About a month back, we told you Kawasaki is working on a new Versys 1100 adventure bike, with release imminent—they’re already pushing the bike through the regulators in Australia. And now, thanks to those regulators, we have a good look at what the new machine’s aesthetics.
Annnnnd… it looks a lot like the old Versys 1000 model. Not much has changed. And it does not seem that much has changed with the engine or chassis, either. Judging by the bits and pieces of data that have leaked out from the regulators so far, you can only expect a modest bump in muscle from the current big-bore Versys’ 130 horsepower. This is partly because the increase in cylinder capacity is often intended to off-set a decrease in performance when emissions regs choke up the engine. Sorry, Kawi fan-boys, you’ll still lag behind the latest Euro crossover machines, most likely.
However, there are definitely going to be some mechanical improvements. According to the documents from Oz, the new Versys 1100 is about 12 kg lighter than the current machine; depending which variant you get (some models come with different suspension or electronics), that figure may differ, but you can expect less weight, which has always been a bugbear for the Versys literbikes.
Perhaps there will also be a version of the bike with beefed-up fork and shock for dirt riding, but that does not seem probable; Kawasaki’s four-cylinder tourer is made for the street, with 17-inch rims front and rear.
Dean rode the 2019-era Versys 1000 in a review here—check out his thoughts if you’re curious about moving to this platform, and remember that electro-tech has come a long way in the past five years. The new 1100 will almost certainly have electronically-adjustable suspension and an adaptive cruise control system in some markets, which will be the big selling point for many riders.
