Kawasaki India will soon be expanding their product portfolio for India with the addition of the Kawasaki Versys 650. The Japanese manufacturer plans to launch the Kawasaki Versys 650 sport-tourer before the end of 2015. This is in line with reports of Kawasaki importing the Versys 650 from Thailand earlier this year for homologation.
Kawasaki Versys 650 is the younger sibling of the four-cylinder Versys 1000 sport-tourer and carries design and styling inspiration from the same. It sports sharp edgy lines across the front half-fairing up to the tail of the bike. The fairing features dual headlights and has a menacing look which comes from the green mean Kawasaki DNA. The Versys 650 stands tall with long forks, high saddle height and high ground clearance to endure challenging terrain. From the news available, the Kawasaki Versys 650 will be available only in the black and green colour schemes in India.
The Versys 650 is powered by the same engine present on the Kawasaki Ninja 650. The 650cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin DOHC engine with 4-valves 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 38 mm Keihin throttle bodies and is mated to a 6-speed transmission with a positive neutral finder. The 650cc engine is very well suited for touring with a great balance between performance, reliability and fuel economy.
The Kawasaki Versys 650 is held together by a tough double pipe diamond steel frame to take on any kind of terrain. The suspension of the Versys 650 comprises of beefy 41 mm hydraulic USD forks with step-less adjustment for rebound and pre-load at the front. The rear features a fully adjustable offset mono-shock similar to the Ninja 650. The front wheel sports dual 300 mm petal-styled discs with two-piston callipers in combination with a 250 mm petal-styled disc with a single-piston calliper at the rear wheel. ABS comes as standard for the Versys 650. The 17-inch wheels are shod with 120/70 section tyres at the front and 160/70 tyres at the rear.
The Versys 650 is a tad heavy with a wet weight of 214 kg. Keeping with the touring design the ground clearance is high at 170 mm along with a saddle height of 840 mm. It comes with a large fuel tank with 21 litres capacity which would mean fewer refuelling stops during long trips. Kawasaki has not released any details about the exact launch date and the pricing of the Versys 650 yet. We expect the Kawasaki Versys 650 to be priced around the 7 lakh ex-showroom mark.