mmmmmmm... versys

[tonyd]

Picked up a 2008 Kawi Versys over at Max BMW in NY this week.
Nice folks to work with over there.

Love the bike even though I have not had a chance for a longer ride on it yet. FUN FUN FUN bike around town.

[toocrazy2yoo]

Nice. Didja get it new, Tony? Man, I saw those Versys at Greater Boston Motorsports waitin' on my bike today, man, they look like fun. If I was gonna do a second bike, that might be the one.. That Kawi 1000 standard looks like fun, too. And then I went over to the BMW side and...

Ah, fuck me, every bike in every showroom looks like fun, who am I kiddin'?

Can't buy everything..

[tonyd]

Not new. 2008 with 2900 miles, in great shape.

The New BMW's looked great but too rich for my checkbook too.

[toocrazy2yoo]

Not new. 2008 with 2900 miles, in great shape.

The New BMW's looked great but too rich for my checkbook too.

2900 miles? Do motorcycle salesmen get demo's and trade em? How's that only have 2800? Ok I ask what ya paid? Just tell me fuggoff if it's private..

[tonyd]

Price story is funny. They were asking $4999, called them to work a deal best they would do is $4600. I ended up buying it from their ebay auction for $4101 a week later.
I think its a pretty good deal considering it has Givi bags set up and swmoto engine gaurds. The best deal I could find private sale was 4200 for stock setup or $3900 for a one that needed some plastic work. I'm sure their will be some private sale deals this fall but I did want to wait. I know there are some good rebates on new 2009's still at dealers if you want to go new.

Took the long way into work thsi am and I'm still smiling!

[schleppy]

I had a Versys for a few months. The bike was very good at a lot of things, but not great at any one thing. Very comfortable though, and a solid all-arounder.

[KawiSmurf]

The bike was very good at a lot of things, but not great at any one thing. Very comfortable though, and a solid all-arounder.

That was exactly how I often described its fraternal twin, the Ninja 650R. Really hard to find a fault with it, but after 3 years I'm not sure I ever really fell in love with it. Both are great bikes (as well as the ER-6n), well worth the money, IMO. Sounds like you got a great deal, tonyd.

[tonyd]

I'm an all around sorta guy. Shit I did a cross country trip, a track day, and lived on 3 miles of dirt road with my first bike...Bandit600. It wasn't designed for any of that but it worked and held up for 50,000 trouble free miles before I moved on.

I Would rather whip a 70hp bike than ride around with 110hp between my legs. Would rather keep my teeth in my head on shitty New England Roads than have razor sharp handling on the 1 mile of fresh pavement in VT. I have to sit upright to save my shitbox of a left shoulder. I like to take short cuts on dirt roads, but do zero trail riding. Tall saddle lets me see inside soccer moms SUVs to see if they have a fat ass. Side cases are suprisingly light and waaaayy useful.
It's not perfect but I love it so far, and it is my favorite bike for real world everyday riding.

Reminds me of an SV650 motor in a dirtbike chasis... and yes it is far better than a vstrom650 on pavement.

[bryco13]

I picked up a ninja 650r for the versatility factor, and even though i occasionally put her up for sale, its more cause i want something new, not something better. i wish the versys had come out a bit sooner, i would have got one of those instead, i like the higher seating and ground clearance. Good pick up!

[Duffy]

Guy from work bought a red one 2 yrs ago. He STILL loves it. I think it was his first bike too. I was checking out the new 650R (the new green, kinda liked it). I like how they separated the headlight. It looked real sharp. When I look for new bike next year it will be on my list. I'm just not sure how I would like the power difference though.