The Versys 1100 runs the
ubiquitous six-axis Bosch IMU
that looks after cornering trac
-
tion control, ABS, and cornering
lights, so you're in good hands
there. Traction control is one of
three levels plus Off, which allows
you (if you so choose) to loft up
the front wheel when the feeling
takes your fancy.
The Versys 1100 SE LT ABS
features a five-piece cast alu
-
minum frame and steel trellis
subframe—the same as before—
housing one of the biggest pas-
senger seats I've ever seen and
a possible payload being a very
stout 485 pounds so you, the
other half, and a bunch of gear in
the standard fitment 28-liter side
cases will be fine for a weekend
away.
Once you're loaded up, you'll
be glad that you've got the
Kawasaki Electronically Con
-
trolled Suspension technology
(KECS) underneath you. Although
unchanged for 2025, it's still
worthy of a mention, given just
how smooth the ride is at speed.
You're graced with a 43mm
Showa fork and the Showa BFRC-
lite rear shock, with the electron
-
ics changing damping character-
istics every 10 milliseconds.
The electronics suite allows
for preset preload modes of
single rider/single rider with
luggage/two riders/two riders
with luggage, as per many of the
top-line sport touring bikes in
the category, and within these
modes, the rider can fine-tune
each level to plus or minus five
VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P95
