Kawasaki to bring the Versys 1000 to India

Here’s the deal, Kawasaki has been here for a while now, but their presence in the market has mostly been very, well, wallflower-ish. In recent times, things have been quite different, Kawasaki have two CKD, and four CBU motorcycles in India, and down the grapevine we hear the Z800 will also go on sale sometime before Christmas. If touring bikes are your poison, the ER-6n (essentially a naked version of the Ninja 650R) could be parked in your garage in the near future. If the near future is isn’t near enough, our sources, working deep undercover, have informed us that we may see the the Versys 1000 go on sale soon.

The Versys, which is now on display at SNK Kawasaki in Pune, will be open for booking very shortly, with deliveries expected to start early Jan-ish. The adventure tourer is likely to be priced at Rs 12.9 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune) and will cost about Rs 14.20 lakh on-road, which is very very reasonable for a tourer. Notable is the fact that the Versys will share motors with the Z1000, but will make more torque. Peak power is 116bhp compared to 140-odd for the Z1000, but peak torque is 102Nm at 7700rpm. The power-shortage is a very thoughtful move on Kawasaki’s part, considering that the Versys does have a long travel suspension, despite not really being a hardcore off-road machine.

The focus remains on comfort, while still remaining fast on the roads, including broken Indian ones. The bike also gets a reworked frame, adjustable suspension, adjustable screen and in most markets, Pirelli Scorpion Trail tyres — designed for more than just gripping good tarmac.