Versys 650 Adventure Bike - Modifications & Accessories - Our 2017-2020 Video Production Bike 

For 90 seconds i forget about the versys and lust for that tortilla

i ride versys it's an awesome touring bike - you pick it up cheap and spend the rest to see the world. Great value

I ride a V-Strom and I approve this message.

Love the Versys 650. It's what I ride when I'm home in New Zealand.

I've always said and believed "Adventure is not about which bike you own, but what you do with it" Seen many who pose with Tigers and GSs' but sweat on the idea of taking it off the highway or proper offroading, and then there are folks with 90ccs, 100ccs going up the Volcanoes with puny bikes, puny wheels.

The Versys 650 took me on many beautiful trips... 6000 km and more. It never broke down, it just got there. Even up to Stella Alpina. :-) Drove it 7 years with only the engine protection and short levers as extras, otherwise the stock bike is already great. And yes once loaded a bit the suspension works great.

Seeing a versys modified like this really cemented my belief that I chose my first bike quite well

2016 Versys 650 rider here - it's a do-it-all and have fun while doing it . Truly a Versatile System that can only be beaten if youre willing to pay significantly more.

The Versys was my first non-cruiser motorcycle and it has been fun to use for off-pavement exploration and back-road touring. Like you said, if you understand where it can and can’t easily go it can be a fun alternative to more expensive or conventional adventure touring bikes. Added bonus, the Versys is an absolute BLAST on winding canyon tarmac and is an extremely nimble commuter.

How to cook in the woods... adds some nice flavour to the whole video. Great.

I love these videos. There's content about gear, content about skills, then content about the ethos of adventure riding.

love the video! awesome job as always. Gonna try the recipe

Want to see more of Tim and his Versys off road.

I love my versys 650. It's adventurized with a 19" front wheel and cogent Dynamics rear shock. Michaux dual sport was so much fun with that bike.

I have the Africa Twin n the Versys n I feel the Versys is little more comfortable on highways or good roads, whereas the story is entirely different on off roads.

The best opening scene yet!

Everytime I watch these clips I learn something new, thank you! appreciate the content! 🏆

Had my versys 650 for a year now and I still love it its still my dream bike I couldn't imagine wanting something else.

I just bought a new 2019 Versys 650 LT. Its the right bike for "My Adventure". about 80% fighting the concrete jungle followed by 20% of fire trail and camping. Its the perfect bike as sometimes my camping is 1500 miles down the freeway. That 17" front wheel handles it like a champ!

So there is hope for me to take my Versys up the Dalton with a few mods. Great video. Saving to favorites.

2 minutes in an I'm already subscribed. Good stuff

you can adventure on every bike just do some preparations. I wend from Germany to China on a Honda NC750X including the Pamir Highway between Afghanistan and Tajikistan and back without any issues :) and I had a lot of offloading on my trip. (Videos are coming)

I just love the breakfast intro! :)

I have an '09 versys and I absolutely love it. I need to throw on some skid plates and crash bars to really get off the beaten path but even unmodified, it's a blast to ride on unpaved roads.

Nice drumming on intro. Thanks for showing your cooking gear and for the pitch at eating well in motorcycle travel. Interesting proof in the pudding that Versys 650 works in adventure role. Thank you

Nicely said. A purpose built bike will always be better, but my first motorcycle at 19 was a Honda GL500 and to be fair, it did great in my summers riding in dirt and gravel in Northwest Montana, because I didn’t know any better. When I did go down, much of it was metal so I just bend back into place. I love my modern ADV, but if you accept the limitations and slow down, any bike will do for light off-roading.

Nicely Done ! My Versys is far better off road, than it ever gets credit for. I’m very pleased with it. I ride it more slowly & cautiously, than I would a GS but, I make time on the tar & soak up the scenery, while off road, so slow is good.

I, like many other riders, found the rear shock absorber quite stiff. So, I did a small test. Filled two plastic bags each with 15 kgs of sand and put them into my Dirtsack saddle bags. Then, 5 kgs of sand into a smaller bag and that into the Rynox tail bag. Finally, 4 kgs of sand into another bag and that into the track bag. Turned the preload knob by 14 clicks and then took the bike off roading on diet roads and terrible tarmac. The change was magical. Where earlier, it was trying to throw me off, now, it was like a consummate and real off road bike. The only limiting factors were the stock Dunlops D222 tyres that are superb on smooth blacktop roads but really scary on anything less than that. Change to TIMSUNs and this bike will be perfect.

Watching this with a cup of coffee in hand - made me hungry!

Great Job!!!!

Great content!!! Great breakfast!

I'm interested. I'll need to see more.

I remember when a 400 Can Am felt like riding a tank compared to my 350 Can Am which handled like a dream anywhere you wanted to go off-road. While I can't imagine riding any 650, 800 or 1250 for that matter in any serious off road conditions, I admit that the newer bikes in that category are getting better and better every year - but still quite heavy IMHO.

I watched this one a long time ago, and just today circled around to it again. I picked up a 2009 Versys 650 a while back for a song and gave it some TLC. I was going to flip it, but the market softened so I kept it longer than planned. Then I got the off-road bug and thought, "why not?" I up-sized the front tire (Shinko 705 120-90-17), easier than a 19" wheel upgrade, but same diameter increase. Slower turn in on the road, but made an incredible improvement off road. I started hitting local trails in CO with my 'ADV trainer' Versys, but I was always chomping at the bit to get a "real" adventure bike. Just in the last couple days decided to keep going with the V for a while longer, and do some of the things it needs (skid plate, bar risers (thanks for your stuff on that too) heated grips and some soft luggage). Then just today I found this vid again, and I wanted to say thank you. Your content is gold, and so encouraging. One day I'll get the "real" ADV bike, but for now I'll keep learning, and let the less-than-ideal bike push me to be a better rider. To that end, I hope to show up in a class soon--maybe on my big-footed V. :)

Can Confirm. Took mine up to Deadhorse AK with a couple of KLRs and it went everywhere those 2 were able to fit. just a nice set of dual sport tires and you are set. It has plenty of power too, and if you take out the OEM exhaust, you can gain about 2-3 inches of clearance in the back. I just wish i had attached a self oiling system.

I thought I was watching a biker scran clip for a minute! Nice clip. More like this with these types of bikes would be very interesting.

do a vstrom next

This is a good choice of evaluation-BUT when will you be doing the vstrom650?

Good point mate - I believe people think that in order to go “Off-road” ( usually meaning a dirt or metal road ) one requires something that is “Purpose built” - otherwise, how can a bike off-road? I rode many NASTY....heavily metaled ( Kiwi’s call gravel metal...) roads in NZ, mainly in Forestry areas where golf ball sized stone is the norm ( due to the large trucks ) - on an old Katana 650 shaftie. Initially it wasn’t by choice - having taken a wrong turn into what I thought were nicely graveled roads - Yeah, nah. I soon found though, if one gives the bike it’s “head” and let it kinda wander through the gravel as opposed to fighting it, the ol road bike became quite happy. This became quite the norm back in the day, as I sought out nasty roads to fine tune my metal road skills. Up a trail? Obviously no...but it kinda high-lights that if I’d have had a Versy back then, I’d have been over the moon. Plusher, more travel blah blah. The smaller front hoop as you rightly mention, becomes a factor when you want to roll over / through things, same principle as a Mountain Bike 29’er vs a 27. May not seem much, but from 27-29 is HUGE as far as rolling over obstacles etc. But, the 27 is doable and many many riders prefer them. Same thing with this Kwaka...it just means changing ones finesse when using the smaller front hoop. Go slower, pick ones lines and be more mindful of where things are. Your Beemer must have cost a packet - Yet bikes like the little Himalayan or CB500X - can go all the places a $20-30K bike can. People get too tied up in - Bigger and heavier and higher is required. It’s such a crock to be honest. After belting around the same NZ roads and single track on a DR650 - I realized its how you use the tool that you have. Sure, the DR was great going quicker over nasty things, but I can take any of the 3 lower end bikes above, over the same ground - just a tad slower. Yes, the Versys will never be an Africa Twin - but as many people both male and female have proven over the years, one doesn’t NEED...an Africa Twin / KTM or mega-buck Beemer to go to the same places the so called “Purpose” built bikes can. At least you do point out - A person can accomplish the same thing, just more experience and wisdom is required. Nice Video series by the way. Cheers.

I ride a 1gen with 80/20 tires and it's a good bike. One thing to keep in mind is with the twin disk brakes up front it is very easy to lock up the brakes on any loose surface. When I ride gravel I brake with the rear a bit more which is sometimes hard to remember especially when panicked braking or in tight slow stuff.

My thoughts egzactly! In my opinion, these days bikes are almost over specialized! That's why I bought Triumph Street Scrambler and went on my first off road adventure and it took anything I threw at it with ease! And when I'm about to be stuck (because of my lack of offroad experience) I just put both of my feet firmly on the ground and stand holding a bike like a bicycle! And when I get back in town, such a great commuter!

I'm using versys 650 for 4 years already, very good bike to cross countries..

Thumbs up for the cooking lesson!

Would love to hear what you think of the klr! You make good quality videos. I really enjoy the instructional ones.

"Hello!" Love my 08 Versys

Every weekend I'm more and more impressed by my Versys-X 300. I went from trails to street to trails to street in the Ouachita and Ozark National Forest. It has no problem at all keeping up with a couple BMW GS1200s

Alternatives, yes Bret, It's about time casting light on alternative ADV bikes such as the Versys 650. I should add that I am a proud owner of a 2015 650 Versys and that my comments could be biased lol Now, sadly my ADV clubs-bikers in my area and so was I; thinking that a 17" cast wheels are only for the street. Well, it turned out I am able to ride on fire trails not on rocky single tracks, but the ADV members ask me to switch my Versey to a valid ADV -funny to funny. Well, now that I'm not an ADV club member anymore, only because I didn't switch my ride (dooo), this vid comes just in time to educated and broadened some of the ADV community narrow perceptions thank you, Bret! Question; - went through a lot of different moto tire profiles; what tire and psi are you using? - better skilled and trained, indeed it's top-heavy; what kind of drills should I do besides signing up? Signing up, wishful thinking, I'm in MN and its a haul to your camps uuuhh. Good to have you and your willingness to share and give - forward.

And that's right. No matter what Bike you ride, there will always be a better one. But i know, if you do the right modifications and if you are aware of what your bike is able to do to a sertain point, then you will be able have lots of fun with it. What really helps for the beginning: Good tires. So i totally agree with you. And btw the breakfastszene made me wonder, i really thought i clickt on the wrong video.

Good man.

been thinking of having vesys650 or the trk502x, would you do some review on trk502x? love your works, keep it up!

i ride versys x 300 and i approve this video.

excllant tips espiecally puttin turnbuckles on the pannier rack to reinforce it but now im hungry en jonesen for a motorcycle ride 😅 good vid thanx !! long live the kik stik motorcycles feel much mor independent with that kick starter manufactures leave it along its on there for a reason

Bret, thanks for making this video! I bought a Versys 650, and after owning it for 6 months and solely using it on-road, I was beginning to doubt it's adventure and off-road capabilities. I was actually surfing some videos once about the V650 off road and found a video that you commented on commending the guy who was riding it. So to see a video by you going in depth about this bike is great! I want to do a 19" front tire mod and convert it to spoked tires, what do you think of that? Is that a wise decision? Didn't want to do 21" because I do use it vastly more on a highway/road basis.

Looking at getting some 80/20 tires for my 2014 Versey 650. Would I be better off getting a 150/70x17 or 170/60x17. I'm considering the Dunlop Trailsmart, as they are on closeout for $70 for the 150 or $60 for the 170.

This guy walks like a cowboy from the wild wild west. He just upgraded his one horse to 69 horsepower motorcycle. Love the video. I'm trying to sell my Honda Shadow and put in some extras to get a Kawasaki Versys 650! Video liked!

Brett, what's better right now for adv, The versys 650 or the klr650?

Good choice on those Shinko 705 tires. I've ridden those things through hell and back on 3 different bikes. Hands down the best touring tire if you plan to do some gravel/light dirt, even if you don't factor in the price.

*One important note* Buy a 2010-2014 versys as shown for ADV'ing. The other models have the indicators lights placed lower, thus prone to breaking when dropped.

Subscribed!

What do you think about a Ducati Hyperstrada as a similar street biased adventure bike? Reliable enough, etc.?

Hello, how are you ? you could make a video talking and testing the versys x 300, I just bought one and would like to see how it behaves in the hands of someone more experienced in ADV, Well I'm going to start traveling now. Today I watched almost all of your videos, Congratulations on the production !!

Nice bike.

Damn, now I'm hungry. Team Green needs to get on the ADV train and build a more off-road capable bike with that motor. I havent looked, but does Rally Raid make parts/conversions for this as they do the CB500X? Really appreciate the production values Brent!

Hi there! Excelent video as always 😊 But is there any chance that you make one about Honda CB500x?

I just found a 2014 versys 650 for $3500. Originally thinking about a ninja 400 though I want a more upright riding position and came across this naked adventure at an amazing price Looking at some videos of it and came across this. I'm a trucker that spends 34 days on the road with only 4 days off at home a month. I put in my notice and next week is my last week. Thanks to your video I'm highly considering getting this bike and some camping gear and just hitting up a few states. I'll be starting in Missouri and I've never ridden trails. Any suggestions for trails or tips on finding a good route? This looks like so much fun Also, how does the bike do on the interstate? Being a 650 I'm sure it has the power to keep up but does it accelerate fast enough to not make cars break behind you when you're merging on? And does it have enough power to accelerate from a rolling start to get out of danger, like if a car doesn't see you and take your lane?

Am am looking through these great MOTOTREK videos to try and find the manufacturer of the foot brake that has two "levels" to it. Seems like a great idea for accommodating both standing and sitting positions. Can anybody point me in the right direction?

Brett, what are the pros and cons of a BMW GS1200 vs the GS650?

I had a Versys that I had for ten years and I agree with most of what you say, I think the bash plate is overkill but the thing I disagree with is the foot pegs, they are not pot metal and in ten years of standing up on them I found them comfortable and sturdy, mind you I never wore plastic boots either, if you have them cleated pegs are a must

Which camera do you use? Great video clearity

Great video and agree with the comments on the mini cooking segment! Also, can I ask the name of the drummer doing the background music - love the clean and crisp jazzy sound. Thanks!

i have universal question for everyone who doing long trip or tour with motorcycle.. what kind of charger you guys are using? and where to put it while driving?

Great video! I have a 2014 Versys 650 also and love it! What LED headlight did Tim go with?

ı am riding Versys 650. Yes ı know It is not an adventure bike but i really want to climb the Great mountains of Turkey with it. I need to improve my skills. I always ride on pave till now.

Came for the v650, stayed for breakfast ;D

I envy your surroundings

Nice

Awesome, that’s actually my bike, too! It’s doing well so far. I’m also interested about the tires on the versus in the video. I have the scorpion trail 2 on mine right now, but they could be a little bit more offroady.

Very good info. Would you recommend Cb500x as an adventure bike as well? Very similar to versys.

@mototrek pro tip: add the egg then put the tortilla on the raw egg. When it cooks it cooks to the tortilla. Flip and add cheese. Fold and flip. No mess super easy breakfast quesadilla.

im liking the cooking tips...start a outdoor cooking channel?

You say he needs new footpegs… but I've had ALL KINDS of trouble finding footpegs for the Versys that are off-road ready, but have removable rubber comfort inserts for the highway. Have you been able to find any? (And yeah, I know I can always just keep two sets of footpegs handy, but I'd rather not have to install parts every single time.)

Good outline on how to make this bike trail ready, zero mention of the most important component...you guessed it, the tires!!!! What are you recommending??

what is the adjustment of the front suspension in turns to make it more comfortable? I am Brazilian and watch your videos.

What do you think about the new Triumph Tiger 800?

V-Strom 650 will get you just that much further for the same reasons the Versys is a likeable machine. 19" is a decent compromise, tire sizes 150/70 rear and 110/80 front are as ubiquitous as can be, knobby tire selection abundant. V-twin engine is much more soul-stirring and has a lot more grunt for the size.

I had an 07 versys 650! I miss it but the brakes and suspension are not even close to the bmw or ktm. i wonder if those could be replaced, leaving you with an amazing and reliable bike.

What do you do for the muffler? It hangs so low that I don't have any confidence crossing logs or rocks

Bret, where is the best place to buy aftermarket adventure accessories (skid plates, cell phone mounts, crash bars, led lights)?

good man , delicious casadia!

Hey guys, just a quick question, have you ever had any issues with carrying camera gear in a pelican case or like on the rear top rack??? I am a photographer and have just purchased my first bike, a DR650 and keen to take my DSLR and gear with me. Would really appreciate your thoughts. Cheers

Bret says beaded seats aren't just for cabbies?! My world has changed. Oooo and a loud horn, bikes aren't what they use to be. They're much greater!

WHAT TIRES IS HE USING! Got a versys 650 2018. It's a beauty to ride on, going to upgrade to Shinko 705 tires to handle some mild off-road terrain. I will get the skid plate asap. Thanks for the review.

Tim might want to get a front Extenda Fenda.

Ha! My 2012 Versys is set up almost exactly the same way, down to the Shinko 705s and (what appears to be) the Happy Trail pannier system. The turnbuckles are an interesting idea. Were they added as a response to an issue that cropped up or more preventative?

Shoutout to the DIY radiator guard.

I think the best adventure bikes for me come with 17-19" alloy wheels and 7-9" of ground clearance, because I ride 95% pavement and 5% dirt/gravel road. I don't plan on clearing logs or boulders on my Adventure MC. I'll use my dual sport for that.

do you have to say anything on the capability of those alloy wheels off road? I am considering buying Versys 650 or Triumph 900 GT

Good

So I looked at at Versys 650. The biggest deficiency I found was the small payload and for me ergonomics so I went 1000.

hey odd question right, also i know that one could say this is not what they're meant for, i know. i got a VFR800 and i've been searching high and low for crash bars which i find for most bikes except the vfr (not just bloody sliders), a few weekends a year i just go ride outside and crash in a tent in the forests in germany (10~15min away from the road) but i'd like to add a little protection to my bike since i do use it for things it's "probably" not made for... anyone got any suggestions where i could find those? so far i believe over the course of 12 weekends i dropped it once, luckily not on any dangerous spots but even that messed with the fairings, and obviously sliders just sunk into the ground... eitherway, nice video! i love the concept of "let's look at the not A list 20K machines"!