#Versys650

With the calendar flipping over to July, we are now officially in the second half of 2022. That also means motorcycle manufacturers are starting to make their model announcements for 2023. Around this time of year, we typically hear about updated models returning with the always-popular “Bold New Graphics,” such as last week’s news of 2023 BMW paint options.

We’ve loved the Kawasaki Versys 650 for a long time. Maybe too long? For 2022, the midsized Versatile System gets a bunch of upgrades to boost it into the modern era – electronic cruise control being not one of them. Perfect for all you who eschew modern comforts.

I recently had the privilege of attending two events that brought me to Utah two weeks in a row. Utah is, and has been, one of my absolute favorite places to visit. Since I first laid eyes on its mars-esque landscapes, I was hooked. Every cross country ride or drive I take, I route them through Utah. I’ve passed through more than I’d like to admit, while only stopping to enjoy parts of the state a handful of times.

The big news from Kawasaki last week was the return of the KLX250 dual sport, now available with fuel injection. Along with the KLX250, Kawasaki announced several returning 2018 models with new colors.

I must have a prodigious amount of mind; it takes me as much as a week, sometimes, to make it up!

With this month’s Buyer’s Guides focusing on Touring ( Touring America: Buyers Guide, And Advice, Motorcycle Touring: Do-It-Yourself Touring) concocting a touring-focused Top 10 seemed more than appropriate. Large-displacement tourers are abundant and receive lots of press, especially in our bigger-is-better country. Choosing 10 mid-displacement bikes to shoehorn into the category turns out to be more difficult than one might think. The 10 bikes here represent more of what’s available in the category rather than a rating countdown from 10 to one. So, in alphabetical order we give you 10 sub-1000cc bikes that span a wide range of sporting, as well as, touring capabilities.

Sure everybody wants the Open-class bike, the most power, the most expensive, the one with all the electronic stuff, just like everybody wants the trophy mate with the big cylinders. Then after you’ve lived with them for a few years, the maintenance, the narcissism, the psychic wear and tear of constantly stoking the beast’s ego and keeping up with the Joneses can get to be a drag.

The category-straddling Kawasaki Versys 650 enters its third iteration and first major update of Kawasaki’s VERsatile SYStem. In 2015, the sporty yet friendly Versys 650 arrives in two forms, both of which feature a new, chiseled appearance that is much more handsome than previous versions. Its new nose also includes a larger windshield that is tool-lessly adjustable, and revised footpeg locations supply additional legroom. The LT version adds hardshell saddlebags and hand guards that expand its sport-touring capabilities.

With MO’s own Sean Alexander fresh off a plane from Sicily after riding the latest Kawasaki Versys 650 ABS/LT, the time was only right to revisit the original Kawasaki Versys. To do it, this Church feature goes back to 2007, and contributor Barry Winfield’s account from his brief time with the 2008  Versys 650. In many ways old and new are virtually identical. However, with the 2015 updates, that 2008 model almost seems obsolete by comparison. Here now is Winfield to give you the lowdown on Kawasaki’s 2008 Versys. Also, don’t forget to visit the robust four-page photo gallery for a heap more pictures.

First introduced to the U.S. in 2008 as a non-California compliant 49-state model, Kawasaki’s Versys 650 immediately earned praise from journalists, experienced riders, and commuters who could appreciate its practical blending of a nimble sporting motorcycle – and – a truly comfortable chassis. Motorcycle.com’s loudest complaint about the original Versys was merely that it wasn’t legal in California, and even that fact couldn’t stop it from earning 2008 Motorcycle of the Year honors from one of the largest U.S. print mags.

Kawasaki’s Versys 650 is one of motorcycledom’s great unsung heroes, delivering incredible versatility at a reasonable price. But, let’s be honest, its homely appearance may have handicapped its sales success in spite of its all-around excellence.

Dirty Sean’s favorite motorcycle of them all was introduced to Europe in 2007 and made its way to the U.S. in 2008 by popular demand. It was upgraded in 2010, and now the Kawasaki Versys 650 ABS gets a major makeover.  Pricing and full details will be released at the AIMExpo in Orlando, Florida,  in mid-October, where the new Versys and  its big bro Versys 1000 will be on display.