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What did you do on your Versys today?/ 2024 Hey Include Some Photos!!

82K views 955 replies 93 participants last post by  JT in GA 
Technically this was yesterday. Cleaned up leaking forks and blasted front disk brakes with degreaser, did a quick wash. Rode to the nearest dealer for fork seal and oil replacement, then had them inspect for insurance purposes (because of crash last March 1). Checked if there are any other safety related things and aside from bent handle bar, it actually rides better due to the new fork oils.
I also got the crash bars replaced with a locally made one since the SW-Motech bars got worn out from the crash enough that the ground touched the crankcase (really lucky it did not wear through the crankcase cover).
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Old crash bars, the crankcase that touched the ground is also visible.
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New crash bars, front view above, side-top view below
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I thought the bigger crash bars will make the bike handle worse but it made the center of gravity slightly lower and the best part was due to the added mass, the handlebar vibrations was noticeably less.
Bars have fittings for when I decide to add more accessories so not so bad.
Cons of course is I need to be more alert when lane splitting (or in tight parking spaces) for things under the handlebars. Might also affect fuel economy but should still be better than regular cars and liter bikes.
 
Had fun last weekend. My brother was starting work in a regional hospital about 500kms away. He was planning on riding there in 1 go so I got worried for him and offered to be his wingman/ riding buddy since he does not ride as often.

It was the longest ride I had taken and the extra skills trainings (motogymkhana primarily) and of course the mile (km) eating nature of the Versys made the trip enjoyable. The humidity, scattered rainshowers and some heavy traffic killed some of the fun but overall I still enjoyed it.

That said, it was very good I escorted my brother as he was really wasted at the end of the trip and says the comms helped a lot on keeping him alert near the tail end of the trip on Sat. He plans to divide the trip in 2 next time he will do that again.
The only thing that got sore for me was my neck due to the frequent head checks since my brother was leading and I was covering the back.

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Above is the Google Maps Timeline summary for the 2 days.
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Start of the trip, me on the Versys with my brother on the Kymco Xciting 400.
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Obligatory picture with the Philippines Mayon Volcano. A little rainy at the start when going back home but good thing the clouds parted enough for me to get this picture.
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Back home after about 21 hours of riding on the weekend.
 
Ordered a front tire, brake pads, and scheduled service for July.
Front tire: side wear bars are flush, middle still a littlie thick (dad bod?), guess I need more highway trips:
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For those interested, this are Shinko Ravens:
Front tire is about 13'200km (and counting until scheduled PMS
Rear tire lasted around 10'000km
Very satisfied with performance wet and dry but might not be for folks in colder climates.
 
Had a shop install new sidestand becuase its cheap and the old one was janky and a little bit loose. Raises my heart rate every time it shifts when I am mounting/unmounting my bike.

Also picked up OEM seat for my Versys 650 because the original for my bike had its foam shaved by the previous owner. Old foam was also softer which reduced the height enough that my legs feel cramped and I would actually have cramps for longish rides.

Am I the only one that likes the stock seat of the Versys 650?
 
Today, I met up with some school buddies whom I saw last more than 8-18 at the famous twisty Marilaque. Its like our local version of Tail of the Dragon. I was actually hesitant since its famous for its accidents but the muggy rainy weather dissuaded a lot of the street racers so we continued on.
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My Versys and my friend's Duke 200 who was a bit newish to riding. I like the ergos on initial sit down on the Duke (2018), maybe when I reach my goal of 100'000km on the Versys (still at 20'xxxkm) and the local Motogymkhana scene becomes more competitive I'll get a Duke. The stock seat of the Versys is much better than the one on the Duke though.
Also have 2 other friends riding on the SUV behind and asking questions about the bikes.
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My other riding friend with his Bristol Maxie 400 figuring out on how to connect helmet comms. Very similar to my brother's Kymco Xciting 400 which are not my cup of tea but still looks nice. Versys 650 for reference :)

Since my friends are a little newer than me on riding, they were also struggling a little on the muggy wet weather. Original plan was to circle Laguna lake but they decided to head back after our breakfast (and catching up). I lived on the other side of the lake so I decided to continue the loop with the route below:
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Forgot to check the Waze settings and it routed me to rough and muddy roads and my tires are for 100% street use Shinko's.
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It really handled those broken roads and mud well considering the100% street tires. My legs on the other hand could use some beefing up.

Overall, trips like this really makes me appreciate the Versys 650 that its really hard to consider any other bikes for my use case. I know there are other touring/adv brands but the local repair shop specializes with Kawasaki. The Versys x300 is not available (also not highway legal if it ever becomes available) and I would really be hesitant to use a Versys 1000 on the roads above. Maybe a cb500x but the Versys 650 is still better .
 
My first big bike in the Philippines was a 390 Duke; I loved that bike, but it is a street bike and doesn't have the suspension for Philippine roads. I lived in Antipolo for the first 3 months we were in the PI, I had a Rouser 135, rode Marilaque 3 or 4 times a week. I rode the Laguna loop a few times. Your Versys is a great bike for the PI.
I'm more in the southern part and Marilaque is about 2-3hrs away. Friends provided the excuse to ride there so off I went hehe. Everytime I get an itch for another motorcycle, the Versys gives me a reason to keep her. Realistically, the only thing that may actually replace my Versys 650 is another Versys 650 later model (with ABS next time).
Had a Raider 150 then Hayate 125 some China electric moped scoot before.

Back to topic: removed the lining last night on the top box as some water seeps in after a pressure wash. Had previously covered some of the rivets with duct tape but some water still managed to get in.
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Monitoring the skies and weather forecast also if I can ride to work. Not afraid of the rain but its nicer to ride to work dry.
Besides, just cleaned her up last Sunday and it would be a shame to muddy her up again so soon (nahh, not really).
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There she is tempting me to ride. Battery tender and a wood plank to get the cats to stop scratching and poking holes on the seat.
 
I was riding today after work. It was +10 degrees of Celsius, not frozen but pretty cold. So the oil in the suspension behaved differently and suspension, especially at front was working better than in +20. Can someone please explain why and how I might achieve that performance on the suspension in warm weather?

Also low beam lamp died, and as I was reading this forum, I should not buy some fancy Ostam or Philips bulb but stick to base cheap one - or I misunderstood?
I'm no expert but regarding the fork performance, it sounds like you would benefit from thicker fork oils.

On the low beams, that is one way to put it.
In my understanding the higher lumens incandescent bulbs will burn brighter but will not last as long.
For LED's this can burn out the regulator if the saved energy is not used somewhere else. A good example would be adding more running lights and heater accessories then changing the low beam bulb to LED. Explanation can get more complicated, better explained on one of OneWizard's thread.
 
Going back to topic:
Forecast was for a lot of rains this weekend, got the riding itch scratched before the weather and roads get worse.
Went for my favorite twisties and there were parts under construction but the parts done was very enjoyable despite a lot of leaves and mud due to the recent rains.
Did a quick stop overlooking the volcano inside the lake:
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And my alibi or excuse for going out on a Friday workday, buying fresh lettuce and cucumbers for lunch at the local farm:
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Technically not today but last Saturday I entered my Versys 650 in a riding skills competition.
It was 35'c with a heat index of 39'c and it was very very hot, and the ECU programming adjusted so the throttle lost a little response but still ran nice with the 97 octane I used. (I use 91 octane for commuting).
Dual track type but unfortunately the track I got assigned was dustier, hence losing out to those on the other track. Still made good time on the clean parts and I think I'm the only one on the Adventure category that got less than 1 minute on track A. (unsure as the times are yet to be released by the organizers).
Next year I will bring my own broom haha. I can complain but the organizers really worked hard and I would rather be part of a solution.
1st run was a DNF as the last part I thought were 2 rotations was actually a figure 8.

One of the dust patches entering into a rotation (braking and right to left lean transition):
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My wife said to remove the audio on the 2nd video as she got a little bit carried away with her cheering 😄.
For the videos:


 
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