Artikel oleh: Wahid Ooi Abdullah
The Kawasaki Versys-X 250 has come a long way from when adventure, adventure-touring, dual-purpose bikes that were big, tall, powerful beasts; runaways from the dunes of the Paris-Dakar Rally. Anyone remember those mighty 750cc and 900cc V-Twin DP (dual-purpose) bikes in the 90’s? Well, those were the granddaddies of adventure motorcycles.
The motorcycle class in the Paris-Dakar Rally (now Dakar Rally) had started out with competitors on smaller, single-cylinder bikes but as an arms war pushed the factories and riders to gain the upper hand against each other, the bikes became bigger and heavier, and of course more powerful. The single-cylinder, enduro-based bikes that were sold to the public and modified to race, gave way to purpose-built machines that were then sold afterwards as replicas.
However, with the increase in speed came increased number crashes and fatalities in the world’s toughest rally. That had the organisers knocking back the multi-cylinder format to single-cylinder bikes to cap the speeds, first from 690cc and to 450cc since 2011.
On the road, ironicaly, it went the other way in terms of engine capacities. Most true adventure and adventure-touring motorcycles in the market are being dominated by middleweight (750cc to 80cc) to open-class (1000cc and above) models.
The open-classers are not cheap for most motorcycle enthusiasts, unfortunately, ranging from around RM80,000. The middleweights on the other hand, are usually priced from RM50,000. Engine power range between 70bhp to 160bhp.
So, how about the Kawasaki Versys-X 250? (You may also click here for our First Impression and click here for our full on-road review.)
1. Smooth Power
Riding in the rough is not all about outright speed. Average offroad speeds are typically 30km/h, the fastest top speed being approximately 60km/h. Anything above that is for the pros, or if you’ve signed your last will and testament.
Let’s face it, most of us aren’t full-time or even part-time motocross or enduro riders.
The Versys-X 250 produces 33.5bhp and 21.7 Nm of torque, with a wet weight of 173kg, for a 5.2kg/bhp ratio. Comparing it to the Kawasaki KLX250 enduro, the KLX250 produces 23bhp and 21Nm of torque, but weighs only 136kg wet, for a 5.6kg/bhp ratio. They are actually very close to each other.
Why the lower horsepower on the KLX? Because too much speed in the rough isn’t necessarily a means to an end. Just like the big Dakar bikes of yesteryears.
For the Kawasaki Versys-X 250, beginners would appreciate it, pros would find it interesting.
Not only that, the throttle response is smooth and benign at the initial opening.
Riding offroad is all about the ability to handle a bike that’s on the edge of tyre adhesion, besides being able to point it where you want it to go.
Sure, the bigger bikes have more electronics but they are still heavier, taller and may have too much power for the rough for most riders to handle.
Smooth and predictable power delivery and throttle response is super important.
Controllability stems from acceptable power, smooth power delivery, lightness, narrowness of the bike, long-travel suspension and especially for beginners, an acceptable seat height.
3. Lightweight
The motorcycle will jump, drop, slide, squirm under you as your ride offroad. Soon, your arms, leg, back, and core muscles will start to feel “The Burn.”
Now imagine if you’re riding a 200+kg bike while all that’s happening.
Not fun.
Your body and mind might give up soon enough, followed by a spill. Talk about putting a damper in your enthusiasm for the ride.
Let’s cite an example: This writer has ridden in ankle-deep sands in South Africa. While most participants chose the 1200cc adventure-tourers, this writer opted for a much smaller and lighter 660cc enduro. Soon, every single 1200cc rider crashed in that section except for one, but this writer got through without a single scratch. And that sand was nothing compared to the sand dunes of the Tenerife desert!
Having ridden the Versys-X 250 offroad afterwards, it’s the perfect bike for the job.
Having a narrow midsection where the seat joins the tank is an important design factor. As covered in our offroading tips article last week (click here to read), you need to stand up.
As you stand, your legs ought to be parallel to the bike’s vertical profile, instead of being splayed outwards like on a cruiser. That way, you could help to steer the bike by pushing down with your legs, or clamping onto the midsection to stabilize the bike on the faster straight sections.
The Versys-X 250 does have a narrow midsection, but there’s also a bonus.
Notice how the fuel tank slopes precipitously downwards toward to seat? That’s for the rider, especially us of Asian heights, to push our upper weight forward onto the front wheel. The sloping tank means there’s much less likelihood of it upper cutting the rider in the groin, should the bike hit a bump.
As with adventure motorcycle convention, the Versys-X 250 has 130mm front and 150mm rear suspension travel. The front wheel is 19-inches in diameter. That combination equals a relatively spacious ground clearance of 180mm.
A long-travel suspension means there’s more “space” for the suspension to absorb hits from the ground, especially on rough “no roads” to deliver a smoother, less jarring ride for the rider.
Although adventure bikes are generally tall, the Versys-X 250 features a low-seat height of only 815mm to accommodate beginners and us of shorter stature.
Being able to touch a foot down in while riding offroad is reassuring especially for beginners, but it’s also something which has to be done while cornering. The quicker the foot touches down means the less the bike has to lean into a corner, consequently the less chance of the tyres sliding out from underneath.
Back on the road, the lower seat height also contributes to security when the bike is at standstill or crawling through traffic.
7. Practicality
Bikes of this nature are practical and the Kawasaki Versys-X 250 is no different. But since it’s a smaller capacity bike, it has a slender profile with tall a handlebar. Coupled to its lack of weight and you have a great urban bike. Being slim with the tall handlebar means you could filter through traffic without much worry, while being lightweight means its agile.
Plus, since the bike is comparatively tall, it gives you a better field of vision ahead of the traffic all around you.
Because the Kawasaki Versys-X 250 is an adventure bike, it has much room for luggage. Throw on a pair of GIVI panniers and a top case and voila! You’ve got yourself an adventure-tourer (just like the Versys-X 250 we reviewed here).
The liquid-cooled, four-valve per cylinder, DOHC, 249cc, parallel-Twin engine is also fuel efficient. Throughout our testing, we’ve extracted between 260 to 300km from the 17-liter fuel tank.
Top speed is a little above 150km/h and that’s fast enough for most applications.
In closing, the Kawasaki Versys-X 250 is the recommended for those who want to embark on the wonderful journey into adventure-riding. However, because it is practical, lightweight and agile, it should also appeal to seasoned road riders who want to try out the rough stuff. But remember that it’s also a very capable roadbike.
The enjoyment of adventure-riding shouldn’t need to be done on expensive machinery only, evidenced by the Versys-X’s wallet-friendly price tag of only RM23,789 (with GST). Truly the only kind in the Malaysian market.
| Engine | Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 8-valves, parallel-Twin |
| Displacement | 249cc |
| Bore x Stroke | 62.0 mm x 41.2 mm |
| Compression ratio | 11.3 : 1 |
| Fuel system | Electronic fuel injection, 28mm with dual throttle valves |
| Maximum power | 33.1 bhp (24.7 kW) @ 11,500 RPM |
| Maximum torque | 21.7 Nm @ 10,000 RPM |
| Front suspension | 41mm telescopic forks |
| Rear suspension | Bottom-link Uni-Trak gas-charged shock, adjustable for preload |
| Front brakes | 1 x 290 mm petal disc, 1 x balanced actuation dual-piston caliper |
| Rear brake | 1 x 220 mm petal disc, 1 x dual-piston caliper |
| Frame | High-tensile steel backbone |
| Rake | 24.3 degrees |
| Ground clearance | 180 mm |
| Seat height | 815 mm |
| Fuel capacity | 17 litres |
| Curb weight | 173 kg |
Adventure riding is fun in many more ways than one.
Why not ride an offroad trail or better yet, blaze your own trail to some waterfall in a jungle where no one has been to before, compared to visiting an easily accessible waterfall that’s overcrowded, dirty and dangerous with rubbish and human effluents?
But how does one go about with adventure riding? Some people may cynically say, “It isn’t an adventure unless something goes wrong.” It’s not as bad as that. Think about discovering the many God-made beauties our country has to offer.
Here are our top tips for adventure riding.
1. Get a Proper Adventure Bike
Starting with say, a Kawasaki Versys-X 250 or a Versys 650 ABS. Or just go ahead with a Kawasaki KLX150BF or KLX250 (you may want to leave the KLX450R for the pros, though). But for the sake of simplicity, we’ll just stick to the Versys-X in this article.
The Versys-X 250 fills the role of a lightweight adventure and commuter motorcycle nicely, as it has a good balance for adventure riding when standing up on the footpegs. It’s also equipped with spoked wheels instead of cast aluminium ones. Spoked wheels are more desirable for adventure riding as they are usually lighter, absorb shocks better and can be adjusted back to shape if dented.
The KLX range is a no brainer when it comes to adventure riding, as they are enduro motorcycles – super lightweight, slim, long travel suspension, big spoked wheels, and torquey engines. The KX models, on the other hand, are competition models for motocross, supercross and conversion to supermoto, thus they are not road legal. But you could always truck it to the starting point of your ride.
Depending on the severity of offroading on your adventure ride, you may need to replace the Versys-X’s stock tyres to more adventure-oriented ones, otherwise the standard tyres are fine. Adventure-specific tyres not only offer more offroad grip, but they also allow the pressure to be dropped safely (more on this below).
2. Get Proper Training
Adventure riding has its specific set of skills. The route you’re going to travel on may not be severe, but it’s always good to be prepared.
Best way to learn this is at Most Fun Gym (MFG), operated by Malaysian veteran GP rider and legend, Oh Kah Beng. MFG may seem to be a hardcore motocross school, but it’s otherwise in reality. You don’t have to do the jumps. Learning offroad means learning the skills to control a motorcycle over low to no-grip situations through mastering throttle control, brake control, body control, body positioning, vision.
You’ll find your road riding skills improve too. That’s why MotoGP champs ride offroad on their off days.
3. Packing Up
This may seem frivolous but packing plays a big role in a safe hence enjoyable adventure ride.
A few extra items should be brought along:
For one, heavy items such as tool kits, or camping equipment should be packed low in the panniers. Locating them high up results in a high centre of gravity and causing the top-heavy feeling (the bike likes to tip over at slow speeds).
Important items like the wallet, phone, cigarettes/vape, lighters should be packed in a waterproof or ziplock bag, and be easily accessible, so you don’t have to dig through everything to look for them.
Not least of all, hook the motorcycle’s key to a large keychain. It’ll give you a good chance of locating it should it be dropped into a pool of mud or water.
4. Riding Gear
Adventure riding gear is the best as they are designed to be tough, protective and comfortable.
However, if there are certain constraints, motocross wear is fine, but do wear full body armour including knee and shin guards.
The subject of boots is open to contention, however. Many choose to wear motocross boots but this writer prefers adventure riding boots such as the TCX Track WP. First of all, the latter is more flexible, which increases comfort greatly. Secondly, adventure boots have more “aggressive” sole patterns compared to MX boots. That’s important in case you get off and push the bike. MX boots’ soles are smoother, made for sliding across the track while cornering, which means you may not have much traction in the rough.
An adventure helmet (full-face with a peak) is good, so is a motocross helmet, as they provide optimal airflow. A roadracing full-face will have you out of breath in a jiffy. An open-face is inadvisable as it doesn’t have the protective chinbar.
5. Tyre Pressure
With all that out of the way, it’s time to ride.
But hang on! We need to work on the tyre pressures first!
Again, if the adventure ride consists of serious offroading, the tyre pressures needs to be reduced.
Reducing the tyre pressure lets the tread “open up” for a wider footprint. The lower pressure also allows the tyres to absorb shocks from irregular surfaces, rocks and tree roots.
Typical road pressures are anywhere between 200 kPa front to 280 kPa rear. A drop of half will suffice. For example, if the recommended pressure for your bike is 200 kPa, drop it to 100 kPa.
Remember we recommended that you bring a tyre pressure gauge? This is what it’s for. Also, keep in mind to re-inflate the tyres back up to the recommended pressures when you ride home on the road. That’s what the air compressor is for.
6. Stand Up
Get your buttocks off the seat and bend your knees a little, using your legs as shock absorbers for the rear. Lean your chest slightly towards the fuel tank and splay your elbows outwards, but do not press down on the handlebar. Use them as additional shock absorbers for the front, instead.
Standing up brings your centre-of-gravity (CoG) down to the footpegs. Also, having your body off the seat means you don’t get hammered when the bike moves around underneath you. Sitting down in the seat, will have the bike taking you for a ride as it snakes, squirms and bounces.
The Versys models have short fuel tanks; the Versys-X’s fuel tank is sloped sharply downwards at the rear so that the rider may position his body weight towards the front when standing up.
7. Ride Loose
Your grip, arms, torso and legs should be relaxed. This allows the bike to do what it’s supposed to, and letting the suspension soak up the bumps. Fighting the bike will only exacerbate a situation. Your job is just to point the bike towards where you want it to go.
8. Push Down
Cornering on the road or track means leaning your body to the inside of the corner.
When adventure or offroad riding, keep your body straight up and push the handlebar and footpeg downwards.
9. Sit Down
Standing up is necessary when you travel straight or around a gentle curve. But you need to sit back down for sharper corners.
Keep your upper body straight up and push the handlebar downward. Stick your leg out but that leg’s knee should touch the bike. Splaying your leg wide will have the bike sliding and can lead to a lowside.
10. Throttle Control
Throttle control is probably the single most important control in adventure riding (so is on the road, as a matter of fact).
Modulate the throttle smoothly when turning it on or shutting it. Roll it on, roll it off – never slam it open or slam it shut.
If the bike slides in a turn, don’t slam shut the throttle like what your instinct tells you to do. A slide doesn’t mean the bike is totally out of control. It’s just a sign that the sliding tyre or tyres have less traction.
Instead, you could maintain the same throttle position and lift the bike up slightly by either using your leg or the handlebar, or both. If you need to slow down more, remember to roll off the throttle. Cutting the throttle immediately when the bike is sliding will cause an abrupt back-torque (engine braking) and that will result in the tyre breaking all available traction.
When we tested the Versys-X, we noticed that the engine’s power is softer initially, before picking up at 3000 RPM. On one hand, that’s to not scare beginners, but it’s also meant for smoother throttle response when adventure riding. The model is also equipped with a Slip & Assist clutch to control engine braking.
11. Don’t Jump on it!
As with the throttle, you should also be smooth on the brakes. Never grab the brakes but apply pressure progressively.
Additionally, do not brake in a slide. Use the throttle.
Similar to the throttle, the Versys-X’s front brake is a little soft at the beginning of its stroke.
12. Look!
The simple adage applies: “You go where you look.”
Don’t stare at the big rock in your path if you don’t intend to hit it. Look to the sides and you will miss it.
So, there you go. Follow these pointers and you will want to forget about road riding and who knows, you may devote yourself to adventure riding. These tips may seem complicated at first, but they are actually rather simple and straightforward when you put them together.
Enjoy that waterfall!
Everyone wants a bit of an adventure in their lives. Whether it’s heading to the office during weekdays or going on weekend rides to experience some freedom from the harsh realities of the everyday life, we tend to look for that extra special bit just to make things a bit more exciting. (more…)
What is it that makes a good adventure bike? Is it a brand? Or a certain look? Or a particular engine or perhaps it should have about a hundred different rider aids? We asked some friends and the general answers were that a good adventure bike should be simple to repair, lightweight, comfortable with good suspension and it should have good fuel range as well.
Well there are lots of bikes that meet all those criteria, and the latest one is this – the Kawasaki Versys X 250. I have to admit to being a little excited about meeting this bike, which is odd because it is not one of those bikes you would normally call beautiful, and neither is it particularly powerful. It is just a plain, functional simple green Kawasaki with tall suspension and seat height. I was excited because this is the bike that signals that all is well in the motorcycle industry and manufacturers are creating more and more models to meet rising demand. An adventure bike for less than RM25,000, who would have imagined we would have bikes like this 10 years ago. It is a brilliant idea, and one that gives almost everyone a chance to own a good bike.
You see, at just RM23,789 with GST, the Versys X 250 is now the cheapest adventure bike in the market right now. It is also quite a big, tall bike and could be considered as a almost full-sized tourer. And with more people relying on two wheels to commute and to travel, the Versys X 250 is the one bike that could potentially offer it all – add some boxes and you will have ample storage space, it has good fuel range and it is cheap to buy. This is the bike that is capable of taking you around the world tomorrow should you want to. It is prepared, and even comes with tubed tyres, something that is easy to repair anywhere.
But lets manage expectations first. To begin with, the X is not powerful, at all. It offers just 31hp at 11,500rpm and 21.7Nm of torque at 10,000rpm. This means it has a high revving nature, and acceleration is just that, and the bike wheezes its way to a top speed of 150km/h. I managed 161km/h but that was on a downhill, so that’s cheating, sort of. The foot pegs too vibrate way too hard at high speeds, making it uncomfortable and leaves your feet buzzing for a good 10 minutes after stepping off the bike. But that’s it, that is all that is wrong with the baby X. Everything else about it is good enough.
The sitting position for one is similar to the Versys 650. The seat has been plucked off the bigger Versys 650 and feels comfortable on the Versys-X, good enough for a long ride north in fact. Tall riders will love the sitting position, which is similar to that of bigger adventure bikes, minus the weight. Talking about weight, this bike tips the scales at just 173 kilograms, which can be considered as ultra-light in the world of touring/adventure/dual purpose motorcycles.
The 249cc engine, though nothing spectacular, was designed to balance power and fuel consumption. The 17-litre tank offers a range of about 260-300 kilometres, something overlanders will appreciate. The engine is a liquid-cooled unit with double overhead cams (DOHC), eight-valves with parallel mounted cylinders. Most of the power it generates is at the bottom and mid-range of the rpm band and peaks at the very top between 10,000 – 11,500rpm, and it is because of this that you need to downshift when cruising at higher gears if you suddenly need more power; there is very little acceleration power in high gears.
But it is this low-ratio gears and high-revving character that makes the Versys-X such a capable machine when off-roading, as we found out during the recent official test ride in Rawang. Part of the route took us into a plantation, and because it had been raining, sand had turned into mud with little to no grip, great fun it was and the character of the engine and the lightweight nature of the Versys-X truly came alive here. The low-ratios means you have to use first or second gear through the slipperies and gives you access to power throughout the tall rev-band. And the ride height of 180mm ensured the bottom never met the mud, and with a weight of just 173 kilograms, it was steady through the tight spots and thick mud, parts where heavier bikes will struggle. I have to admit that the Versys X 250 was fun and nimble for a rookie off-roader.
The Versys-X was obviously designed to tackle both tarmac and off-road. The all-new rigid backbone frame was specially designed to handle external shocks like the hard knocks and bumps you get when riding off-road. It was also designed to make the bike sturdy when carrying a pillion and luggage.
The suspension too was good enough for us with 41mm of fork travel up front designed to soak up everything the road could throw at it and a bottom-link, uni-trak, gas-charged fork with adjustable pre-load at the rear. The front fork is connected to a 19-inch wheel while the rear measures in at 17 inches. The varying wheel size and the long forks gives the bike good handling, though there were some members of the media who thought 21 inches would have been better, low and high speed handling is already pretty good.
The Kawasaki Versys-X 250 was a rather pleasant bike to ride. You can’t tell how good a bike is just by looking at it, and the Versys-X 250 cannot be judged just by the way it looks. In fact it has a larger than life spirit to it, the kind that is willing to go anywhere, anytime and is able to do it well. Kawasaki Malaysia even specified a multi-function LCD panel that clearly indicates speed, rpm, and even a gear position indicator, which gives the bike a high-tech touch and doesn’t leave you feeling short changed.
The Versys-X 250 is currently the only bike of its kind in the market right now, and it doesn’t seem like there will be any competitors any time soon. So if it is a light, cheap, do -anything, go-anywhere kind of bike you want, the Versys-X 250 is the bike you want!
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