VOLUME 56 ISSUE 22 JUNE 4, 2019 P103
(Left) Arizona is a
touring rider's paradise,
and the Kawasaki
fits that type of rider
perfectly. (Below L-R)
Now you can mess
around with your bike
to your heart's content,
all while sipping a beer
at the end of the day.
Quickshifter love has
arrived for the Versys.
of the Kawasaki's behavior. A
five-axis IMU, the Bosch system
calculates acceleration along lon-
gitudinal, transverse and vertical
axes along with roll rate and pitch
rate, with the sixth axis (yaw)
calculated by the ECU.
As such, the new KECS, KTRC
(Kawasaki TRaction Control),
KIBS (Kawasaki Intelligent anti-
lock Brake System), and corner-
ing lights, rely on the IMU for total
clarity. The only electronic parts of
the bike not directly affected by the
IMU input are the new KQS (Kawa-
saki Quick Shift), heated grips and
the new cruise control system.
Mechanically, the 2019 Versys
1000 motor is the same 1043cc
capacity and six-speed gearbox
as before, mated to new ETV's
(electronic throttle valves) and
new fuel injection settings for
smoother throttle response, es-
pecially at low rpm. The exhaust
headers 1-4 and 2-3 have been
reshaped; there's a new exhaust
catalyzer, and the muffler has
been slightly changed.
The chassis is also the same
as last year with the aluminum
twin-tube design that uses the
motor as a stressed member of
the chassis, with steel tubing
used for the subframe.
One of the big things for 2019—
aside from the acronym party—is
the fact the Versys 1000 has gone
