BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY JASON ABBOTT
I
'm always a little perplexed when manufac-
turers decide to bring one model into one
country and not another. Take Kawasaki's
Versys 1000, for instance. This model has
been available in Europe and Australia since its
inception back in 2011, yet this is the first time
it's been available in the U.S. At face value,
it's more suited to the U.S. market than Italy,
England or New Zealand, all markets where you
could buy the old one. The roads are longer, the
straights, well, straighter, traffic more infuriating,
the country is just bigger in every way. Comfort
and speed is king here, so the Versys should fit
right in.
I've spent a lot of time on various Versys over
the years and have never been disappointed,
nor have I been overly wowed. Actually, scratch
that. I was disappointed with the looks of the
non-U.S. imported Versys – it had a face like
a half-sucked mango and inspired little in the
'check-out-my-sexy-motorcycle' stakes.
But plastic surgeons can do great things
these days. They can turn someone from
VOL. 52 ISSUE 28 JULY 14, 2015 P53
GO WEST!
KAWASAKI'S VERSYS 1000 IS LOCKED AND LOADED
AND READY TO RIDE TO THE END OF THE EARTH.
