Biker Boy: New ride for Team Green Adventurers
The Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT is now available here
Biker Boy gets the first look at the Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT 2017 model, which is fresh out of the crate here.
Rather than being a dual-purpose motorcycle, the Versys 1000 LT feels more like a sports tourer with more suspension travel.
Fully kitted with panniers and top box - they are options - the motorcycle looks capable of doing cross-border raids into Thailand, or beyond, with no problems.
The mounting for the boxes are sturdy - they did not rattle when tugged at.
What we were told is that the motorcycle has a 1,043cc in-line four-cylinder engine, which is not as peaky in its power delivery as its sportier 1,000cc race siblings.
This is good news, particularly for those with touring and city-riding duties.
From what we can see, anti-lock brakes and Kawasaki's KTRC (the acronym for Kawasaki traction control) are standard features on this six-speeder.
TUNABLE
Suspension-wise, both the front and rear are tunable, including a rear manual preload adjuster.
Pushing the big green Versys 1000 LT for a photo shoot made me realise that it is rather portly, at around 250kg in full trim.
But its weight will hardly matter once you get it cruising on open roads.
Now, if size is not your thing, local distributor Evershine Auto has said there are two other manageable sizes - a Versys 650 and a Versys-X300 Tourer.
The mid-sized Versys comes with a 649cc parallel twin engine, while the smallest motorcycle, which carries the same engine configuration and is new for this year, has a 296cc powerplant.
At a machine price of $24,500, the 1,000cc Versys 1000 LT is a lot cheaper than other continental models, such as the BMW S1000XR, which comes packed with electronic rider aids.
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