Versys 650 Long Term Review

   • Lake Superior Circle Tour  

Versys 650 Long Term Review

This is a 2013 Versys 650. “Versys” means “Versatile System”. Its a 650 Ninja with an upright riding position… with a strange name. Mixed equal parts sport, commuter and adventure bike, its a three piece swiss army knife.

I’m Joe Beau and I just finished up a Lake Superior Circle Tour, traveling over 2,000 miles in eight days. I’ll tell you what I liked, what I didn't and what I’ve done to improve the riding experience. Here is my long term review of the Versys 650.

Ergonomics

This seat fit me well. I stood up on the pegs for short stretches after 100 miles or so to round out my butt. Though there wasn’t a gas stop or end of day when I felt the seat had shortened my ability to ride. This seat is plenty big enough to move around on. Sometimes I ride to the back of the driver seat cushion though most times I prefer to ride snuggled up to the tank.

Occasionally I would use my pillion positioned dry bag as a backrest. It’s a pretty sweet set up.

Rider comfort add ons

The Zero Gravity wind screen and Givi deflector create a pocket of calm air. The stock screen was far to short for me. Even for commuting much less touring. These BarkBusters save my hands from freezing and from getting super soaked. They definitely kept the branches from slapping my knuckles too. I would not ride without these!

Riding Position
I’m 5’10” with a 32” inseam. The handle bars are in their stock position. The seat to pegs distance fits me well too.

Engine, performance & wrap up

Before heading out on this trip I had some concerns that the Versys 650 might be a little light for the trip. It was the smallest bike I saw on the entire Circle Tour.

The Versys is not perfect. Its buzzy at highway speed and a maintenance free drivetrain and cruise control would be sweet, but.… I really like that this bike is so light and easy to handle.

It kind just reminds me of the 125 Enduro I grew up riding. This bike suits me well. Mostly on road commuting, some off road and even a long milage tour, the Versys gets its done.

Click on the link in the description box to see the full video of the Lake Superior Circle tour. Special thanks Alex Beau for the camera work. I’m Joe Beau. Thanks for watching.