P92
RIDE REVIEW I 2025 KAWASAKI VERSYS 1100 SE LT
Only when the revs reach north of 8000 rpm do any no-
ticeable niggles creep into the handlebars and feet, but by
then, you're either searching for the next gear or doing
130 mph in top gear on the freeway.
Getting that go to the ground is a revised six-speed
gearbox that has shorter ratios for first through fourth
gears, with fifth and sixth gears taller for more sedate high-
way cruising. That means at around 65 mph, you're doing
almost bang on 4000 rpm, right in the torquey sweet spot.
Significantly, the Kawasaki Quick Shifter's (KQS) opera-
tional range has been expanded and now functions from
1500 rpm and up, a reduction from the previous model's
2500 rpm, to smooth out low-speed and -rpm gear shifting,
like riding out of parking lots or away from traffic lights.
Kawasaki has made the quickshifter so smooth it
almost feels boring. The shift in cog is about as close
to imperceptible as mechanically possible for a produc
-
tion bike, which is great for quick, seamless gearshifts
but gives the motor an almost vacuum cleaner feel to
it. I can already hear Kawasaki screaming at me, ask
-
ing what else it could do, but it's a feeling more than a
couple of testers had on the launch in Mexico.
