The Kawasaki Versys is a perfect introduction to middleweight biking, and one that you will grow to like very much, says Geoff Hill
Kawasaki? The only thing I knew about Kawasaki was that it was a great word to say in a Geordie accent, like "perestroika" in a Moscow one, and "haberdashery" in an Edinburgh one.
Apart from that, my only experience of the marque had been pottering down the motorway in my little Mazda MX-5 listening to Schubert's Trout Quintet on Classic FM when there came from behind an unmitigated howl, followed almost immediately by a flash of Radioactive Kermit Green, topped by a rider in matching leathers and helmet, heading for the horizon in a hurry. It was not an experience, especially on a sunny day, to be welcomed without sunglasses.
Occasionally, I would pass a pub on a Sunday afternoon and see several Kawasaki riders standing outside clutching pints and discussing wheelies, stoppies, doughnuts and burnouts, their wild hair and matching eyes suggesting that they were not on speaking terms with either their barbers or their wives. Or possibly reality.
You can imagine my surprise, then, when I arrived at Phillip McCallens in Lurgan to find a Kawasaki Versys sitting outside looking the very picture of civilised elegance.
There was the neat white tacho and digital speedo, there was the stripped down black bodywork contrasting beautifully with the brutally simple monoshock, engine, frame and an exhaust looking like a minimalist steel version of a Portuguese chimney.
"Well, what do you think?" said Phillip, wandering out of the shop looking slightly baffled, as he often does. Mind you, since he used to go around the Isle of Man at the speed of sound, he's obviously as sharp as a bag of razors.
"Looks lovely," I said: a sentiment which was to be echoed by everyone who saw the Versys over the next few days.
"Aye, sweet wee bike. Bit like a miniature Tiger. Won't pull the arms off you away from the lights, but does everything well. I think you'll like it." He wasn't wrong. From the moment I ignited the pleasant burble of the 649cc parallel twin and rode off down the road, I grew to like the Versys more and more.
The acceleration, as Phillip had said, wasn't rocket-like, but entirely adequate. Or at least it was when I got used to the fact that the 63bhp engine didn't possess the torque of the 2.3-litre Triumph Rocket I'd been on the week before, and got very irritated indeed when I placed unreasonable demands on it at low revs.
In fact, my only complaints were that the combination of a clutch that wasn't as smooth as it could be, and a close-ratio six-speed gearbox meant that my initial progress down the road resembled that of an epileptic kangaroo, but to be honest, it was nothing that a bit of practice didn't cure, and after a couple of hours, I was very tempted to give myself a pat on the back for my progress, if I hadn't been worried that I'd fall off while doing so.
Not that it would have done much damage, anyway, since bits like the indicators are very cleverly tucked away to avoid the sort of stupid damage that comes from dropping bikes at low speed.
Handling was where the Versys really came into its own, with a combination of light weight and perfect balance meaning that even the most hamfisted fool, and I'm looking in the mirror as I type this, should soon be flinging himself into corners with gay abandon and a very reasonable expectation of emerging on the other side with a satisfied smile on his face.
As such, it is the perfect commuter bike, narrow and light enough to work through traffic, yet comfortable and powerful enough to purr down the motorway for hours on end.
Add a price tag of a piffling €8,250 or £4,999, and this would be a perfect introduction to middleweight biking for someone moving up from the sub-500cc class.
And you wouldn't even need to sack your barber or divorce your wife.
Factfile: Kawasaki Versys
Engine: 649cc liquid-cooled parallel twin
Maximum power: 63bhp @8,000rpm
Maximum torque: 61Nm@6,800rpm
Top speed: 115mph (estimated)
Average fuel consumption: 48mpg (estimated)
Brakes: front, dual 300mm petal discs; rear, single 220mm petal disc
Transmission: six-speed gearbox, chain final drive
Dry weight: 181kg Tank capacity: 19 litres
Price: €8,250
The bike on test was supplied by Philip McCallen of Lurgan