Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE: There is a catch

It is not always wise to want to be in the middle of the biggest brawl.

Sometimes it is enough to get involved on the sidelines.

Kawasaki follows this motto with the Versys 1000. A few years ago, the Japanese took their machine out of the zone where the fists fly: The segment of travel enduro bikes with all-round skills is particularly hard-fought, there you quickly get a black eye, there off-road capability is part of the job description.

Because the Versys' off-road talents weren't too far off anyway, Kawasaki crossed this point consistently.

Walter Wille

"Technology and Motor" editorial team

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Since then, the big Versys has been a motorcycle that looks similar to a travel enduro, but is essentially a pure road machine with the specialty touring. The upright, raised posture with comfortable cushions on both seats, relaxed knee and hip angles, wide command handlebars and excellent wind and weather protection were retained. Not an adventure motorcycle, but one in adventure style, as Kawasaki points out - a subtle difference. This is a good solution for motorcyclists who have no off-road ambitions and who do not want to pretend they have any. Hand protectors on the handlebars serve less to ward off bushes, but rather - in conjunction with the heated grips - to protect against low ones Temperatures.

In any case, it is an open secret in the industry that very few owners of real travel enduro bikes tend to leave the asphalt in order to risk scratches and wounds with heavy, big boobs for 15,000 to 25,000 euros. Seen in this way, the Versys 1000 is an honest offer, and in the SE version it is also a particularly well-equipped one that costs just under 17,000 euros.

The lines were evidently not created in an effort to achieve delicate sophistication. Instead, force and presence dominate the impression, in keeping with the weight of 257 kilos with a full 21-liter tank, not including the side cases. That somewhat belies the delicate nature of the work in the engine room. The 1043-cubic in-line four-cylinder is one of the most civilized, delighted with clean throttle response in every driving mode - there are four to choose from - the absence of unnecessary aggression and universal readiness for use. In other words: No matter which gear is engaged and where the tachometer needle is, it pushes. Shifting lazy driving doesn't bother him in the least, which is a pleasant feature for everyday life, for tours alone or with a passenger and luggage. If you drive up the speed,it gets really snappy and acoustically interesting, but never vicious and loud. Vibrations of a tingling kind have to be taken into account with a row quad, they occasionally appear at medium speeds.

120 HP at 9000 revolutions and 102 Nm at 7500 rpm mark the lower edge in the maxi travel cars segment - completely sufficient.

If you want to, you can hunt well beyond the 200 km / h mark with the Kawa, whereby at higher speeds it reacts sensitively to disturbances and lets you feel unrest.

It didn't feel dramatic, but it didn't feel convincing either.

In order to keep the gasoline consumption between 5.2 and 5.7 liters per 100 kilometers, as in our case, it is left at approximately the recommended speed on the motorway and at the legally permitted on the highway.

Significant innovation of the SE of the year 21

The standard equipment of the Versys 1000 SE is exquisite. The same applies to the aforementioned protectors, the heated grips, the 28 liter suitcase and the socket in the cockpit. Like hardly any other heavyweight motorcycle, it hops onto the main stand, which is now standard. When it comes to electronics, Kawasaki is also doing nothing. Features include cornering ABS, banking-dependent traction control, four driving modes - including one that can be configured individually -, cornering lights, shift assistant, cruise control and a semi-active chassis that adjusts the damping of the suspension elements "in real time" to the conditions.

The latter contains the essential innovation of the SE of the 21st year. Via a software update, the electronic chassis, which is based on a swarm of sensors, is now supposed to act even more sensitively, more firmly and more foresight than before.

Kawasaki speaks of Skyhook technology;

imagine it as if the unsprung masses of the vehicle were hanging on a hook in the sky.

What is the catch?

We didn't find it, it works fine.

The suspension acts robustly in the Sport mode, which only gives pleasure on a reasonably pristine road surface.

We found Road to be an appropriate choice for free driving with a sporty attitude.

For everyday tasks without ambitions, however, Road is still too tight, which is why we chose the softest setting in the rain or freely configurable mode.

On the one hand, the Versys 1000 SE is very modern, but here and there it is no longer entirely up to date. It has not yet mastered an automatic load compensation of the chassis, the cruise control system and automatic gearshift are rustic compared to the best on the market. The cumbersome height adjustment of the windshield looks backward, the navigation through the on-board menu awkward. There is no backlighting of the various switches on the handlebars and an automatic turn signal reset. And where others are now showing off with color screens the size of tablets, Kawasaki relies on a combination of an analog tachometer and a cute little TFT screen. The latter, half modern, half retro, again looks very likeable.