2021 Kawasaki Versys 1000 LT SE+ Review | Luxury Sports ADV Tourer

Comments · 460

• BI

  @BigRockMoto · 5 years ago (edited) · pinned

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• KE

  @Keith_J213 · 5 years ago (edited)

  I&apos;m on my second V1000. I now have a 2019 SE GT with the earlier electronic suspension. I have always preferred an upright riding position and now I have arthritis in both wrists a sports tourer is even further off my radar. &nbsp;This bike suits me very well indeed and we find it a perfect two-up tourer with enough luggage capacity for us to get away for 10 days before we have to think about doing some laundry. That&apos;s a similar capacity to our last bike: a 2004 BMW K1200LTSE. I swapped from a Mark 2 Versys to gain cruise control so I could ease my right wrist when it aches.<br><br>I agree with your summary but one thing you didn&apos;t mention is its handling, which is deceptively good. I&apos;m not a hard rider, especially as I ride with my wife on the back about 95% of the time, yet I use most of the tread without thinking about it because the bike gives me so much confidence. I disagree about it needing more power. I don&apos;t use the 120 it has so why would I want 150? You&apos;d almost certainly lose a lot of that torque which makes it so flexible from 2,000 rpm in any gear. Give me mid-range torque over top-end power any day.<br><br>How would I summarise the bike? It is a bike for long-distance, road-based touring and it has enough power and torque for the work it&apos;s designed to do. It handles lightly and easily, stops well - better than my Mark 2 - and is comfortable. At 6&apos; 1&quot; I found the OEM screen slightly too short and I&apos;ve replaced it with an MRA Vario and that&apos;s made a big difference. My wife is very happy on the back, finding it no effort to travel 300+ miles a day. That may not sound a lot to US riders but it&apos;s not bad for the U.K. and we&apos;re 69 and 70, too!

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• DO

  @donniepitts1646 · 5 years ago

  I have this bike and currently also have a DR650. &nbsp;I’ve had many bikes in the past, Harleys, Vstrom and Yamaha. &nbsp;I have plenty of off road riding and long distance experience, two time Iron Butt rider. Saying all that, I currently have 9000 miles on this bike and I’ve done a lot of dirt roads, gravel roads and some mild sandy roads. It’s not a bike to bash on the rough terrain but most people don’t have the skills for that anyway. I love the bike and believe it’s the best I’ve ever had. I don’t hesitate to ride on road all day and then turn onto the occasional unknown dirt road. &nbsp;I thank most “adventure “ bike owners are like a lot of Jeep owners, they but then for what they’re capable of but most don’t use them off road. Yes I’m a Jeep CJ owner and I drive it off road. If you like a bike and think it’s for you, go for it. Don’t let others tell you what it “should or should not” be used for. Enjoy the ride!

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• JK

  @JKL246 · 3 years ago

  Recently got a ‘19 LT+. It’s a revelation, and the antithesis to the big ADVs and bloated touring and sport touring bikes, in my opinion. I’ve had several large touring bikes in the different styles. It’s so light and nimble with the perfect amount of power to match the fairings. I’m pretty sure that any more power would contribute to instability at very high speeds; not that I would know, of course. 118hp is good. So happy to have an I-4 again; perfect touring engine for me, and preferable to the other engines you mentioned. Nothing like a strong I-4. It’s the best overall riding experience I’ve ever had. Great machine. Glad I got past the looks and height and tried it. Instantly hooked. This bike is about the package, not just the engine. Nothing else like it.

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• MI

  @miket9399 · 5 years ago (edited)

  I enjoy watching your crystal clear reviews. You have asked for feedback so I will give you one thing that I&apos;d like to see more of, and maybe other viewers would as well. Could you take a minute with each bike to go over access to oil filters, air filters and spark plugs. No deep dive, just ease of access, or not. Thank you.

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• TH

  @thomassterns7120 · 3 years ago

  Understanding this is older (and great) review but thought I&apos;d add late comment. I bought an &apos;18 BMW R1200RT in CA. Loved that bike. I moved to Idaho where the only dealership was acquired by a big auto/boat/RV dealership group. Service is really poor and they had little interest in selling me a new bike. &nbsp;Traded RT for &apos;22 Versys 1000 and was treated very fairly on trade. Miss the BMW but am very happy with Kawasaki. So... wordy comment but takeaway I&apos;d like to leave is if you live on east or left coast, Euro bikes great option. In more remote regions there will always be Honda &amp; Kawaski dealers close enough.

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• WI

  @williamzeller294 · 4 years ago

  I first have to say how much I enjoy your motorcycle reviews, good, crisp, thorough with lots of comparison points to other bikes to work with.<br>I start out by saying I&apos;m a Kawasaki rider and have been since I replaced my BSA in 1977. &nbsp;All of my Kawasakis have been extraordinarily reliable and have given me to opportunity to ride a lot without a lot of repairs or expense: &nbsp;KZ650, 80K, no repairs; KZ1000J, 45K, no repairs; Connie 1000, 120K, one repair (final drive bearing, the only major repair I ever needed on a K bike); ZX1100E (GPZ), 106K, no repairs. &nbsp;Plus some others.<br>Getting to be pretty old now, the Versys looks as though it should be the answer to replacing my &quot;big road bike&quot; FJR1300 that&apos;s getting too heavy.<br>Last summer I had the good fortune to be offered a ride from here in Chicagoland to upper West Virginia and back on two Versys 1000s. &nbsp;A friendly dealer sold a 2020 to a fellow who wanted to trade his low-mile &nbsp;2016. &nbsp;So I rode the &apos;20 east on the Turnpikes and the &apos;16 back on the two-laners.<br>If I owned a 1000, I would insist on lowering it a bit. &nbsp;As age attacks, a lower seat height and narrower frame gets more important (wait; you&apos;ll see).<br>The &apos;20 had the gadgets, the &apos;16 was less techy. &nbsp;But the older bike had a Corbin seat that fit me to a T, even better than the &apos;20&apos;s stocker. &nbsp;<br>I agree the &apos;20&apos;s cruise control is a bit odd, pretty awkward compared to a Wing&apos;s (two of which spoiled me all to pieces). &nbsp;The quickshifter was mushy indeed and I finally tuned it out.<br>But the wind protection was exceptional as mentioned. &nbsp;I was 400 miles along I-80 before I even realized how non-battered I was, particularly in the helmet.<br>The superb &nbsp;Kawasaki sidecases got, I think, short shrift in the review. &nbsp;They are a huge plus. &nbsp;I have been ruined into being unable to travel without good sidecases ever since my old BMW R100RT, and the Kawasaki ones do very well. &nbsp;My wife had an &apos;18 Versys 650LT with them.<br>On the way home I took the 1800-mile &apos;16 on two-laners the long way (with the approval of the dealer) and found a very compatible traveling companion. &nbsp;I was so at home on that thing that I almost didn&apos;t want to bring it back to the dealer.<br>Yeah, but I&apos;m at a point where I&apos;d rather have four to six older bikes than one newer, expensive-er one, so I didn&apos;t make any deals. &nbsp;<br>Still wondering if I was right not to, though, that &apos;16 was just the thing for rattling off 500-700 mile days.

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• TI

  @TINKER-1986 · 5 years ago

  Welp i just went off road on my v1 doesnt matter what bike you have every bike is an adventure bike🙂

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• M4

  @m4rcin847 · 11 hours ago

  No idea why would anyone need more power in a comfortable tourer. Its more than enough for anything this bike is made for.

• TI

  @tiankata1 · 4 years ago

  Ian from BIG Rick Moto is simply the best motorcycle journalist on YouTube currently.<br>Very informative and proffesional.<br>Great job all around!

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• TO

  @toddjohnson3792 · 5 years ago

  That was a very accurate description. Not a lot of thrills, but reliability and comfort for as long as you can stand it. I have owned a &apos;17 model for 4 years and still can`t get off of it.

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• DO

  @donkeyschat5052 · 5 years ago

  I used to ride one on dirt roads. Handled extremely well. One of the best bikes I&apos;ve had, including my GS!

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