2017 Kawasaki Versys-X 300

9th November 2016

296cc | Adventure styling | Review | Specs

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A 296cc, 62mm x 49mm, liquid-cooled, DOHC parallel twin engine. Six-speeds. An assist & slipper clutch. 41mm front fork. A Uni-Trak monoshock rear end. Nissin brakes. Adventure bike styling. Maybe 350 - 380lbs to haul around. And a relatively low seat height (no details). It sounds like the latest addition to the Kawasaki Versys-X family. More specifically, the X-300.

The Big K has just released details of this fairly little K (EICMA Show, November 2016), and we can see a wide appeal for this bike. It's designed for newcomers to the motorcycle market, but we can see plenty of older and more experienced riders taking a test ride on this with a view to purchase.

It looks like a great little runabout for either the urban or extra-urban environment, and it's underpinned by the engine from the Kawasaki Ninja Z300. The horsepower is likely to be somewhere between 30 and 40, which is pretty modest, but more than enough for plenty of riders looking for stylish transport at realistic speeds.

The wheels are 19-inch front (with a 100/90 RC Trail Winner tyre), and a 17-inch rear. The brakes are budget-end Nissin calipers, but naturally ABS is standard.

The instruments include an analogue tacho with twin LCD screens displaying gear position, trip, remaining fuel range, consumption info and speed. There's also an "Eco" symbol to show you when you're saving the planet. At best, there's a range of around 240 miles (Kawasaki's figures).

There's also a pretty decent looking windscreen coupled with narrow-ish bars to keep you tucked away tidily. And if you want to accessorise, you'll be able to talk to your local dealer about the Versys-X 300 Urban package which includes a tank pad, a centre stand, hand shields and a 30-litre topbox, or the Versys-X 300 Adventure (tank pad, centre stand, engine guard, and 17-litre panniers).

We've never been fans of Kawasaki's green livery. To our eyes, it looks cheap and ... well, plastic. But a grey options looks on the cards.

If this bike interests you, you'll want to check for later news stories and details. Kawasaki hasn't given too much away with this one, so it's possible a few things will change before the bike hits the shops.

Clearly, Kawasaki is gunning for riders of the Suzuki V-Strom 250 and the BMW G310 GS. But how well it compares remains to be seen when the road testing gets under way.

Prices to follow. Customers too, we reckon.

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