2020 Kawasaki Versys 1000 First Impressions Review ※ First Dates

[@gopher1471]

I had the chance to ride both standard and SE at different dealers, preferred the SE hands down, sport mode and adaptive suspension are a great combination, but as others said, if it's not your style... the SE also has a bigger screen. Good review. :)

[@RikkyTang]

Thank you for your thoughts! Hopefully I'll get a chance to ride the 2021 models next year - the new standard model will have a nice spec.

[@RRRRefuelRideRace]

Very good review. I would say in detail. It is nice that you picked the "ordinary" one instead of SE. Thanks.

[@RikkyTang]

I'd be lying if I said that I actually had a choice in which model I rode! But it's good to know that riding the standard model is useful for people out there 😊 Thanks for your comment.

[@RRRRefuelRideRace]

@@RikkyTang Thanks Rikky. Did you took for a spin Kawasaki Z900RS? If not, I would like you to do it, if you`ll have the possibility.

[@RikkyTang]

@@RRRRefuelRideRace I have ridden the Z900RS! A video should be out in the next week hopefully. The only problem is that the bike was totally brand new and had zero miles on the odometer, so I had to ride the bike carefully and not use too many revs.

[@RRRRefuelRideRace]

@@RikkyTang Thanks. I am glad that I will hear your opinion about it.

[@pg88corfu]

@@RikkyTang The brutal pull and sense of instant torque with just a small wrist movement on the throttle was it more evident on Z900RS than on this Versys? For sure it is the same engine though... What impressions left you with? Thanks Rikky

[@jimcook3448]

I picked up a 3 yr old SE recently, as I was looking for a comfy upright tourer. Absolutely love it. You forgot to mention that the SE model also comes with full luggage

[@RikkyTang]

Hi Jim thanks for your comment! As far as I can see, the luggage only comes with the Tourer or Grand Tourer models (which also both come in standard and SE spec).

[@jimcook3448]

@@RikkyTang Yeah, my mistake. Just checked and mine is a GT SE. I wasn't aware of that. 🙄

[@RikkyTang]

@@jimcook3448 No problem Jim 😊

[@bordeauxdogred]

Nice review Rikky and beautiful motorcycle 🏍️👍 ride safe

[@RikkyTang]

Thank you 😊✌️

[@zzrrf]

Good Review Rikky, Enough power there to get you in and out of Trouble LOL, Great Stuff

[@RikkyTang]

Thank you, glad you liked it!

[@borkarms]

Excellent Detailed review. 1000SX might be more fun but won't do 1000kms per day as easy like the Versys 1000.

[@RikkyTang]

Thank you 😊

[@froglaps40]

It's 2022, and I pickup my brand new 2020 SE LT+ next week! Price was dropped $2K.. gonna be a long week waiting!!

[@RikkyTang]

Exciting times! 🏍

[@froglaps40]

@@RikkyTang it will be.. but sleepless nights and a tight stomach for the next 10 days.. the 9th can't come soon enough!

[@SuperGizzzmo]

Hi loving the review did you end up buying a Kawasaki sx

[@RikkyTang]

Hi David, I didn't go Kawasaki - I am currently riding a BMW R1250R and loving it! I have also recently bought a little Versys 300 which is great fun 😁

[@summerforever6736]

Hey Rikky is the 1000SX had better wind protection you remember?

[@RikkyTang]

Good question, I think I had more trouble with the Versys when it cam to wind buffeting but the 1000SX wasn't a lot better. Having said I think the wind effects different people in different ways depending on their shape and size 😊

[@summerforever6736]

@@RikkyTang thanks!

[@DavidMartin-ru5zt]

Hi Rikky, great review mate- I test rode a SE model Versys and I noticed after braking at a junction I felt a vibration or a pulsing when pulling away ?? Did you find out what it was mate ?

[@RikkyTang]

I'm sorry to say that I forgot to ask about the vibration thing when I got back to the shop, and after I put the video out it totally slipped my mind! So, I never got to the bottom of it I'm afraid.

[@DavidMartin-ru5zt]

@@RikkyTang My mate said it's something to do with when they are new and the ABS - IMU is learning ????

[@RikkyTang]

@@DavidMartin-ru5zt Interesting - I'll ask one of the mechanics at the bike shop I'm working with, see if they know what causes it.

[@DavidMartin-ru5zt]

@@RikkyTang Please if you could Rikky , when i got back to my local dealer i'm sure he though i had imagined it ? but I definitely felt something going on .I did only speak to the salesman though.A bloke who I know who's our local bike Guru said it's the ABS calibrating with the ECU,IMU on a new low mileage bike ? it had done 90 mls.Keep up the good work mate

[@RikkyTang]

@@DavidMartin-ru5zt I've emailed my contact at the bike shop, I'll let you know in a day or two if they've got back to me with any info.

[@try-that]

Nice one, but certainly not for me I'm afraid. I think I might change my bike next year, then again, I do like how my bike is going along at the moment. Hopefully the handling might be a little better after my new tyres are fitted Thursday.

[@RikkyTang]

Cheers, it's fine but do I do fancy the sister more though 😂 I like mine too - I get the feeling that I have fewer vibes than when the bike was new... might just be getting used to it though! And yeah I think you'll get a nice little boost from your new tyres!

[@marklongworth1998]

At the moment, i have a 2019 tiger 1050 sport, which is a very good bike. if i had to replace it, i think i would get the versy 1000. At this time the tiger just beats every bike still, in terms of looks.

[@RikkyTang]

True, the 1050 Tiger is a great looking bike! The latest Versys has a lot of toys/conveniences now (if you have the money) and I think - looks aside - it would be a great modern machine to switch to.

[@shredfreak83]

the big screen is definatly the first thing you buy with pretty much every kawasaki sadly enough. Price wise they pretty nailed it on this one, although the black & white version looks amazing (especially the ninja 650). bmw's s 1000 xr falls horribly short compared to this. Similary specced i'm already at 20.350€ and it doesn't even include the actual cases...

[@RikkyTang]

I glad that I'm not alone in my issues with screens generally.. I do feel like I'm in the minority sometimes! Outright cost is somewhere the Versys does score points against some of the competition.

[@4tech69]

I thought all 2020's had the TFT?

[@RikkyTang]

In the UK at least, the 2020 base model (non SE) had the standard dash and the TFT was reserved for the SE. I think the TFT comes to the base model in 2021 (along with a number of other upgrades too)

[@4tech69]

@@RikkyTang Indeed you are correct. Taking a test ride this Sat 2020 model. No 2021 in the US for quit some time I expect according to most dealers. Not sure Skyhook is worth the extra cost really.

[@paulneedham3608]

don't think there is lack of power it is not an sports bike the SE versys is better than the standard versys 1000 . sx 1000 is the best seller for kawasaki UK and versys is good seller also. you will not like the versys if you like sports bikes. sx 1000 ninja sounds like it would be more or sort of bike.

[@RikkyTang]

Throughout this ride I had the Ninja 1000SX in the back of my mind since I'd recently ridden it and I was kinda wondering why there were two bikes with very similar engines in the range and was the Versys anything more than a styling exercise? By the end of the video I realised both bikes had their place and they appeal to different people. Yeah I'm more of an SX man myself 😊 P.S. I would have liked to have ridden the Versys SE but the dealership only have the standard version on the demo fleet.

[@SofanersMotovlog]

But your review is great job !

[@RikkyTang]

Terima kasih 😊

[@SofanersMotovlog]

@@RikkyTang Sama² .. you're most welcome 😃

[@lovelessissimo]

The front of the Versys looks like the bug people with the dangly top lip on Rick and Morty.

[@RN-tc2yo]

My first and last kawasaki. versys 1000 s model 2022. 13000 km. No specifics experienced, normal driving behaviour and already warped front brake discs. no warranty or any goodwill from kawasaki. Poor warranty or service for such a big brand. Also dealers and bike shops say original ones are bad and replace them for immitation ones because they are better. Ridden Honda for 20 years never any problems and certainly not with the brakes. Never again kawasaki!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@philiplaurell1163]

They should have left the motor alone, or even upped it a bit power wise to keep up with competition. Certainly not making it more bland as they have. Now this bike is a lot less desirable for that very reason. I don't understand how they could make such a mistake. 140 - 170 hp and a shaft drive and they would have sold 10 times more of this model.

[@RikkyTang]

Shaft drive... my current bike is a shaftie and I have no complaints so that is a good shout.

[@philiplaurell1163]

@@RikkyTang I just hate having to fiddle with the damned chain. Oiling it (cleaning it I never bother to do as I found it doesn't prolong the life of the chain noticeably) and having to adjust it and so on. As far as I'm concerned ALL bikes should have shafts and ADV bikes especially.

[@RikkyTang]

@@philiplaurell1163 I've just clocked over 3000 miles on my R1250R and it's a joy never have to worry about cleaning/oiling a chain or cleaning off loads of claggy crap that has stuck to the wheels and swingarm 👍

[@josephlarmor550]

I have to agree re shaft drive. 30 years ago I sold my much-loved Suzuki GS850, on which I had toured Europe. When I came back to biking I knew exactly what I wanted - same again, a bulletproof, smooth and comfortable inline Japanese four with shaft drive. Imagine my disappointment when I found there wasn’t such a bike available. So I tried hard to like the twin- cylinder shaft-drive alternatives from Germany and Italy, but they felt rattly and agricultural, and likely to stall every time I started from a standstill. I kept thinking, if you set out to design the first ever motorcycle in the 21st century, would it have two cylinders sticking out sideways? So in the end I chose the Versys 1000 SE GT, and I’ve now covered 14,000 very happy miles on it. I like the high riding position, the comfort, the big screen, the electronic gizmos and most of all the smooth as silk motor. Also, it has to be said, the value for money. For all that, I will put up with chain maintenance. Having said that, modern sealed ring chains and lubricants are a lot easier to live with than in 1976, when I bought my first bike. The wax-based lubricants, applied to a clean chain and then left to dry overnight, stick to the chain like glue and repel dirt and rain very effectively. Or for touring in mainly dry conditions, a quick spray of dry lubricant every evening to a warm chain also does the job. I guess all bikes to some degree are a compromise. The Versys SE GT was the best for me.

[@SofanersMotovlog]

I'm not an english native speaker, I found it's quite difficult to hear your accent 😅

[@RikkyTang]

Your understanding of English is 1 Million times better than my understanding of Indonesian! 🤣🤣

[@SofanersMotovlog]

@@RikkyTang how do you know I'm Indonesian bro 😅

[@RikkyTang]

@@SofanersMotovlog I took a look at your channel 🙂 good work, keep going 👍

[@SofanersMotovlog]

@@RikkyTang thank bro you do too!

[@SofanersMotovlog]

@@Mike-hu8yz thank you for your advice, and I hope you'll be much happier after saying that