KAWASAKI VERSYS-X 300 (2017 - on) Review

Immense fun, high reving 40hp...

Excellent ride quality. Suspension really is just right. No nose dives on front and rear has enough travel and cushioning to be comfortable and still give good traction and feedback. Not wallowing off road either. Brakes are not best on the front. Yanking them hard on will not trigger ABS easily. That said they stop you well enough and you learn to use you braking accordingly.

Nice linear power all the way up range. Very predictable. This bike is not going to blow you away but compared to other sub 500cc adventure bikes it’s a little whippet. The gearbox is a pleasure to use.

Well built little Kwaka. Not let me down and starts first time every time. The exhaust has lost its shine due to heat but all bikes do same. 6k reasonably straight forward ownership.

The only ball ache with the service is the schedule £400 strip and valve clearance check every 6000. Spark plug access isn’t easy either.

Could do with power sockets as standard. Easy to retro fit. I have non Kawasaki lamps on my Givi crash bars which I would recommend fitting to safe the plastics. The spots help the main beam too…and if one fails there is a fall back. You aint changing the headlamp without a bit of work either…it not simple to do in dark…so the spots can get you out of a pickle if needed.

No issues. One of the fastest city bikes Braking not great though: I have never thought any bike had insufficient braking despite my faster than any courier city driving (I used to be one but I was much faster the first day and still am at 60) - but this almost caught me out: such is its city performance speed can be high in traffic

Not “nice”. Performance fine, but I dunno harsh/raspy? Horrible exhaust sound.

Very sturdy & attractive rack. I drilled for givi bobbins so no plate needed.

The bike loves twisty, rolling A and B roads which are best tackled in line with the posted speed limits. Personally, I'm no longer interested in getting from A to B at break neck speed, so for me it's a good real world bike which I can ride at a relaxed pace, enjoying the journey without worrying about my licence. As other reviewers have mentioned, the seat isn't the best. It puts a lot of weight on your tail bone, but I knew the seat was a potential issue when I bought the bike. Bar risers have helped change the way I sit slightly which has helped a bit, but I will probably get it re-foamed and re-shaped over the winter. No complains in the braking department - they do the job just fine.

What a little gem. Hard to believe it is 300cc and it definitely likes to rev. There is a lovely howl at the top end, and with a bit of judicious gear changing you can hustle along at quite a respectable pace. It's quite satisfying being able to use all of an engines performance to full effect. That said, when you're not in the mood, mid range short shifting works just fine. Clutch-less up shifts are a breeze and I like the slipper clutch which allows me to bang down through the gears without fear of locking up the rear.

It's only done 700 miles in my ownership (2,000 miles total) but so far so good. Nothing has corroded, nothing has broken, nothing has fallen off. Build quality is good - it's not quite Honda good (hence the loss of one star), but if you're going to keep it clean, properly oiled, greased and garaged like I do then it should stay looking good for a while.

I will change the oil and filter myself this year so running costs will be pretty cheap before it's due the first 6,000 mile valve adjustment next year. I'll use a local non-franchised dealer for that so the valve adjustment service shouldn't be too much cause for concern. Fuel wise I'm getting just shy of 70mpg so as far as I am concerned it runs on the tears of squirrels. Tyres will be cheap and will give good mileage, tax and insurance are cheap and oil changes are cheap .

I went for the basic, no frills version as I didn't want the tiny (and in my view almost useless) flimsy Kawasaki plimsole holders (paniers), too small top box or the liquorish OEM crash bars. My four stars are based on the standard basic kit - I know lots of bikes have rider modes, adjustable this and twiddlable that but sometimes less can be more. I like the simple combination of analogue tacho and digital dash. I didn't think I'd use the gear shift indicator, but I do, and I like the fact there's a fuel gauge and a numerical indication of remaining range. Grumbles wise, LED lighting would have been good but I guess Mr Kawasaki has stocks of filament bulbs he wants to use up first. As for farkles, I have fitted SW Motech crash bars (cheaper than a new fairing panel) and centre stand (which should be OEM fitment in my opinion), as well as a set of Givi monokey panier racks. I also fitted a cheap (£10 from Ebay) waterproof double USB socket (I used a genuine Kawasaki relay which just plugged straight in to the wiring loom), so I have USB charging for £30 - that's a good £100 less than Mr Kawasaki's dealer prices. I also fitted some cheap adjustable levers - the stock clutch lever seems to require a freakishly large hand, which mine isn't. The screen works just fine for me (5'9") with a peaked Arai Tour-X helmet - there is no buffeting or adverse wind noise.

Everyone complains about the seat. More comfortable than my KLX lol.

Performs wonderfully given the funky gear ratios. This little bike wants to go!

Only at 1300 miles at a month and a half in winter, but so far no issues. This is a surprisingly fun little bike. Having ridden a 1200GS in the past, this fiery little beastie is a breath of fresh air!

Dealer charges too much. I’ve been informed that, locally, to avoid warranty issues specifically with Kawasaki, you should have the dealer do all servicing. I know of no other company that has this issue. Not even BMW. With such a wide service interval, not a huge problem for me.

ABS is a must as my son rides it and, well, I’m a dad. Crash bars are actually half decent and acceptable. Handguards are a joke for off-road use. No bash plate, but needs one badly due to the exposed breakables. Luggage is small and kind of cheap compared to the offerings on the larger models but looks okay. Nice to have an available center stand. I’ve chosen to go aftermarket for all of it. The oversized fairing isn’t too big and, with some creativity, should serve for extra storage space and farkle mounting points.

ride is good , the suspension is not soft like most bikes of this type, great for back lanes and b roads. brakes are ok not really lacking better than a xt 660 i had.

given 5 because i don't think anyone could do a better job with a 300cc twin! not loads of torque but very flexable little engine. which is happy sitting at 55- 60 but can do more quite easily . top gear from 35 to flat out. even when you think its all over it has a little top end rush at around 10,000rpm great! low gearing but it does make it more flexable in all situations. well done kawasaki. and doesn't seem to mind being revved.

entry level quality, but hope i can make it last with tlc. only done 2k so far in a short time. but cant see why it shouldn't be reliable. does spray crap all over engine and top box even with fender extender.

cheap to run, and does 81mpg with good mix of riding. easy to keep the eco light on. may not so be good with just town work, but still good.

dash is good with lots of info for an entry level bike. i have added, givi crash bars to protect plastics, givi hand guards better than kwaka ones. mra x screen that i already had, makes exellent screen extender with no buffeting. sheep skin for seat, still bad. oxford heated grips very good. extender fender pyramid plastic helps. already had big two helmet kawasaki top box on handy. needs bash plate. standard tyres ok for road and light off road dry tracks only, not great choice for more off road type tyres like the trail bikes of old had. also had center stand on a must.

Always want more torque, less revs.

Valve adjustments should be longer apart. Senter stand should be standard equipment on this style bike.

Rear rack is favorit, like the farring and wind deflector glass shield. Want steal crash bar protection for farring and metal skid plate. All at 365 pounds wet.

Good fun in the twisties , brakes are adequate, surprisingly good off road.

It can cruise on the motorway at 80mph. You have to get used to the revs. This engine needs and loves to rev to get the best out of it. It will however pull from 30 to top speed in 6th on the flat so it’s geared to suit.

I can’t comment on reliability but the finish has stood up to the mud and stones ok so far. I have fitted a sump guard which is a must if you intend to go off road. The finish is not up to the likes of Honda.

100 quid for the first service. The bike will always return 70 -80 mpg even if I thrash it.

What you expect from a new bike on the dash. I had a 12v socket fitted which was handy.

Handles in the twisters really well. Handles trails well enough.

Incredibly flexible for only 300cc’s will hold 80 on the motorway all day. Will pull in 6th from 35mph. It’s is low geared though

Only a year old so no problems . Quality of the finish is entry level. The plastics near the pegs have scuffed a bit from a combination of mud and standing on the pegs. all the co trolls feel like decent quality.

Regular servicing is required due to high revs but it’s simple and cheap. First service cost me £100 Genuinely does over 70 to the gallon in my commute. Which is dual carriageway and B roads.

Usual dash options you would expect on a new bike. 12v socket is a nice option.

Great brakes (disc front and rear) and lightweight - stops FAST, and not as worried with ABS built-in. I know people say you can disable it for off-road use by removing the fuse, but 90% of my riding is for commuting to/from work, so I've left it.

Engine starts, runs smoooooth. It is an absolute blast to leave the stoplight, run up through the gears and NOT find yourself accidentally going 145mph. It's fun, yet safe. 40hp is decent for hauling me to work and back, but I've yet to be in a situation where I ran out of power (unofficial top-speed=100mph). Engine loves to rev, is extremely happy at 6k rpm at 55mph, redlines at 12,800.

Excellent quality, solid, everything works. Still new to me (showroom floor 2017 model) so I'll report back later on changes.

Only had one oil change ($50), and I'll do some my self, but maintenance seems to be very easy for this model. Mileage about 62mpg average, giving me almost 250-miles per tank. Insurance is cheap.

So far, purchased one aftermarket trunk, still not easy to mount (universal brackets were a joke.) Still hoping for larger trunk and availability of other accessories. Tough to find them in stock. Tires are great. I'd love the windscreen to be slightly taller. Simple hand-guards would be nice too.

For its size the engine is very good. It revs quite highly and can feel quite buzzy but overall good.

See above.

The bike has panniers but they are very narrow and only hold 6lb each which is next to useless.