In a world of Freezelands, Jerseys, Angus’, Shorthorns, Long horns or Brown Swiss. Adventure bikes, or the ‘big ones’ we all know to be more precise; these ‘small’ versions are now becoming the new breed in the field. Sharing the same basic traits to be classed as an Adventure bike. Much like cattle too, almost every Nation has created its own representation of what an Adventure bike should be. Viscous horsepower, electronics to run the Hubble Telescope, gnarly off-road prowess or comfort, each brand strives to personalise and differentiate their offering. And now Kawasaki enters the stable with their new take on what a little Adventure bike should be and, it’s rather good.
From the moment you set eyes on Kawasaki’s all new sub 500cc offering you feel a slight hint of confusion, disbelief and subsequent joy because this little bike is quite beautiful. For me these feelings of confusion, disbelief and subsequent joy were in fact a constant reoccurrence during the time I had the bike on loan from KMSA. When I first saw the X, I thought to myself “I thought it would be smaller, more awkward and not as pretty”. When I first twisted the throttle and rode up the street, I thought to myself, “I thought it would be slower, less comfortable and less enjoyable to ride”. See what I mean? Confusion, disbelief and subsequent joy. The reason I had these feelings were simple. I’ve always ridden, the fastest, most comfortable, most practical or most adequate off road, Adventure bikes. I’ve also ridden sub 500cc bikes and felt that they are rushed, buzzy, twitchy and uncomfortable motorcycles in general. However for the 300 Versys X, neither was the case. This 296cc Kawasaki is planted, super comfy and behaves like a big bike but without the drawbacks of high weight and poor maneuverability.
Categorized by Kawasaki as a touring bike, the X in the name denotes Cross Country, or dual purpose to us. I used the 300 Versys X for around 100 kilometers or so, 20% of which was on unpaved gravel roads with a short stint on some technical single track stuff. The 19-inch front and 17-inch rear felt perfectly poised to inspire confidence in both scenarios and I feel that with a good set of knobblies it will be able to handle the dirt even better. But fear not, the standard shoes work perfectly off-road.
The front fork is surprisingly beefy and the rear shock progressive and smooth. Even with my lard arse on it the bike tracked amazingly well with no bottoming out even after the biggest landings, yet it was plush enough for the streets proving that neither scenarios are compromised. The wheel sizes Kawasaki chose are spot on for both paved and unpaved roads. Then when you ride the bike on tar it feels more a like street bike than a dual-purpose bike. It’s a very accomplished all-round machine that’s for sure.
The 300 Versys X has a compact yet very responsive Ninja-derived, DOHC, fuel injected, 296cc, parallel twin-cylinder engine producing a claimed 40hp and 26Nm of torque. No it doesn’t have the outright performance of your Supersport 300 category racer, oh no, it has something much better. The engine on the Versys is faultless. Smooth, torquey and perfectly adequate for its intended use. Yes you can thrash it from the lights all the way to the red line but that’s not its happy place. It reacts much better when revved between 9,000 and 10,500rpm. The Versys X then responds perfectly and the twin cylinder purrs quite literally making the most beautiful sounds only a twin could make.
Your next question may be: “Yes but how would I tour on such a small capacity bike and why would I want to?” Well the answer is simple. The wind protection is top drawer, not only does the screen work perfectly but the cowls around the clock cluster and tank seem to caress your legs, moving the wind around you rather than over you, protecting you in cold conditions and wet rides alike. The seat height and riding position create a comfy business end to the bike and because the bike is so light (175kg), riding it seems effortless. There is little or no vibration from the power plant affecting the bars and this is clear to see when using the rock steady rear view mirrors. Another reason would be the fuel consumption or lack thereof. The 300 Versys X would make a great date, as she doesn’t drink much at all. With no intentions to be economical the dashboard computer read figures of 20.8 km/l, which due to the 17L fuel tank equates to 350km of uninterrupted touring pleasure.
South African motorcyclists are all too often swung by capacity and horsepower as well as out and out speed. In my opinion every motorcyclist should start off small and work their way up. With regards to adventure biking it most certainly is a must to start your training on something less than a half ton 200 horsepower brute, right? Your adventure rides needn’t be tedious and tough, they can be much more fun and lighthearted on this bike.
I see more manufacturers going this ‘300cc’ route with prices of bikes shooting up globally. Suzuki and Yamaha have similar bikes on the horizon. At R74 995 it’s the price of a traditional huge/massive adventure bike’s accessory pack, so the 300 Versys X is definitely affordable and a lovely place to be. I look forward to seeing more of this new small Adventure bike class in the future, a New Breed indeed.
Go to www.kawasaki.co.za to locate your closest dealer.
Also go to www.fourwaysmotorcycles.co.za to book a test ride today.
