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New to the Kawasaki range, the Versys was released to the European and Canadian markets at the end of 2006, and to the U. S. market in 2007. The middleweight all-rounder derives its name from the term "versatile system," refering to a set of riding attributes intended to offer versatility.

Contents

Technical Details

Technical Features

External links

Technical Details

Based on the Kawasaki Ninja 650R, the bike's 650cc liquid cooled 4 stroke parallel twin engine has been retuned for more bottom-end and mid-range torque. This is achieved with revised inlet and exhaust cams with shorter valve duration. This will move peak torque lower down the rev range providing a better throttle response at low revs. In addition a balance tube has been added between the exhaust headers to smooth out power delivery.
As the bike is primarily designed for city and back-road (pavement) riding, the fuel injection system has been mapped to give strong throttle response in the mid-range from 3000-6000 revs.
This lowering of peak torque in the rev range may give a trade off against peak power output. The current ER-6 produces a claimed 71bhp at 8500rpm. In comparison the Versys peak power output will be 64bhp at 8000rpm. Peak torque will be 61 N·m at 6800 rpm. A similar approach was recently deployed by Honda with their CBF1000 model.
Compared to the ER-6, the Versys has a redesigned sub-frame, new exhaust header design, and redesigned suspension. The Versys replaces the standard non-adjustable suspension of the ER-6 with fully adjustable upside-down front forks, and at the rear an all alloy swingarm instead of the tubular steel item on the original bike.
The Verys would be ill-described as a Dual Purpose bike. It's alloy wheels, ZR rated tires, and low, exposed exhaust system are each poorly suited to the abuse of off road travel. Instead, the bike's specification follows closely that of it's primary market competition, the Suzuki V-Strom DL650. Both bikes offer suitability to a broad spectrum of riding in lieu of specialized strength.

Technical Features

★ Model Year: 2007

★ Engine type: Liquid-cooled, 4- stroke parallel twin tuned for low-mid rpm torque response

★ Displacement: 649 cm³ capacity

★ Suspension, front: Upside-down fork Fully adjustable long-stroke suspension

★ Suspension, rear: Gull-type aluminium swingarm

★ Brakes, front: Petal-disc brakes

★ Brakes, rear: Petal-disc brakes

★ Complies to EU emission limit EURO 3

External links

★ Versys.co.uk - Site devoted to Kawasaki Versys with discussion forum, gallery, and articles.

★ KLRWorld.com Forums - Kawasaki Dual Sport Forums, including a dedicated Versys Forum

★ versys-forum.de - German Kawasaki Versys forum

★ [1] - Kawasaki Canada's website, which includes Versys specifications

★ 2008 Kawasaki Versys - First Look - MotorcycleUSA.com

★ Versys en español - Spanish Kawasaki Versys and ER6 forum