I am on a current farkle adventure with my Versys. I was planning on adding a supermoto to the stable but I postponed that idea till at least next year and instead decided to modify the Versys to make it more fun. So far:
New Bridgestone T30 EVO Gt tires
Motowerks Lowering Link
SW Motech Crash Bars
SW Top Rack
Aftermarket Taller and tinted windscreen
Soft Tail Bag and smallish soft side bag
The 3 farkles that I am looking at is shorty levers, an exhaust, and hand guards. I am not looking to break the bank but I don't want flea bay china crap. I saw these shorty levers Vortex V3 2.0 Clutch Lever Kawasaki - RevZilla
And was wondering if anybody had feedback on them. I like the shorty levers because i two finger my bike like i do my women. Any feedback on the levers, exhaust, and handguards is appreciated
Similar to Eddy, I got a pair of Chinese Ebay specials for under $40 for the pair. You don't need to spend 4 times that for a brand name. Just make sure you remove the one fastening metal plug and install it in the clutch lever to secure the entire unit from having too much lateral play of the lever and housing unit.
I put Chinese shorty levers on my 2015 and they work fine, but I wasn't a fan of the clutch pull after the change. It seemed heavier to me, not by much, but enough to make me want to take them off. On the plus side, the reduced leverage on the front brake made braking much smoother and I was less prone to over-grabbing the brake. That could be experience related though, as I only have 1500 miles of seat time on any bike, not just the Versys.
I've read where the ebay chinese levers have caused cables to snap because of design flaws. I would hate to have a cable snap while riding because I wanted to save $100
Anything more specific than "design flaws"? I had to reuse a brass sleeve bushing from the stock levers to make these work correctly, I wonder if that is the issue? They came with zero instructions so for someone with no mechanical aptitude, I could see how that could go wrong.
I didn't like the feel of them so I removed them, just curious what the flaw is.
For less than $20 delivered, you have little to lose. They are beautifully machined, no sharp edges where there shouldn't be, and at least as good as the OEM levers for adjustability. Yes, the leverage is less - so the pull is slightly more. Your call if that matters to you. Yes, you have to re-use the OEM bushing.
As an experiment, originally wondering about the pull at the shortened end, I wrapped a rubber band around each of the OEM levers at roughly the 'short' length and tested the pull over a 100 mile ride, didn't mind the feel at all. I'm very happy with this choice.
Like all M/C parts, if you do a poor installation/adjustment job, you're likely to get less than optimal results.
For hand guards, I have BB storm - which definitely take care when installing as fitment is very fussy, but work fine. On a recent ADV trip in very rocky territory, I dropped the V several times (slow speed), scratched the plastics but they didn't move at all, and I don't regret the choice. I think every major brand is represented in the comments both for and against on this forum, but I would say if you intend to ride off road at all, any guards are a good investment.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Kawasaki Versys Forum
507.6K posts
81.9K members
Since 2008
A forum community dedicated to Kawasaki Versys motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, touring, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, adjustments, reviews, maintenance, and more!