Kawasaki Versys Forum banner

Noob question

3K views 24 replies 16 participants last post by  ExTex 
#1 ·
I have had many different bikes over the last 40 years. I currently have a 2009 KLR 650. My wife has ridden on the back of most of them with me, but she has finally decided to get a motorcycle license and wants to have her own bike. Next spring, she will take the MSF course and get her license. I am pretty sure I will get her a Versys 300 and am seriously considering getting rid of my KLR 650 and getting a Versys for myself, but I haven't yet decided on the 300 or the 650 yet.

Here is my question/questions.

What are the mandatory upgrades? Does the stock seat suck? Is it good for more than 150 miles? What about the windscreen? Is there a consensus on what needs to be replaced/upgraded?

I'm not asking for specific brand or models of replacement parts, but what do most people replace?

I received a great deal of helpful information in KLR650 dot net. I hope to do the same here.

Thanks guys.
 
#3 ·
V650: Many of us have replaced the stock seat. It slopes forward and it also has a bit of a convex shape. I have a Sargent seat which fixes both problems. You can shim the front of the seat up but I didn't find it solved the comfort problem for me.

Peg lowering kit helped with knee discomfort.

The stock windshield is ok, but a larger aftermarket is better for highway rides if you want less helmet buffet. I have a Madstad. There are several other brands which people have found success with too.

Some form of crash bars, especially if you'll be on dirt at all.

The front turn signals hit the ground in a tip over resulting in expensive plastic pieces cracking. I replaced my signals with micro size LED units from R&G Racing. The cracked plastic can be superglued but it does show.

For off pavement riding you may want different foot pegs with a wider platform. Several good options are out there.

The factory hard luggage is less than perfect. If I had it to do over again I would not get the OEM side panniers. The top box is excellent, but you can buy the identical unit without the Kawi name for less. The factory panniers are not rectangular, which makes it difficult to fit stuff in them. A briefcase may not fit. Groceries can be awkward. The volume is good, and the mounting is really good. They are keyed to the ignition. They are fairly tough, and they are water resistant. The shape is the big annoyance for me. I would go with racks and rectangular metal boxes. Think about what you're going to want to carry on the bike and consider if it will fit conveniently in the factory boxes.

Definitely get the ECU flashed. Shoodaben did miracles with the 2015. Idk which model years have flashes available from which vendors.

Voltmeter, USB outlet, power plug for heated clothing, etc are all easy to add.

Larger foot for the kickstand is well worth the $.
 
#5 ·
Another vote for a Madstad and Shoodaben re-flash. I have a gen 3 '15.

I bought the bike used, with a Puig shield. Quite loud and quite a bit of buffeting. Went to a Givi ST 4114. Better(not as bad?). Then to a Madstad, better, but not quite "there". Added this:

https://smile.amazon.com/Goldfire-M...4380&sprefix=motorcycle+windsh,aps,179&sr=8-5



I tried mounting as shown, no good. I mounted it up side down, much gooder. It redirects the air flow above the helmet and really cleans up the buffeting.

The route that I went on the seat was Seat Concepts. I've had Russel Day-Longs on past bikes but they wanted north of $8 or 900 for a seat, and that was no leather. The Concepts ain't a Day-Long, but not bad. Had I to do it again I would seriously consider an Adcock seat.
 
#7 ·
:welcome: aboard!

...What are the mandatory upgrades? Does the stock seat suck? Is it good for more than 150 miles? What about the windscreen? Is there a consensus on what needs to be replaced/upgraded?...
A Gen 1 or 2 V650 needs better mirrors. The seat slopes quite a bit on all Gens, but can be fixed for about $3. I've done MANY long rides on the 'raised-front OEM seat, and NO problems!

I have an aftermarket 'shield for my Gen 3, but compared it w/ the OEM just before I rode across Canada and back, summer of '17, then used the OEM on the 8,668 mile ride, which worked GREAT! The aftermarket 'shield has NOT been re-installed since then and PROBABLY won't.
 
#12 ·
The seat in the 650 does slope forward but whether that's annoying to you or not is a personal preference. I've been riding with the stock setup and I'm over 40k miles.
Bought a bigger windscreen but that's cause I'm 6'3.
Pegs, handlebars, all stock. Heated grips are great in colder climate.
All in all, the V650's ergos are pretty good for taller people straight from the factory.

Now, if you've been riding a KLR and contemplating a V300, you might be thinking of going off-road, is that correct? In that case, the 650 won't be great. It's a 100% road bike, with just a bit of a lifted suspension for comfort - like a crossover car ;) Some people have adapted the 650 for ADV use, even going as far as installing a bigger front wheel, lifting the fender, etc. but you'd be doing extra work and spending extra $, might just get a more off-road oriented bike. The 300X is, I hear, much easier to handle offroad.
 
#14 ·
#15 ·
The electronic brain is called the ECU. It controls all the engine parameters. No more carburetor or ignition distributor! The factory setting is far too lean in some regimes such as slowing down by rolling off the throttle. It makes the bike jerky, as if you totally closed the throttle when all you did was reduce it a little bit. Then when you add a bit back in, it acts like you asked for a lot of power. The flash is a reprogramming. A good flash fixes the bad behaviors. A bad flash can cause all kinds of problems and even damage your bike. Shoodaben does a great flash.
 
#18 ·
I appreciate everyone's response. I am definitely getting my wife a 300 and am strongly leaning towards a 300 for myself as well rather than the 650. At 54 years of age, I don't feel the need to go 100 mph any more. Neither do I have any interest in off-road or single track. Here in Montana, there are far more miles of dirt/gravel roads than asphalt. It's not even close. That's all I need. My KLR 650 is more off-road capable and less on-road than I prefer.

Are the factory Kawasaki engine guards, auxiliary lights, hand guards, center stand, power outlet...etc, worth the price or can I find adequate, if not superior alternatives elsewhere? I've found products from SW Motech, Givi, and a few others that have good reviews and in most cases are substantially cheaper.
 
#20 ·
The Versys x-300 stock seat is pretty uncomfortable after about an hour and a half. I've been on multiple day trips with it on tarmac and gravel riding for 6-8 hours over the course of a day and I find as long as I take a break every 2 hours it's fine for me. As for the windshield I'm 6ft2 and we get quite a bit of wind in this area so I upgraded the windshield pretty early on.

There's not really anything that needs to be done to this bike coming straight out the shop. Depending what your going to do with it is the question I guess.
 
#22 ·
Don't know that I would get rid of the KLR, I've had a couple, sold the 07 to a close friend, two years back and he is still riding it, and hasn't put anything other than tires on it, more street oriented rubber. The Versys is a bit shorter, even still I got a lowering link, so my 30" inseam I can flat foot it at stops. I did go for the higher windscreen, some mirror adapters that raised and widened them out. As far as the seat, not as comfortable as the KLR's in my opinion, but get off every 50 miles or so. I got a peg lowering kit, but think I'll go back to originals, I did pick up the SW moto tech "crash bars" and did a bit of fabricating so I could mount some highway pegs and stretch out the legs a bit. Also went up one tooth on the cs sprocket to stretch the mileage, get almost the same as the KLR, close to 60 mpg, which also had the larger drive sprocket. I fabricated some soft bag mounts, mainly just to keep them from engaging the rear wheel, but usually just run with the tailbag. Mine is a 2013 model, and I also have a 2015 Yamaha FZ-09, I split time between the two, quite a difference in performance, but I enjoy riding them both. I welded a large washer to the base of the kickstand, better support on soft ground. Newer models have some upgrades as far a gearing indicator, ABS, possibly some traction control, maybe even a slipper clutch, not sure. I would certainly consider a used Versys, they seem to be as durable as the KLR, a bit more performance, pretty much the same range and you could save several thousands.
 
#24 ·
Try SEARCH for raising the front of the seat - that mod got started just after the FIRST V650s arrived in the US ('08). I've done it to all three of my V650s and now have about 155K miles w/ that mod w/ MANY long days, and NO 'bum' issues.

>:)
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top