Hello

[ixion]

Greetings to each of you.

I am a new forum member...an old guy who is very retired...have always had a
sport-bike, and had thought my next purchase would be a supermoto of some breed. However, I saw the Versys (Pearl Solar Yellow) on a kill-some-time loitering trip to a dealer in Saint Charles, MO and took an instant liking to it. I bought it. Two days and 840 miles later I had it home.

This is what I have learned so far:
1. Having owned many Kawasakis it appears to me build quality from the Heavy Industries has improved a lot since my last Kawasaki.
2. My instinct that it was about time to downgrade from liter-class bikes to something smaller was justified. The Versys moves well and handles well for my current needs/expectations.
3. Given the number of accessories available for the Versys, there is no excuse for not modifying it to conform closely to one's individual goals.

Mods/Plans:
I have added mirror extensions, a hugger, and kick-stand pad "Big Foot". The long ride home convinced me to leave the seat alone for now. Also, I did not have much of a complaint about the windscreen...am going to leave it alone. I seem to have a high tolerance to pain but not boredom.

I have thought hard about the luggage topic, as I head out on at least a couple long tours each year...plenty of very good hard and soft luggage set-ups out there, and going "soft" would have been a big money saver, but I had such a good experience with a GIVI hard luggage set-up on my last bike that I will go with the Kawasaki side racks and Kawasaki version of the GIVI 35 liter cases, deciding on a top case addition or tail-section bag come springtime.

I want to thank everyone within the forum for the ideas I will steal in the future, and look forward to sharing the highlights, lowlights, and photos of my 2013 summer tours on the Versys.

Be careful out there!

[ixion]

This post is a follow-up to my earlier self-introduction post in hopes I will be authorized to post forum topic replies.

Nothing else has changed. I am simply a little older and wiser now.

[weljo2001]

I went with the Givi E-55 Topcase and if needed i also have a tailbag and soft side bags. Started with a V-46 Topcase but needed something bigger.


Tail Bag...

006 by weljo2001, on Flickr


V-46 with Tail Bag..

arril 004 by weljo2001, on Flickr


E-55...

IMG_0002 by weljo2001, on Flickr


E-55 W/ Soft Bags..

IMG_1166 by weljo2001, on Flickr


E-55 W/ Saddlemens Tail Bag..

IMG_1169 by weljo2001, on Flickr


E-55 W/ Saddlemens Bag,Soft Side Bags,Cortech Tail Bag + the kitchen sink..

IMG_0135 by weljo2001, on Flickr

[ixion]

weljo2011, Thank you.

Your bike and the photos look very good! I travel with a very light pack load for the distances covered, and have been doing a bit less camping than earlier in my bug-smashing career. I had used a big GIVI top case for all my camping gear: very little weight involved considering everything that was in there...and the heavier gear down low in the side cases. I might very well wind up with a top case set-up very much like yours if/when I admit my camping days are not over. I will go back to your photos as I resolve the issue!

[kiwi 41]

Welcome, i use this set up.

[Capn Kirk]

[MTS]

[fasteddiecopeman]

Here's how I tour.... (Planning on another Alaska tour this summer.)

[crow]

G'day mate from Oz...
I really love the big bikes too but these little punters really are a trick little known success story.
Pity they never got the extra oomph they deserve with the newer generation 650... Not much extra to be wrung out of the usual mods there either but it'll make up for it in awesome fuel consumption and make your mates take a second look at their mirrors..
I prefer soft bags on this bike , but only because they take a tree on better than hard ones

[ixion]

kiwi 41, Capn Kirk, MTS, fasteddiecopeman, and crow,

Thanks for the welcomes and photos: all set-up ideas are very welcome and useful to me at this stage of setting up my bike for touring (crow, I had never factored in trees as a variable to consider in luggage selection...with a little luck I will be able to reduce it to a non-factor once I am ready to go...)

[crow]

Originally Posted by ixion

kiwi 41, Capn Kirk, MTS, fasteddiecopeman, and crow,

Thanks for the welcomes and photos: all set-up ideas are very welcome and useful to me at this stage of setting up my bike for touring (crow, I had never factored in trees as a variable to consider in luggage selection...with a little luck I will be able to reduce it to a non-factor once I am ready to go...)

I ride my Versys off-road a fair bit just for a laugh though It's not really set up properly for that just yet... but gimme time..

[ixion]

This is the conclusion of my introduction - a photo of my bike today at Henderson Beach, Destin, Florida.

[weljo2001]

Originally Posted by ixion

This is the conclusion of my introduction - a photo of my bike today at Henderson Beach, Destin, Florida.

Nice hugger.

[ixion]

Originally Posted by weljo2001

Nice hugger.

Yeah, that hugger makes my Pearl Solar Yellow bike almost as fast as the blue ones...

[weljo2001]

Originally Posted by ixion

Yeah, that hugger makes my Pearl Solar Yellow bike almost as fast as the blue ones...

I'm a big fan of the yellow and orange colored Versys.

[kiwi 41]

Originally Posted by ixion

Yeah, that hugger makes my Pearl Solar Yellow bike almost as fast as the blue ones...

One day it may even be as fast as burnt orange ones

[crow]

Something very BMW about those colours and black motor, frame, plastics.
Looks really tidy. Maybe the nicest looking version yet for my liking...

I know some might like the Green too but I really hate it..