Kawasaki Versys 900 Spied Testing in the Wild. New Team Green Bike Incoming
A Kawasaki Versys 900 was just spied testing. Here's everything we can tell from the shots.
Kawasaki has a 900 cc-sized gap in its Versys lineup, or at least it did. The fact that the range jumps from the Versys 650 to the Versys 1100 hasn't gone unnoticed by the public, and it looks like Kawasaki has decided to do something about it. Enter the Versys 900.
The bike in question was recently spied testing abroad, as reported by Bikewale. While we can't determine much from the shots, there are a few takeaways and more that we can presume. One thing we can say for sure is that the Versys 900 will use the same 948 cc inline-four powerplant as the Z900, meaning we could be looking at 125 hp at 9,500 rpm and 73 lb-ft of peak torque at 7,700 rpm.
Unless Kawasaki retunes the engine, the Versys 900 will rank notably higher in top trumps standings than bikes like the BMW F 900 XR, Yamaha Tracer 9, Ducati Multistrada V2, and Triumph's Tiger Sport 800. Given the fact that Kawasaki basically lifted the engine straight out of the Ninja 500 and dropped it in the KLE 500, my money is on the Versys 900 matching the Z900's power figures.
All Things Kawasaki
The other thing we can take from the spy photos is that the Versys is rolling on 17-inch alloy wheels at the front and rear with road-focused tires. Again, this puts it in direct competition with the bikes I previously mentioned. Everything else we can determine from the photo is as expected, including the long-travel suspension and what appears to be the same 310mm dual-disc setup found on the Versys 1100.
Unconfirmed, but presumably, the Versys 900 will have cruise control, as the latest Z900 uses fully electronic throttle actuation, enabling this feature. Apart from this, it's likely that the Versys 900 will have a full electronic suite similar to that on the Z900, do away with the somewhat dated dash on the Versys 1100, and replace it with the TFT found on the Z900.
It's hard to imagine Kawasaki will deviate too far cosmetically from the current Versys 650 and 1100, but I imagine all will be revealed at EICMA.
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