KAWASAKI VERSYS-X 250. 2017 TEST REVIEW

History:

The Versys model made its debut in 2006 with the Versys 650 that is based on the ER-6N/F platform. In 2012, the Versys 1000 came about to give the Yamaha Super Tenere, Honda Africa Twin, Suzuki V-Strom and even the BMW GS, KTM Adventure, Triumph Explorer and Ducati Multistrada a run for their money.

The Versys-X 250 is Kawasaki first venture into combining big bike adventure styling with a small machine touring model.

Frame:

It is an all new High-Tensile backbone pipe frame that is engineered for high rigidity to resist external disturbances and to handle rough paved roads. It is also designed with thinner brackets and lightening holes to reduce the overall weight.

Handling is surprisingly good for both on and off-road. The off-road section where I tested the Versys-X 250 was mostly gravel with some part of it clay, plenty of pot holes, uneven surfaces and even a couple of shallow river crossing. The frame absorbed the lateral and horizontal stresses well and I could ride it with full confidence where the limit is on the rider rather than the bike. On the street or paved road, the frame held on well in both tight and fast corners.

Engine:

The 249 cm₃, DOHC, 8-Valves, Liquid-Cooled, Parallel Twin engine with fuel injection is smooth but not very responsive in all rpm ranges. The power delivery is poor and a big let-down for a 250cc dual purpose motorcycle. With poor high-end power, I would expect the low to mid-range torque are there to make up for it, but sadly that wasn’t the case. Even the 150 cc D-Tracker had better power band than this.

Brakes:

The front comes in the form of a single Ø290 mm petal disc with single balanced actuation dual-piston caliper. The rear has a single Ø220 mm petal disc with dual-piston caliper. Brakes are well balanced and stopping response is relatively good.

Suspension:

A Showa Ø41 mm Telescopic fork for the front with a travel of 130mm, providing ride comfort on uneven and rough road surfaces. The rear has a gas-charged shock, adjustable pre-load and a Bottom-Link Uni-Trak, traveling at 150mm ensuring handling stability and ride comfort.

Using the standard factory setting is good enough for both off and on road conditions.

Assist & Slipper Clutch:

The Assist & Slipper clutch uses two types of cams (an assist cam and a slipper cam) to either drive the clutch hub and operating plate together or apart. Under normal operation, the assist cam functions as a self-servo mechanism, pulling the clutch hub and operating plate together to compress the clutch plates. This allows the total clutch spring load to be reduced, resulting in a lighter clutch lever feel when operating the clutch. When excessive engine braking occurs – because of quick downshifts (or an accidental downshift) – the slipper cam comes into play, forcing the clutch hub and operating plate apart. This relieves pressure on the clutch plates to reduce back-torque and helps prevent the rear tires from hopping and skidding.

This is indeed a great feature when you are riding hard whether on or off-road and needed to quickly upshift without hitting the clutch.

Dual Throttle Valves:

On most fuel injected motorcycles, their throttle bodies generally have only one throttle valve per cylinder. Problem occurs when the rider, especially new and inexperience ones, suddenly opens too much throttle resulting in the bike pulling an unintended wheelie and goes out of control. Kawasaki Engine Management technology on this Versys-X 250 comes with dual throttle valves per cylinder. In addition to the main valves, which are physically linked to the throttle grip and controlled by the rider, a second set of valves, opened and closed by the ECU, precisely regulating the intake airflow to ensure natural, linear response. With the air passing through the throttle bodies becoming smoother, combustion efficiency is improved and so does the power delivery.

Instrument Panel:

The stylish LCD Instrument panel comes with multi-functional features. Other than the usual temperature, fuel indicator, 1 main and 2 trip meters, the Versys-X 250 is the first in the Kawasaki 250 class to have a gear position indicator and a range indicator. Another premium feature is the Economical Riding Indicator which comes on when a riding condition is at its most fuel economic consumption. This feature is usually found only in larger displacement models. Using high-precision electronic control engine management, the system continuously monitors fuel consumption regardless of the motorcycle speed, engine speed, throttle position and other variable riding conditions.

Wheels:

Kawasaki made a good decision to equip the Versys-X 250 with a lightweight aluminum 19” front and 17” rear spoke wheels. These sizes are good for a wide range of riding condition and complimented with a long travel suspension, the bike can easily soak up any road imperfection. The spoke wheels are also sturdier than its sports rim counterpart, however it would better to have tubeless rather than tube tires especially for long distance touring where puncture is a major concern and repairs should be easy.

Overall:

∇ Poor power delivery. Not enough torque.

∇ The seat is hard and not comfortable, definitely not meant for long distance riding. I was not the only one that felt this but the same came from other media representatives, of various body sizes that attended the test ride.

∇ Obvious vibration is felt on the left foot peg from 9,000 rpm onwards.

∇ The front screen is not adjustable.

∇ Side mirrors stump easily come loose (and not easy to tighten back) when you push too hard to adjust the direction or angle of the side mirror.

∇ Turn Signal indicator in the instrument panel too small. Rider tends to forget to switch it off because they could not see or notice that it is On.

♥ The front screen is effective in wind deflection and wind resistance is almost none.

♥ There is now a cover that is fitted to the radiator fan to direct the engine heat away from the rider. This design improvement is exceptionally good when riding in hot weather or when the rider is caught in bad traffic during the hot season.

♥ The rear passenger grip adds to passenger’s comfort and prevent them from sliding forward and hitting the rider.

♥ The light weight flat aluminum carrier comes standard and one need not spend extra to have it fitted for a box or to strap cargo.

♥ The Versys 250-X comes with a double stand courtesy of Kawasaki Motors Malaysia and unfortunately it comes standard for the Malaysian market only, elsewhere it may come as an optional accessory.

The conventional bulb head light is sufficient for night ride but if it is fitted with LED instead, it will not only look modern and stylish but safer too in terms of visibility for both the rider and front or oncoming traffic.

♥ Good weight distribution and handles well in corner entry and exit. Well balance for a tall motorcycle.

The Kawasaki Versys-X 250 is price at RM23,789.00 inclusive of GST. This model is available in all Kawasaki Authorized Premium Dealers.