Kawasaki India already has an eight bike line-up ranging from the Z250 to the Ninja H2. The middle weight sports tourer, Kawasaki Versys 650 ABS will be introduced into Kawasaki India’s portfolio as the latest offering for the Indian sub-continent. The Kawasaki Versys 650 will be launched on the 24th of December.
Earlier in November, we had already reported that the Kawasaki Versys 650 would be launched soon. This news came after there were reports of the Versys 650 being imported from Thailand for homologation purposes. The launch of the Versys 650 will offer a much affordable and pocket friendly alternative over the Versys 1000 which is already on retail for ADV enthusiasts. The Versys 650 will come to India as a CDK unit.
The Kawasaki Versys 650 takes design and styling cues from its elder sibling. It sports sharp edgy lines across the front half-fairing up to the tail of the bike. The fairing features dual side-by-side headlights and has menacing looks which directly points to its green mean Kawasaki DNA. The Versys 650 stands tall with long forks, high saddle height and high ground clearance to endure challenging terrain.
The Versys 650 features the same power plant as the Kawasaki Ninja 650. The 650cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin, DOHC engine with 4-valves per cylinder develops a maximum power of 68.1 BHP at 8,500 RPM and a peak torque of 64 Nm at 7,000 RPM. The engine is fuel injected with two 38mm Keihin throttle bodies and is mated to a 6-speed transmission with positive neutral finder. The ECU is mapped to provide the best sports touring performance. And, the 650cc engine is very well suited for touring in India with a great balance between performance, reliability and fuel economy.
The frame of the Versys 650 is a tough double pipe diamond steel frame. The front suspension features 41mm hydraulic USD forks with step-less adjustment for rebound and pre-load. The rear has the fully adjustable off-set monoshock unit as the Ninja 650. The front wheel sports dual 300mm petal-styled discs with two-piston calipers in combination with 250mm petal-styled discs with single-piston caliper at the rear wheel. ABS comes as standard for the Versys 650 which would surely put a smile on a lot of faces. The 17-inch wheels are shod with 120/70 tyres at the front and 160/70 tyres at the rear.
The Versys 650 weighs in at 214 kg which is pretty decent for a sports tourer. Keeping with the touring design the ground clearance is high at 170mm and the saddle height is 840mm. It comes with a large fuel tank with 21 litres capacity which would mean fewer refuelling stops during long trips.
We can expect the Kawasaki Versys 650 ABS to be priced close to the north of the Ninja 650 which is currently sold at INR 5.5 lakhs (Ex-showroom, Bangalore). The exact prices of course would be released at the launch event on December 24th. The Versys 650 will see itself in direct competition with other middle weight sports tourers such as the Benelli TNT 600GT and Triumph Tiger 800s.
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