2016 EICMA Motorcycle Show: Kawasaki Versys-X 300

If you got excited looking at the new BMW G 310 GS, then, the Kawasaki Versys-X 300 will definitely grab your attention. The new motorcycle is the latest entry-level adventure offering from the Akashi based two-wheeler giant. The Kawasaki Versys-X 300 will employ the same 300cc motor as seen on the Ninja 300 but gets an all-new chassis for its off-road exploits. Being an adventure tourer bike it gets a tall screen, quarter fairing, spoke wheels and long travel suspension to endow it with quintessential dual purpose motorcycle stance. 

The bike will be offered in two additional accessory variants - ‘Versys-X 300 Urban’ which gets tank pad, hand guards, centrestand and a 30 litre topbox. The Versys-X 300 Adventure on the other hand sports tank pad, tubular engine guard, centrestand and a pair of 17 litre panniers. The parallel-twin, liquid-cooled motor could be tuned for better low-end performance and given our experience with the Ninja 300, refinement levels of the mill will be impressive. For some bashing off the tarmac, the frame is suspended on long-travel 41mm telescopic fork up front, and a Uni-Trak gas charged monoshock at the rear. The adventure bike rides on IRC Trail Winner dual purpose tyres.

Slipper clutch is standard and so is ABS to safeguard the rider from sticky conditions. It is expected that the Kawasaki Versys-X 300 will weigh around 170kg and saddle height could be as low as 800mm. The bike features a part-analogue-part digital instrument console with the analogue tachometer taking centre stage. Kawasaki also claims that if the Versys-X 300 is ridden in eco mode, the bike will have a range of over 380km on a full tank, which means less fuel breaks during mile munching.