[Group] Kawasaki Versys

[Limgenesis]

Hi, anyone have the coordinates for the JB kawa agent. Not familiar with msia road n will use GPS. ( address on gps always failed to locate the location.) Maybe going down tmr .. Cheers

[Fusionjaz]

Hi, anyone have the coordinates for the JB kawa agent. Not familiar with msia road n will use GPS. ( address on gps always failed to locate the location.) Maybe going down tmr .. Cheers

 

This is the co-coordinates from google: 1.51499, 103.65313

You can search for Motormatic Johor.

 

I usually go there by Skudai highway.

[Fusionjaz]

Some Betong photos to share

Edited November 10, 2012 by Fusionjaz

[Fusionjaz]

Continue....

Edited November 10, 2012 by Fusionjaz

[Fusionjaz]

Continue....

Edited November 10, 2012 by Fusionjaz

[Fusionjaz]

Continue....

Edited November 10, 2012 by Fusionjaz

[esthermygs]

Nice betong trip. Think i bump into the honda vfr guy and scooters on way back nsh at pagoh r&r last sunday around 1pm.

[Fusionjaz]

Nice betong trip. Think i bump into the honda vfr guy and scooters on way back nsh at pagoh r&r last sunday around 1pm.

 

On the way back from Genting, I took a different route back to SG. If not we would have met each other.

[andrewhtf]

Hi guys, just dropping by after a long silence.

 

Bolted on an R1 shock with ohlins spring to replace the stock shock. Plenty of adjustability.

Got a Triumph Daytona master pump on my hand, awaiting a correct replacement lever.

 

Have you guys seen a versys with a beak ala bmw gs and triump explorer?

[Fusionjaz]

Replied in blue

 

Hi guys, just dropping by after a long silence.

 

Bolted on an R1 shock with ohlins spring to replace the stock shock. Plenty of adjustability.

I did consider getting the R1 rear shock but I understand that there are some parts need to be fabricated in order to get it fitted in.Care to share your experiences best with pictures too.

 

Got a Triumph Daytona master pump on my hand, awaiting a correct replacement lever.

O does the pump help to increase the braking pressure on the caliper? Update us about the results if it is not too troublesome.

 

Have you guys seen a versys with a beak ala bmw gs and triump explorer?

I only seen a picture of the beak at the kawasaki Versys forum. Are you the owner...? Can post some pics to share?

[andrewhtf]

Fus,

 

About the R1 shock, no major work needed, only 2 things to do:

1. Bore out the mounting hole of the R1 shock. Standard is 10mm hole. Kawasaki uses 12mm bolts so you have to get the shock's mounting hole to be enlarged to take the 12mm bolt.

2. Choose a correct spring rate for yourself. The one recommended by most user in the US versys forum, 13-14kg/mm is a tad too soft for my riding style. At the correct sag, the shock gas reservoir touches plastic panel on hard bumps, so i had to dial up the preload and hance reducing sag from optimum, to avoid bumping of the plastic panel. The stock spring rate is 16kg/mm while the aftermarket ohlins ka907 for versys is using a 17kg/mm spring. The higher the numbers, the stiffer the spring.

 

Nonetheless, i find the extra adjustability of hi/low speed compression and rebound adjustment a worthy feature to upgrade for. Plenty of options to dial and play with, in fact i noticed that i can take a corner at faster speed yet the rear didnt kick me off the line as per before the upgrade. Also noticed my chicken strip getting thinner. So there u have it, the pro and con as my finding. YMMV though. Will get some pics up and post here soon.

 

About the pump, have yet to bolt it on. I bought it used from ebay and the lever's broken. Ordered via ebay for a replacement lever but seller sent me a wrong lever. Awaiting resolution. The reason why i chose a triumph daytona is because it is using a 19mm cylinder. Why 19mm cylinder? Because BREMBO RCS19 is using the same pump size. I assume it would give just as good hydraulic push like a brembo. And cheaper at 1/3 of a brembo. Since it is cheap enuf, why not experiment? Crossing fingers, will get it bolted on once i get the correct lever. Will post some pic once i get it done.

 

About the beak, no i'm not the owner. I'm just fascinated by it. Costs rm650 for a set. Bloody expensive for some fibre job.

 

http://i.imgur.com/XNUsJ.jpg

 

Looks good in photo. But when seen with my own eyes... It just feels odd and reinforced my thought that it didnt bloody worth its rm650 price tag. But nonetheless, it made a versys look unique if done correctly. Thats all.

 

http://i.imgur.com/swmin.jpg

Edited August 24, 2012 by andrewhtf

[andrewhtf]

This is how the shock looks like after enlarging the mounting hole and swapping in the ohlins spring.

http://i.imgur.com/Ghwqb.jpg

 

How it looks like after bolting it on

http://i.imgur.com/sLR1R.jpg

 

The gas reservoir, which is not existent on the stock shock, bulges prominently under the black plastic panel.*

http://i.imgur.com/OtH93.jpg

The soft spring, unfortunately, allows more shock travel and hence, the reservoir rubs on the plastic whenever i hit a huge bump or hole, and when i carry a pillion.*Rubbing patch on the reservoir definitely does not look aesthetically pleasing. As of now i have some stickers on but even that will go soon due to the constant rubbing.*I am contemplating to shave off a bit of the plastic bottom in order to avoid the contact but have yet to find the right tools and time.

 

Anyhow, the good thing with softer spring, at lowest preload and compressions at soft and rebound at hardest, made riding on highways feels like floating on a sofa. Potholes and bumps felt like running over small stones only niah. IT IS that comfortable! However when it comes to whacking corners in Genting and Cameron, you'll need to crank up the preload to stiffen the shock to reduce the "swaying" feel.

 

This is *my tyre pic BEFORE installing the R1 shock, still on the stock shock after a Genting run. Pay attention to the chicken strips.

 

http://i.imgur.com/zgH3y.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/PndXc.jpg

 

Now this is the pic after installing the R1 shock *with some tweaking on the preload, rebound and compressions for corner whacking (different from setting for highway use as mentioned earlier), again, after a Genting run.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Uvw4u.jpg

 

http://i.imgur.com/WkVCW.jpg

 

Thinner chicken strips! *

[andrewhtf]

Stumbled on this site accidentally from a Google search. I'm actually a Versys owner in Nova Scotia, Canada. Good to see the Versys is alive and well in Singapore too. Just wanted to stop by and say hello. If any of you have not found it there is a great site for Versys info at http://www.kawasakiversys.com. You can also download the service manual in PDF format there free of charge.

 

http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=253361&d=1344150985

 

Hi dilbert. Great to see u here.

 

Nobody does the KMW sticker anymore. missed the boat when you guys were doing it as i wasnt a versys owner yet at the time.

[Fusionjaz]

Thank you andrewhtf for providing such a informative post. Can I check with you what is the definition of chicken strips? How does the the shock affect the "chicken strips".

 

Pardon my ignorance of tyre wear and knowledge of cornering.

[andrewhtf]

Chicken strip is the unused tyre portion at the side of the tyres. The lesser you lean, (mean u ride straight more often) the thicker the chicken strip is, bcoz only the middle part of the tyre get used. How much u lean, will depend on the speed you're going. U go slow, u can ride through a corner with a straighter bike. U go fast in the same corner, you'd have to lean more to counter the centrifugal force that is trying to push u and your bike out.

 

To illustrate in real life, find a road corner somewhere near you, wide road but with little or no traffic, preferably. Ride through the corner at 30kmh. Then repeat with 60kmh. Then try that again at 80-90 kmh. Then you'll realise that you would naturally lean the bike more at 80-90kmh compared to when you rode thru the same corner at 30kmh.

 

The stock shock is abit harsh for me and when i push it hard, the rear gets bouncy and made me less confident while whacking a corner. hence i tend to go slower and with slow speed, i dont need to lean the bike much while negotiating a curve. The limited adjustment option didnt help either.

 

With this r1 shock i get to play around with the dual compressions and rebound and dial it to what i feel comfortable with and consequently increase my confidence to whack a corner with faster speed (hence more lean) as i know the rear can take it and does not throw me off course. More lean results in thinner chicken strips.

[andrewhtf]

This looks sick!

http://i.imgur.com/sxSSI.jpg

[Fusionjaz]

Chicken strip is the unused tyre portion at the side of the tyres. The lesser you lean, (mean u ride straight more often) the thicker the chicken strip is, bcoz only the middle part of the tyre get used. How much u lean, will depend on the speed you're going. U go slow, u can ride through a corner with a straighter bike. U go fast in the same corner, you'd have to lean more to counter the centrifugal force that is trying to push u and your bike out.

 

To illustrate in real life, find a road corner somewhere near you, wide road but with little or no traffic, preferably. Ride through the corner at 30kmh. Then repeat with 60kmh. Then try that again at 80-90 kmh. Then you'll realise that you would naturally lean the bike more at 80-90kmh compared to when you rode thru the same corner at 30kmh.

 

The stock shock is abit harsh for me and when i push it hard, the rear gets bouncy and made me less confident while whacking a corner. hence i tend to go slower and with slow speed, i dont need to lean the bike much while negotiating a curve. The limited adjustment option didnt help either.

 

With this r1 shock i get to play around with the dual compressions and rebound and dial it to what i feel comfortable with and consequently increase my confidence to whack a corner with faster speed (hence more lean) as i know the rear can take it and does not throw me off course. More lean results in thinner chicken strips.

 

Wow thank you for the information,

Now I know what to monitor after riding through all the corners. I am going to try out the different speed in the corner and monitor my lean.

[andrewhtf]

Of course lean angles is not an indication of how good you are in taking a corner... There are corners that you should not be leaning too much or going too fast due to riding conditions, road conditions and also setting up entry for the next corner. Pushing way too much and you'll risk crashing.

 

But hey it was fun to try though. With this shock, somehow leaning into corners feels good and coupled with a grippier tyre, i am having fun.

 

The downside now is the front. With a good setup at the rear, now i can really feel the front fork unable to keep up when i push the bike more. I have a feeling of the front starting to lose and slightly jumpy mid corners... Perhaps fork upgrade can be considered, But alas, versys is not meant to be pushed that way. It is still a travelling/commuting bike and if i intend to be an agressive rider, a change of bike should be the order of the day. Only problem is that i am no big income earner and malaysian bikes are taxed way too much, hence i bought this versys, touted as the do-it-all bike.

[Fusionjaz]

Of course lean angles is not an indication of how good you are in taking a corner... There are corners that you should not be leaning too much or going too fast due to riding conditions, road conditions and also setting up entry for the next corner. Pushing way too much and you'll risk crashing.

 

But hey it was fun to try though. With this shock, somehow leaning into corners feels good and coupled with a grippier tyre, i am having fun.

 

The downside now is the front. With a good setup at the rear, now i can really feel the front fork unable to keep up when i push the bike more. I have a feeling of the front starting to lose and slightly jumpy mid corners... Perhaps fork upgrade can be considered, But alas, versys is not meant to be pushed that way. It is still a travelling/commuting bike and if i intend to be an agressive rider, a change of bike should be the order of the day. Only problem is that i am no big income earner and malaysian bikes are taxed way too much, hence i bought this versys, touted as the do-it-all bike.

 

I get Versys for the same reason. I usually use it for long distance touring. I feel very secure and safe riding through Malaysia and Thailand as I know there are many spare parts in this country.

[Limgenesis]

Any recommendations for shops to assist me in adjusting pre load, rebound etc... Had tried adjusting myself but hope to seek from a professional. Thanks

[ocel]

Yo lim u r riding the versy 1000? Same here

[Fusionjaz]

Can try M-technick's mechanic: Ah Ken.

[Limgenesis]

Yes, riding for one month..LOVE IT!! Smooth delivery and power...Just finish run in... :-)

[Fusionjaz]

Yes, riding for one month..LOVE IT!! Smooth delivery and power...Just finish run in... :-)

 

Time to ride north

[kwaki_66]

This is the co-coordinates from google: 1.51499, 103.65313

You can search for Motormatic Johor.

 

I usually go there by Skudai highway.

 

thanks for the coordinates dude...i'm sick of waiting for something so simple from Loois and Evershine...need a right-side "Kawasaki Versys" decal as i just claimed and gotten a new fairing. Also am interested to stock up on clutch, brake cables as well as my disc brakes.