022 I am 5'10" and think it a good fit and have always like the smaller bikes been on a few monsters old friends ninja 750 back in the day later his Suzuki 750 sport bike sport bike my cousins Kawasaki 1000 ninja beast even a couple cruisers just never liked the bigger bikes .....cant wait not much Highway needs for me mostly country roads so I think the Versys 300 was the right choice..great video great review

Now i am wondering which should i get as my first bike... scooter xmax 400 or versys 300 ? They both have the same price :[ any ideas?

Nice, would like to see it in a real grunty situation like down and up a creek bed. I could do without the shrill whatever that was at the end.

I honestly think this is one of the best bikes for being able to truly do both on and off road in comfort, at lightweight, with reliability - BUT it seems a little overpriced. I guess it is all relative, but at $6K US is it better than the KTM 390 Adventure at $6600? Or the CB500x at $7K? With an old Ninja 300 engine in it, I'd expect a price more like $5K and they'd sell a lot more I think. I guess the BMW GS 310 is the same price, but I'd probably pick the Kawasaki product over that. And now Royal Enfield is coming out with a Scram version of the Himalayan that should be a bit lighter and cheaper as well. Competition is good, but the pricing just seems off. For instance, if I just stay on-road and gravel, I could go with the MT03 at same displacement at only $4600 and have same displacement but better price. I think if Yamaha would come out with an adventure version of the MT03, it would kick butt on all of these. Really, with the Z400 at only $5K, we are all waiting for the 400 Versys but it shouldn't cost a full $K more than the Z.

How long will this motor last? 50,000 miles before a rebuild? Or can it reach 100k miles without a rebuild??

Im buying my first ever bike. Problem is that Im 204cm and 115kg. After many hours of research I very like this bike. Im wondering is it too small for me? What should I look for? What kind of bike? My budget is 5000€. Thanks

And now repeat keeping revs above 7k all the time.

Wjy not pay a visit to CSC and review the RX4 ?

My Kawasaki klx 250s. 65-70mph is about topped out.

Man, I'd like to take one for a test ride !

Kinda shows it's not what you ride, it's how you ride! :-)

0:54 - We got a Honda X 300? Or am I crazy?

😃

That audio is screechy on my phone... :/

I would like that bike with a 400, 450 or 500cc motor

An interesting bike; it might make a nice 2nd or 3rd ride. But on the highway those high revs are grating after an hour or so. The bike has zero passing or “get out of danger” power. Also, maybe the most terrible saddle ever devised.

imagine if you had cracked 9k rpm!

I hate the handle bars. My bike fell over during a rain storm and they bent like cheap metal.

4:57 that's what she said. Lol

Thinking of trading in my 2019 Himalayan (1600 miles) for a 2018 Versys 300x with 21,000 miles.

Be safe everyone, Jesus saves!

First new skool bike I rode. Bought a 2017... nice bike, road it, road it.. Next week I sat for 20 minutes trying to figure out how ride again, kept dieing, killing it self. F king Kickstand!!! Kill.. when an why in the F they start doing that...!!! F king safety cops are ridicolous!!

off-road? Are you serious? There you can drive a sport bike, we call such a road in Russia asphalt.

You scarfed at the fact that it was a “street bike” when you were about to pull out with the kickstand down. You laughed at the safety feature. I know a guy the only crash he ever had on a motorcycle in his life after 30+ years and still rolling, was when he pulled out of a parking lot with his kickstand down. The first left hand turn he took , The kick stand still being down, caused him to lose control and actually hit a telephone pole. So that’s safety switch in the kick stand saved your life possibly. Be careful what you laugh at. The only thing that was proven there, is your inexperience , especially when your buddy had to tell you what you didn’t know...

One of the main reasons I quit watching Ever Ride's channel was because of his fake laughing all the time just to be making noise, for what he was saying was not funny whatsoever, he was just continually chuckling to himself at everything he said on the video. And here you are wanting to be his little twin brother or something. Goodbye, lost another one for the same reason.