2025 Kawasaki Versys 1100
The brand new 2025 Kawasaki Versys 1100. well, it’s gotta be said, it does look rather similar to the Versys 1000 that came before it.
The thing is, though, although it isn’t a humongous update. In fact, far from it, I actually think Kawasaki might have got this one right.
Engine :
Now, the main change here is the engine, which, as you may guess from the Versys 1100 name has gone up in capacity from the Versys thousand that preceded it.
To be more specific, it’s now gone up to 1099 cc. And that’s up from the 1045 of the versys thousand.
they’ve done it by lengthening the stroke of the engine by 3 mm. On top of that, though, they’ve also made quite a few changes to the internals.
So you’ve got changes to the intake funnels and ports, new ECU settings, and also lower lift cams.
The flywheel is said to be a bit heavier, and there’s also a secondary balancer to keep vibes to a minimum.
And then you’ve got large balancers between the headers, which are said to help with power across the rev range.
Power :
Now, look, a bigger engine is almost always going to lead to more power. And that’s exactly what you get here with a pretty healthy boost up at the top.
So it now makes 133 revolutions per minute. And that’s up from the 118 hp made at the exact same revs on the previous generation.
I don’t think anyone’s gonna complain about an extra 15 hp.
Torque :
But the thing is, with this bike, it’s never really been about competing with other inline four-powered tall tourers like the BMW S 1000 XR, which make way more of their power up at the top.
That bike, for example, makes 170 horses. This one is more so about that usable mid-range and torquiness.
And actually, some of those engine changes that I was just describing, like the lower lift cams, have been specifically designed to give the engine more performance in that area.
So not only do you have more peak torque, there are now 112 Newton meters, around seven and a half thousand revolutions per minute.
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And that’s up from 102 on the versus thousand.
But they also claim there’s a better spread of torque from 4000 to 7000 revolutions per minute.
And that’s exactly where you’re gonna find yourself spending a lot of time when you’re actually riding out on the road.
Quick shifter :
So those are the main ones although there are a few other little updates that are worth flagging up, like the quick shifter, for example, which now operates from lowering the revs so it can go down to 1500 revolutions per minute, which should make it more usable around town, for example.
They also say there are new upper gear ratios which make it more comfortable while cruising.
They say, so I guess those are longer gears, although they don’t give any specifics.
The rear disk has gone up from 250 mil in diameter to 260, so you might get a little more braking part at the rear.
And there’s also a USB C port now fitted as standard. So some neat little tweaks here and there, but ultimately, it’s not a huge change.
if you put the two bikes side by side, both visually and on the spec sheet, well, they really are very similar.
Owners Feedback :
That leads to the question, well, have Kawasaki actually done enough with this update to keep the bike competitive in 2025, or should they have done a little bit more to help it stand out from the crowd? some of the many owners’ reviews that you can find online, and you’ve got to say that overall, they’re really pretty positive.
Generally, people who’ve bought this bike seem to find it comfy and engaging to ride with plenty of features and equipment, especially considering the relatively affordable price.
Most people like the brakes, and most people like the suspension.
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The build quality and reliability is well rated. one of the very few criticisms that I could find, despite people largely enjoying the sort of power and smoothness of the engine, is that a couple of people would just like a little bit more at the top,
specifically for when it comes to two up riding and luggage, which I guess is exactly what this bike is designed for.
It’s certainly not the lightest bike, especially when you’ve got it loaded up.
Just a bit more power would help with those quick overtakes, for example.
And so, effectively, it seems like Kawasaki has dealt with one of the very few grumbles that some owners might have with this particular bike.
Price :
Realistically, the Versys 1000 or Versys 1100 now is never gonna be the lightest, sportiest bike in the market.
if you look at the hardware and components, the braking, the suspension, well, they’re not gonna be the most exotic either.
But thing is, if Kawasaki went absolutely nuts and upgraded all of these parts to put it on a par with some of the more premium bikes in the segment, like the s 1000 XR that I mentioned earlier, then of course, that’s going to heavily affect the price and the value for money seems to be one of its other key selling points.
Now, the base bike has gone up a bit by about 1000 pounds, so it now comes in at 11,899 pounds.
But the S model that gets the TFT dash and cornering headlights and a few other bits like that is 13,649 quid, which is less than 100 up on the previous generation.
It’s a similar story for the range-topping, electronic suspension-equipped SE model, which now comes in at 15,649.
I think it’s fair to say if you look elsewhere on the market at what you can get for that kind of money, then these prices are largely at the more competitive end of the spectrum.
Final word :
So yeah, it’s more of the same, just a little bit better in some departments.
I’d expect that that means that anyone who loves their existing Versys 1000 might be ever so slightly tempted to upgrade to this one, just for a little bit more zip and overtaking power.
Will it win any customers from other tall sports tourers, though? Well, I highly doubt it.
It doesn’t really have any new killer features to make it stand out from the crowd, but it really seems like Kawasaki are playing to their existing customer base with this one.