Kawasaki Versys 650 (2025) - Review

Kawasaki don’t pretend their adventure-styled Versys range are off-road adventure bikes. They understand that pretty much every journey on any motorcycle is an adventure. Plus, Kawasaki understand that the typical Versys buyer knows what they want and are making a well-researched and informed decision.

So, the Versys 650 is a road bike dressed up in adventure trousers. It shares much with the road-styled ER-6, Ninja 650, Z650 and Vulcan. Like the ER-6, the Versys has been with us since 2006, although it didn’t always look this good.

And what is ‘adventure’ anyway. Does it have to involve mud, dust and busted shoulder? Thankfully not. There are plenty of riders who understand how the scenery, smells and taste of the air are just as important as skids, wheelies and lean angles. It’s the difference between only remembering the dancing ribbon of grey tarmac in front of you or looking up to take in the lakes, mountains and lasting memories.

And, of course, ideally, you get a bit of both. That’s what I call an adventure.

So what you need is a bike that’s versatile enough to get you to the landscapes in comfort, capable enough to be able to really ride them, but also relaxed so you can take a passenger, slow down every now and then and make some memories together.

If only manufacturers could make it easy for us to know which of their bikes were the most versatile by how they named them?

The Versys 650 has a big bike feel and comes well-equipped for the price next to its Japanese rivals. Eighteen months ago, this was one of the best value bikes around, but there’s a wave of well-equipped Chinese middleweight adventure bikes for a lot less money, making the decision to buy a Versys harder than before.

Should you still choose from the green corner?

Pros & Cons

Matt grey/green or white/black/blue are £100 extra.

2025 Kawasaki Versys 650 - Price & PCP Deals

List price is £8075 otr in black plus another £100 if you prefer white with blue and black detailing or the matt grey/black and green finish of our test bike. Looking around the dealers reveals plenty of offers on new bikes. The Versys is unchanged since 2022, and typical dealer prices are around £7300 at the time of writing (summer 2025).

Our test bike was in Grand Tourer spec (see equipment panel below) which comes with top case, taller screen, fog lights, panniers (not photographed) and a list price approaching £10k.

PCP deals on list price for the base (£8075) model with a £1000 deposit and paid over three years work out at £130.28 a month with a final payment of £4061 at 8.9% APR.

Resale values appear to be very strong though with three-year-old bikes in dealers wearing an asking price of £6-6500, which seems optimistic given the discounts on a new one.

This engine has been brilliant in roadsters, sports bikes, all-rounders and cruisers.

2025 Kawasaki Versys 650 - Engine & Performance

Kawasaki’s 649cc parallel twin has been with us since 2006. It makes 66bhp and 50lb-ft of torque and is as close to being bulletproof as any engine ever. In that time, it has been gently tweaked and improved with fuelling updates to help pass emissions laws where Kawasaki also took the opportunity to smooth out power delivery and improve mpg.

This version doesn’t meet Euro 5+ emissions laws introduced in 2025, but there’s a lightly tweaked Versys coming for 2026 which does.

On the road it feels lively enough in the bottom half of the revs to slip through traffic without jerking around or excess revving. It will happily leave most four wheelers behind at the lights and 80mph motorway cruising uses around 6,000rpm of the 10,000 available. Top speed is around 120mph and there’s a little more urgency in the top half of the tacho when you forget your age and ride like you used to. The Versys is a heavy bike for a 650 and is best thought of as a lightweight tourer or flexible all-rounder than fire-breathing road burner.

The clutch is light, and gear selection is always positive, but the gearchange mechanism (on our test bike, at least) is stiff and needs a deliberate movement to work well.

Laid-down rear shock is shared with Kawasaki’s other 650 twins. It’s a big bike which aids comfort but also adds weight

2025 Kawasaki Versys 650 - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

The term ‘handling’ means different things to different riders. If we’re talking about cornering ability the Versys is definitely in the ‘easy-going’ camp. Wide handlebars help it steer predictably, and you can tweak your line through a turn without upsetting the bike. The suspension is firm enough to not crash to earth on the brakes or pogo back up when you let them off. Which means the bike stays stable on the way into a corner and is consistent on the way out.

Despite the adventure styling the chassis is closely related to the other 650 twins in Kawasaki’s range including the 17-in road-sized wheels and tyres. That’s a good thing because it makes handling closer to a road bike than the styling suggests.

On fast A-roads it’s a lovely place to be. Great visibility, reassuring, confident steering and suspension that copes well with bumps, potholes and lazy changes of direction.

Bumpy B-roads are more of a challenge but that’s the same for most bikes. You’re asking a lot more of the suspension and usually, the Versys delivers.

Handling is also about how well a bike snicks and flicks through traffic in town and soaks up the craters. The Kawasaki is well-balanced at low speeds and has that feel of a bike that’s been tweaked and evolved through several iterations till it’s just about perfect in these situations.

The seat is tall and 219kg is a lot of weight for a 650 twin, but the flexible power delivery and considered balance of the chassis makes filtering easy.

Like so much else on the Versys the brakes feel like they’ve evolved to be just what’s needed. Twin front discs and twin-piston calipers work well with enough power and initial bite, but a consistent delivery of stopping power to help the rider feel in control. ABS is there but not intrusive and you can use the rear brake in corners for some added stability without the ABS butting-in.

Seat is comfy for both rider and pillion, this Grand Tourer version has a taller screen.

2025 Kawasaki Versys 650 - Comfort & Economy

This is not an adventure bike, but no one seemed to tell Kawasaki’s seat height team. 845mm is a long way up and the seat is quite wide too. I’m six-foot tall and can flat foot both sides but not without scuffing my boots on the seat as I swing a leg over.

Once on board it’s a comfy place to be. The rider triangle (handlebars, seat, footrests) makes for a natural riding position, and the adjustable screen offers some respite from the wind noise depending on your height and choice of helmet.

My longest journeys were 150-mile motorway slogs with at least an hour of brisk filtering on each one. I mention that because it’s the kind of riding where you can get tense and achy from the stress and continual shoulder checks (we used to call them lifesavers, but not anymore apparently). I didn’t have any issues on the Versys and even my creaky old knees didn’t start aching until past the two-hour mark.

Fuel consumption is good but not exceptional. I averaged 57mpg, which is 5mpg more than last time I rode a Versys 650 in 2012 and a measure of how much more efficient modern fuel injection has become. But Honda’s NC750X and Yamaha’s Tracer 7 are both capable of at least 5mpg more. The Versys goes further than both on a tank of fuel though with a 21-litre capacity and theoretical range of around 260 miles.

Simple switchgear controls a useful, well-specced TFT display.

2025 Kawasaki Versys 650 - Equipment

The standard bike comes with an 11cm TFT display, mobile connectivity, traction control, adjustable screen and LED headlights. There are plenty of options from luggage to heated grips, fog lights, handguards and lots more.

Some of these are packaged up into a Tourer model and Grand Tourer too. The Tourer includes 2x 28L panniers, inner bags and handguards and costs £800 more while the Grand tourer adds a 47L top case, GPS bracket, USB outlet, taller windscreen and LED fog lights and has a list price of £9899.

2025 Kawasaki Versys 650 - Rivals

Until this year the Versys’ main rivals were Japanese but there are a handful of really interesting Chinese options on the market in 2025. For this review we’ll focus on the Honda, Yamaha and Triumph opposition because there are still a lot of unknowns around the Chinese bikes.

Honda NC750X 2025 | Price: £7599

Read more

Power/Torque

58bhp / 51lb-ft

Weight

226kg

Yamaha Tracer 7 2025 | Price: £8804

Read more

Power/Torque

72bhp / 50lb-ft

Weight

203kg

Triumph Tiger Sport 660 | Price: £8995

Read more

Power/Torque

80bhp / 47lb-ft

Weight

207kg

It’s a great bike…at the right price.

2025 Kawasaki Versys 650 - Verdict

Before you ride one it’s not always easy to see why anyone would want a Versys 650 in 2025. Like Honda’s NC750 it’s one of those bikes that’s easy to file under ‘worthy’ while understanding that motorcycling isn’t a passion driven by words like that. The Kawasaki’s biggest advantage in recent years has been price, undercutting the Honda with a bit more to be knocked off at dealers too.

That’s changed this year. The Honda NC750X has been improved and got slightly cheaper, Yamaha revamped the Tracer 7 with a better spec and styling with broader appeal and suddenly, the Versys is fighting harder for sales.

It’s still the most roomy and that engine has a reputation for being unbreakable, but the rivals aren’t exactly lacking here either.

And then you ride it. And you remember that motorcycles are about more than the numbers on the spec sheet and pre-conceptions. There’s something ‘just right’ about the Versys 650. It’s easy to use, well-balanced, forgiving and enjoyable. But, as we said at the top of this review, it’s a bike that lets you enjoy the journey and remember the landscapes as well as providing a squeeze of your adrenals when required.

It's a bike you’d buy for the price and then find more and more things to love about it. There’s a solidity and re-assurance about the way it’s put together and the expectation that you might well grow old together. Buying a Versys 650 is like opting-out of the motorcycle marketing machine of ‘faster-bigger-fancier’ and remembering why you love riding in the first place.

I’ve never bought a bike with those expectations at the top of my list, but I can see the appeal.

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2025 Kawasaki Versys 650 - Technical Specification

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MCIA Secured gives motorcycles a rating out of five stars (three stars for bikes of 125cc or less), based on the following being fitted to a new bike as standard:

• A steering lock that meets the UNECE 62 standard

• An ignition immobiliser system

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The higher the star rating, the better the security, so always ask your dealer what rating your bike has and compare it to other machines on your shortlist.

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