New riders at the IMS Discover the Ride feature. Photo credit: Manny Pandya/Progressive International Motorcycle Shows.
The Progressive International Motorcycle Shows (IMS) has announced NewTo2.com, an online platform within the shows’ Discover The Ride feature dedicated to educating a new generation of riders.
Discover The Ride, a forward-thinking initiative that serves the entire motorsports industry and new to IMS this year, is designed to introduce riding to those interested in motorcycling. The initiative is comprised of five interactive activities: the New Rider Course in partnership with Zero Motorcycles and Yamaha Power Assist Bicycles, the Kid’s Zone presented by Allstate, XDL Wheelie Experience, Dyno Experience and New To 2.
As a new series of online videos now available to consumers, NewTo2.com includes live presentations at IMS, educating new riders on the world of motorcycling. The videos and live presentations at the show are hosted by Monique Filips and Jordan Diggs, experienced motorcyclists, as well as surprise guests in certain markets, guiding riders through the different types of motorcycles to choose from, the gear needed, how to get started and tons of advice for the journey into motorcycling.
New To 2 live presentations enable crowds of new and non-riders a forum to ask questions and receive answers about motorcycling. In addition to the New To 2 online educational content, the Kid’s Zone presented by Allstate introduced more than 864 kids to Stacyc’s electric balance bikes on a closed course track. Furthermore, countless experience the power and ability to shift through the gears at the Dyno Experience with Ducati, Harley-Davidson and Yamaha. New and experienced riders got a balance check busting a wheelie at the XDL Wheelie Experience.
The next stop on the IMS tour is Minneapolis, followed by Washington D.C., and ending in Chicago. For information and tickets, visit motorcycleshows.com.
With its original livery reflecting the style of the late ’80s, the 1987 Kawasaki KLR650 looked like a big dirt bike but was also good on the street and on long-distance tours. (Photo courtesy Kawasaki)
Here we are, at the beginning of a new year and the end of an era. After a 32-year run (1987-2018), Kawasaki has ceased production of the KLR650. After tens of thousands of units sold and millions of miles ridden around the globe, the legendary dual-sport has been retired. A victim of ever-tightening emissions regulations, the KLR and its lone carburetor are being put out to pasture.
In its early days Kawasaki billed the KLR not as a dual-sport but as a “triple-sport,” a motorcycle good for street, dirt and touring. That aligned perfectly with Rider’s focus on touring, travel and adventure, and since the KLR has always been reasonably priced, even more so when purchased used, it also fit within the limited budgets of staffers and contributors. Editor-in-Chief Mark Tuttle, Managing Editor Jenny Smith and Senior Editor Yours Truly have owned, and loved, KLRs. And long-time dual-sport contributor Arden Kysely owned not one but two KLRs, racking up more than 65,000 miles.
Brochure for the 1987 Kawasaki KLR650.
In the October 2013 issue of Rider, Clement Salvadori wrote his Retrospective column about the 1993-1996 Kawasaki KLX650, a more powerful, more off-road-oriented spin-off of the KLR, and he summed up the icon’s early history:
“On the conservative end was the venerable KLR650, which began life as a 600 in 1984 and showed a very modern approach to dual-sporting as it had the first liquid-cooled engine, with a kickstarter and a smallish gas tank holding just three gallons. For 1985, the engine-starting procedure got an electric leg, and sales showed that customers liked this innovation, the first in the single-cylinder dual-sport world. This 600 grew into a 650 in ’87, and the gas tank grew to 6.1 gallons. This was followed by the brief one-year appearance of the Tengai version in 1990, essentially a restyling of the standard KLR with a Paris-Dakar look and a bigger fairing. These bikes were directed at riders of modest accomplishments who liked to ride 50 miles to a national forest and then potter along dirt roads for half a day.”
Rider’s first test of the Kawasaki KLR650 was a three-bike tour test comparison published in the April 1989 issue.
Salvadori was on hand for the KLR650’s first test in Rider, a three-bike tour test comparison with the Honda Transalp and BMW R100GS published in the April 1989 issue, two years after the KLR650 was introduced. (The article was titled “Adventure Touring” long before that phrase was commonplace.) With Editor Mark Tuttle and Technical Editor Bob Price in tow, Clem led the gang through Death Valley–up Goler Wash, out to Aguereberry Point and through Emigrant Canyon–back when the area was still a national monument (it became a national park in 1994). The KLR proved to be the best off-road bike of the three thanks to its generous low-end torque, 9.1 inches of suspension travel and comparatively low weight. On the road, however, its 651cc single was buzzy (despite having dual counterbalancers) and its front brake was woefully underpowered. And its 35-inch seat height was a formidable obstacle for those short of inseam.
In the years that followed, Rider selected the KL650 Tengai as the “Top Adventure Touring Motorcycle” (May 1990 issue) and published touring features in which the KLR650 played a leading role (“Dirty Duo,” August 1993; “A KLR in Color Country,” May 1995). The KLR soldiered on, selling well and building a loyal following.
Rider published its first solo test of the KLR in the November 1997 issue, written by Arden Kysely. Having gotten the formula right out of the gate, the KLR underwent few changes during its first two decades. A rare round of updates for the 1997 model year were limited to a lighter flywheel, an extra clutch plate and a more conservative color/graphics package. About the KLR’s brakes, Kysely penned this memorable line: “…the front and rear discs muster all the enthusiasm of a teenager cleaning his room.” Weak brakes aside, he praised the KLR for its affordable price, good midrange power and torque, nimble handling, ample range, comfortable seat and ability to carry lots of gear.
Arden Kysely poses with his 1987 KLR650 among the rocks of California’s Mojave Desert on his way home from a 1995 Utah adventure ride.
With fond memories of his years, miles and adventures on KLRs (he put 40,000 miles on his 1989 KLR and 25,000 on his 1997 KLR), Kysely had this to say: “The KLR is no beauty queen, lacks modern electronic rider aids and won’t win many drag races, but there’s no better bike for newbies and veterans on a budget to take exploring. The KLR is for riders who want to enjoy the country they’re riding through, not just blast through to check another route off the list. And it’s the ultimate workhorse–just keep it shod and fed and a KLR will be your faithful companion on many adventures. Compared to more modern bikes, this one-lung adventurer may seem lacking, but it’s simplicity and ruggedness are virtues not found in the high-dollar machines.”
With so many KLRs on (and off) the road–by some estimates, nearly 150,000 were produced–the venerable dual-sport fueled a veritable cottage industry in the aftermarket. In the May 1999 issue of Rider, EIC Tuttle wrote a project bike feature called “King KLR.” Starting with a stock 1998 KLR650, he upgraded the suspension (including an Öhlins shock), handlebar, seat, exhaust, clutch, tires and various odds-and-ends, such as the infamous “doohickey,” the name the KLR community gave to the notoriously failure-prone “balancer chain adjuster lever.” He also swapped the steel gas tank for a lighter plastic one (being translucent, it also provided a low-tech fuel “gauge”) and added hand guards, a taller windscreen, cleated footpegs, a centerstand, a skid plate and soft luggage.
EIC Tuttle’s extensive KLR650 upgrade project was summarized in his feature “King KLR” in the May 1999 issue of Rider.
Having turned the KLR into a more comfortable and versatile adventure tourer, he bought the bike from Kawasaki and kept it in his garage for more than a decade, occasionally using it for two-up camping trips with his wife, Genie. Looking back, Tuttle muses: “Since 1987 the primary benefit of the KLR650 has also been its biggest weakness: size and comfort. Though far lighter than contemporary liter-class ADV bikes, compared to most dual-sport 650 singles the KLR is heavy and has less ground clearance, so it can be a handful in sand and on big hills. At a Jeep-like pace it tackles moderate single-track trails and fire roads just fine, though, and its bigger seat, road-hugging weight and liquid-cooling make it a far better companion on long road rides than its air-cooled competitors.”
Rider EIC Mark Tuttle and wife Genie embarking on a camping trip on the 1998 “King KLR” replete with Acerbis front disc and hand guards, IMS tank and Happy Trails panniers. No one ever told said you can’t ride off-road two-up, so they often did on that trusty KLR, though sometimes Mark asked Genie to dismount and hike some of the gnarlier bits.
Tuttle continued: “My most memorable KLR650 experience was road-racing one on a 150-mile white-knuckled sprint from Ensenada to San Felipe in Baja, Mexico, a La Carrera homage probably put on by the late great Loyal Truesdale. Even though the road was closed and the bike topped out at the ton, I lost count of the close calls after the fifth burro encounter….”
When I joined the Rider staff in 2008, I convinced EIC Tuttle to let me borrow his kitted-out KLR for an adventure-bike ride with a group organized by our local BMW dealer. After borrowing it a couple more times, scratching it up and developing a genuine fondness for the KLR, I pestered Tuttle for months to sell it to me. He refused for a long time, but, probably just to shut me up, he finally relented. Most of my buddies rode expensive BMW GSs, but I loved my low-tech KLR.
Senior Editor Greg Drevenstedt is all smiles during his first ride on King KLR in California’s Los Padres National Forest.
Thanks to the KLR, I learned how to ride a big dual-sport/adventure bike, tackling sand washes and technical hill climbs, crashing more times than I’d care to admit. I referred to my KLR as the Mountain Goat because it would go just about anywhere…not particularly fast, but it was a trooper. And riding the KLR wasn’t “work.” I didn’t have to worry about damaging a test bike or evaluating the bike I was on, so I could just ride for riding’s sake. Riding the KLR on national forest roads and trails throughout the Angeles, Los Padres and Sequoia national forests and all over the Mojave Desert reminded me of my high school days, when I would explore trails on my mountain bike. And I met a lot of great people on group rides, several of whom are some of my best friends to this day.
Providing access to views like this, from atop Cameusa Peak in California’s Los Padres National Forest, is what makes the KLR650 such an endearing motorcycle.
King KLR and I had eight good years together, but the reality was that it spent much more time parked in the garage than it did out on adventures, and today’s ethanol-blended gas (and my neglect) took its toll on the fuel petcock and the tiny jets in the carburetor. With a twinge of sadness, I sold it to a good friend–the very same guy who led the first and many of the best rides I had on the KLR. It’s still in the family, so to speak, and I think of that bike every morning when I drink coffee out of my KLR650 mug.
The KLR got its first and only major update for the 2008 model year, with engine tweaks for smoother and stronger power delivery, better suspension and brakes, a more supportive seat and new switchgear and bodywork. Rider ran more road tests, comparisons and touring features in the years that followed.
This tricked-out 2009 KLR650 carried Managing Editor Jenny Smith (in her pre-Rider days) on many adventures, including two trips to the Overland Expo outside Flagstaff, Arizona (shown here). As Marketing Director for Twisted Throttle, she outfitted it with full crash protection, soft waterproof luggage, auxiliary LED lights and a custom seat by Steve Gowing.
Managing Editor Jenny Smith, who joined the Rider staff in 2016, owned a second-gen KLR: “As a dedicated sport rider, dual-sport motorcycles were never on my radar–until I moved to Colorado. Suddenly I found myself and my Honda RC51 left behind while my new group of friends hit the myriad of forest roads and trails on weekends. When I expressed interest, they were nearly unanimous: buy a KLR650. I found a bone-stock, low-mileage 2009 at the local dealership and will never forget my first foray off-pavement. We pulled to a stop at the open gate to ‘air down’ (what in the world??), then I followed them into the forest and onto a rollercoaster of a jeep trail, laughing in amazed, unbridled joy as we splashed through puddles, clawed up rocky hills and paused regularly to soak in the scenery. I was hooked, and for the next four years the KLR (soon outfitted thoroughly with crash protection, lights and luggage) was my ticket to some of the most challenging and beautiful rides I’ve ever experienced. I saw what was at the end of those dirt roads, camped in the wilderness, fell down (a lot), picked the bike back up, learned to carry a quart of oil on any long trip and fell back in love with motorcycling.”
Playing around in Death Valley on the 2014 Kawasaki KLR650 New Edition. (Photo by Alfonse Palaima)
One of my fondest memories of the KLR was a two-day ride through Death Valley for the press launch of the 2014 KLR650 New Edition, which got firmer suspension, a new seat and new color options. Twenty-five years after the KLR first appeared in Rider, a group of us covered some of the same terrain on bikes that, apart from minor updates, had essentially the same liquid-cooled 651cc single, same frame, same 35-inch seat height and same 6.1-gallon fuel tank. KLRs made in the final years of the production run were certainly better than the early models, but in some ways the KLR has been timeless. And it’s even cheaper now than it was three decades ago.
Back in 1989, when we published our first comparison test featuring the KLR650, its MSRP was $3,499 ($7,164 in 2018 dollars). MSRP for 2018 KLR650s that remain on dealer floors is $6,699, a savings of $465 in current dollars from the 1989 model. But on the Cycle Trader website there are scads of new, 0-mile KLR650s going for less than $6,000, with some even listed for less than $5,000. And if you’re in the market for a used KLR, the possibilities are nearly as limitless as the aftermarket products designed specifically for the crowd-pleasing dual-, er, triple-sport.
Officially it may be the end of the KLR, but the adventures will continue for many years to come.
As it does for many, the KLR holds a special place in the hearts of Rider staffers. Hearing the distinctive tweet from the exhaust of a KLR riding by immediately transports us back to memorable adventures, carefree days and campfire nights.
Will we see the KLR return in a year or two, minimally updated with fuel injection and an emissions-compliant exhaust system (like the KLX250 did)? Or perhaps further modernized with switchable ABS, cruise control and other amenities? Whether or not Kawasaki revives the venerable KLR, its legend is secure as one of the most affordable, reliable, versatile and enjoyable motorcycles ever produced.
If you’ve noticed more motorcycles tucked inside garages across the country, or parked out front, you’re not imagining things. Eight percent of U.S. households had at least one bike in 2018, the most ever recorded in decades of polling by the Motorcycle Industry Council.
Motorcycle households rose from 6.94 percent in 2014 (the last full survey) to a record 8.02 percent in 2018, an increase of more than 1.5 million homes. The United States Census Bureau’s most recent estimate put the number of U.S. households at 126,224,000. The MIC Owner Survey found that 10,124,400 of those homes had a motorcycle.
“The household penetration numbers have always been among the most important figures to us,” said MIC President and CEO Tim Buche. “We’re certainly happy to see more homes that have a motorcycle. Riders who talk about motorcycling to friends and neighbors help to inspire people who don’t yet ride.”
The number of motorcycles owned also reached record levels, according to the survey, jumping to 13,158,100 last year, an increase of more than 2.5 million motorcycles compared to 2014. It is even higher than the previous record from 2009 (11,704,500), which followed a long period of high-volume new-bike sales.
The estimated number of motorcycles in use rose to 12,231,000 in 2018, an increase of more than 2 million since 2014. And that number was more than 1 million better than the record figure from 2009, when 11,015,105 motorcycles were in use.
“Modern motorcycles are high-quality machines, enabling the pre-owned market to be a key part of the overall growth in the motorcycle and rider population,” said Jim Woodruff, secretary/treasurer of the MIC Board of Directors and COO of National Powersport Auctions. “The annual pre-owned market is actually three times larger than the new market. Used bikes appeal to many riders because there are so many options in terms of price and style.”
And what about riders who owned more than one motorcycle, or a home that had more than one rider and maybe more than one bike? The 2018 survey revealed that the number of motorcycles per household with a bike stood at 1.30, up slightly compared with 2014 when it was 1.23, but down compared to 1.53 recorded in 2009.
The percentage of motorcycles in running order was down 3 percentage points, from 96.1 percent in 2014 to 93 percent in 2018. But compared to a decade ago (94.1 percent) it was only down one percentage point last year.
“As used units become a larger part of the overall motorcycle population, it’s not surprising to see a slight decrease in the percentage of operating units,” Woodruff said. “Our research shows that the average age of a pre-owned motorcycle sold in the U.S. is approximately eight years old. Plus, vintage bikes are on trend now and many riders are keeping non-runners as part of their collection.”
About the MIC: The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect and promote motorcycling through government relations, communications and media relations, statistics and research, aftermarket programs, development of data communications standards, and activities surrounding technical and regulatory issues. As a not-for-profit national industry association, the MIC seeks to support motorcyclists by representing manufacturers, distributors, dealers and retailers of motorcycles, scooters, ATVs, ROVs, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts, accessories and related goods and services, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and investment companies, media companies and consultants.
Reg Pridmore’s All-Women CLASS will be held Monday, April 8, at Streets of Willow. Photo by Jenny Smith.
After a successful first ever all-women’s CLASS last year, Reg Pridmore’s CLASS Motorcycle School has announced a date for its second women’s trackday: Monday, April 8, at Streets of Willow in Rosamond, California (about 1. 5 hours north of Los Angeles).
“What CLASS offers to street riders is so much more than just a track day,” explains Reg’s wife and CLASS Instructor Gigi Pridmore. “We want to help you to actually become a better rider! It’s a fun and friendly atmosphere and whether you’re a trackday regular or new to the track experience, we promise to make you feel right at home and have an absolute blast! One of our goals is to get more women who might feel a little shy about taking their street bike onto the track out to ride and learn with us. There’s lots of great instruction but there’s also a ton of track time, so lots of time to practice and improve with every lap. It’s a no pressure setting, we just want the women to have a really good time and go away having made new friends, with a lot more skill and feeling a lot more confident on their motorcycle. Our team is fantastic when it comes to teaching riders of either gender, and the low ego format of CLASS blends perfectly to help women of all ages and varied experience levels to be the best they can be.”
The price for the full day of instruction and track time is $295, and if you register before February 1 the price is only $250. Space can be reserved with a deposit of $150, with the balance due in early March.
You can also rent one of the CLASS Honda CBR500s; see website for details.
To learn more, call (805) 933-9936 or visit classrides.com.
2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle.
Harley-Davidson today announced pricing for the 2020 LiveWire, its first electric motorcycle, which is now available for U.S. dealer preorder. MSRP on the LiveWire is $29,799.
The LiveWire, which Harley says represents the next chapter in the 116-year-old company’s history, offers the benefits and performance of an electric motorcycle, with signature Harley attitude and style. Its H-D Revelation electric powertrain promises 0-to-60 acceleration in less than 3.5 seconds, with no clutch and no gear shifting, and an urban range of about 110 miles.
The powertrain sits low in the LiveWire’s chassis to lower the center of gravity and helps the motorcycle handle well at all speeds and make it easier to balance when stopped. The motorcycle also sports standard cornering ABS and traction control.
It also features H-D Connect, which pairs motorcycle riders with their bikes through an LTE-enabled Telematics Control Unit coupled with connectivity and cloud services using the latest version of the Harley-Davidson app. With H-D Connect, data is collected and transferred to the app to provide information to the rider’s smartphone about:
Motorcycle Status: Information available through H-D Connect includes battery charge status and available range from any location where a sufficient cellular signal is available. This allows the rider to remotely check the charge status including charge level and time to completion. Riders will be able to locate a charging station with ease thanks to an integrated location finder built into the H-D app.
Tamper Alerts and Vehicle Location: H-D Connect indicates the location of the parked LiveWire motorcycle and alerts can be sent to the rider’s smartphone if the bike is tampered with or moved. GPS-enabled stolen-vehicle tracking provides peace of mind that the motorcycle’s location can be tracked (requires law enforcement assistance; available in select markets).
Service Reminders and Notifications: Reminders about upcoming vehicle service requirements, automated service reminders and other vehicle care notifications.
Interestingly, while the electric LiveWire will of course produce minimal vibration, Harley says it’s designed a new “signature Harley-Davidson sound” that “represents the smooth, electric power” of the motorcycle. Whether or not that will be enough to satisfy riders looking for the classic “potato-potato” rumble remains to be seen.
To find a LiveWire dealer or place a preorder, visit h-d.com/LiveWire.
Our Yamaha Star Eluder project bike is a V-twin bagger that offers more comfort, functionality and style than a stock machine. (Photo by Joe Agustin)
This is the final video in our three-part series about our Yamaha Star Eluder project bike, a collaboration between Rider magazine and Jeff Palhegyi, owner of Palhegyi Design. The goal of this project was to enhance the Eluder’s functionality and style in a way that any owner could do in his or her own garage.
Test riding the 2018 Yamaha Star Eluder before the project begins. (Videography and photography by Ray Gauger and Joe Agustin)
New for 2018, the Yamaha Star Eluder is a bagger built on the same platform as the Star Venture. Both have bold, modern bodywork wrapped around a massive, 113-cubic-inch, air-cooled V-twin, and they’re equipped with contemporary technology such as throttle-by-wire, riding modes, linked ABS brakes and a full infotainment system.
The Venture is designed for two-up touring. With no trunk and fewer bells and whistles, the lighter, less expensive Eluder is for riders who do more solo riding and prefer a leaner, more aggressive look.
We like the Star Eluder’s generous low-end torque, its handling and its touring amenities. But what’s a bagger without some customization? For years Yamaha’s Star Motorcycles division’s tagline was, “We build it. You make it your own.”
The 2018 Yamaha Star Eluder in Raven. We selected the black color scheme for our project bike.
We teamed up with Jeff Palhegyi, owner of Palhegyi Design, on a Star Eluder project bike. Known for his customized cruisers, vintage race bikes, flat trackers and more, Palhegyi has been involved with Yamaha’s product planning division for nearly three decades. The goal of this project was to enhance the Eluder’s functionality and style in a way that any owner could do in his or her own garage.
Check out Part 1 of our three-part video series about the project:
2019 Triumph Speed Twin in Korosi Red and Storm Grey
Triumph has resurrected a legendary name from its history with the announcement of an all-new model in its Modern Classics lineup: the 2019 Speed Twin. Introduced in 1938, the original Speed Twin set standards for power and handling, and it was produced until the mid 1960s.
2019 Triumph Speed Twin in Silver Ice and Storm Grey
Like its ancestor, the 2019 Triumph Speed Twin is powered by a parallel twin, though the modern version has liquid cooling, more than twice the displacement at 1,200cc and a “high power” Thruxton tune that’s good for 96 horsepower and 83 lb-ft of torque (claimed).
The newest member of the Bonneville family borrows its chassis from the Thruxton R, and Triumph says it weighs 432 pounds dry—22 pounds less than the Thruxton and 60 pounds less than the T120. A new magnesium cam cover, mass-optimized engine covers and a revised clutch assembly save 5.5 pounds versus the Thruxton’s engine.
The 2019 Triumph Speed Twin has unique analog gauges with inset digital displays.
The Speed Twin is equipped with dual Brembo disc brakes up front, a single Nissin disc brake out back, a nonadjustable cartridge fork, preload-adjustable twin shocks and 17-inch cast aluminum wheels shod with Pirelli Rosso Corsa 3 tires. Standard electronics include ABS, switchable traction control and throttle-by-wire with three riding modes (Sport, Road and Rain), and the headlight, taillight and turn signals are LED.
An upright, tapered aluminum handlebar, midmount footpegs and a bench seat with a 31.8-inch rider’s section should offer a neutral, comfortable riding position. The 6-speed transmission has a torque-assist clutch and final drive is via chain. Styling and details are top-notch, from the analog speedometer and tachometer with digital menus to the 3.8-gallon sculpted fuel tank with Monza-style filler cap.
The 2019 Triumph Speed Twin will be available in North America in February, with pricing announced in January. Available colors are: Silver Ice and Storm Grey, with hand-painted Graphite coach line and white stripe; Korosi Red and Storm Grey, with hand-painted Graphite coach line and white stripe; and Jet Black.
New for 2019, the Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE LT+ gets many upgrades over the previous model, including a full suite of electronic riding aids, cruise control, LED headlights and cornering lights, new bodywork with Highly Durable Paint, a new TFT display and Bluetooth connectivity.
Thanks to their comfortable, sit-up ergonomics, generous suspension travel and do-it-all versatility, adventure tourers have been one of motorcycling’s few growth segments in recent years. But most adventure tourers are designed to be at least moderately capable off-road, which means they typically have a 19-inch front wheel and 90/10 adventure tires.
Kawasaki’s Versys 1000 LT, which debuted for 2015, blends the virtues of an adventure tourer with those of a traditional sport tourer. It has an upright seating position and longish legs, but it has nimble 17-inch wheels shod with grippy sport touring tires.
We liked the Versys 1000 LT so much that we named it Motorcycle of the Year for 2015, and we kept one in our long-term fleet for an extended evaluation.
A new look for the 2019 Kawasaski 1000 SE LT+ includes a manually adjustable windscreen, more aggressive styling and body panels with Kawasaki’s exclusive self-healing Highly Durable Paint.
For 2019, Kawasaki replaced the Versys 1000 LT with a higher-spec model called the Versys 1000 SE LT+. The SE LT+ gets an updated engine, integrated riding modes, cruise control, an updated suite of electronic rider aids, a TFT instrument panel, updated styling, Bluetooth connectivity and more.
Powered by a liquid-cooled, 1,043cc in-line four-cylinder engine that is exceptionally smooth and delivers power and torque in a linear fashion, the Versys 1000 SE LT+ gets throttle-by-wire, new fuel injection mapping and updates to its exhaust and catalytic converter design. As on the previous model, the SE LT+ has two power modes: Full (100 percent) and Low (75 percent). The 6-speed transmission, which is mated to an assist-and-slipper clutch, gets a new up/down quickshifter.
New Showa suspension has electronically controlled, semi-active compression and rebound damping and rear preload.
Returning unchanged are the five-piece cast-aluminum main frame and tubular-steel trellis subframe. With 5.9 inches of front/rear travel, the Versys rides on a new Showa 43mm upside-down cartridge fork and Showa BFRC Lite shock, both of which have Kawasaki Electronically Controlled Suspension (KECS) for semi-active compression and rebound damping and rear preload (front preload is adjusted manually).
Braking is handled by dual 4-piston radial-mount monoblock front calipers with a radial-pump master cylinder squeezing 310mm petal discs and a 1-piston rear caliper squeezing a 250mm petal disc. As before, traction control and ABS are standard, but the SE LT+ has been upgraded to the supersport-spec Kawasaki’s Intelligent anti-lock Brake System (KIBS). Also new are a Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and Kawasaki Cornering Management Function (KCMF), which “monitors engine and chassis parameters throughout the corner to assist riders in tracing their intended line through the corner.”
A new instrument panel includes a full-color TFT display, and a rider’s smartphone can be connected to the bike via Bluetooth. Kawasaki’s Rideology the App provides access to vehicle and trip information and control over certain electronic parameters.
The Versys 1000 SE LT+ has integrated riding modes that adjust power delivery, traction control sensitivity and suspension damping. Four modes are available: Sport, Road, Rain and a customizable Rider mode. Also, to enhance long-range comfort, electronic cruise control is standard.
Styling has been freshened up with LED headlights and cornering lights (see illustration below), a manually adjustable windscreen, new bodywork and Kawasaki’s new Highly Durable Paint and Highly Durable Matte Paint for high-touch areas such as the fuel tank and fairing panels. These paint finishes feature “a special coat that allows certain types of scratches to repair themselves, enabling the paint to maintain its high-quality finish. Soft and hard segments in the coat work together like a chemical spring, creating a trampoline effect that absorbs impacts.” Color-matched, removable, 28-liter Kawasaki Quick Release saddlebags are standard equipment.
This illustration shows how the IMU-controlled, sequential LED cornering lights (as lean angle increases, more lights turn on) provide more illumination while turning.
The Versys 1000 SE LT+ also gets a new full-color TFT instrument panel that’s paired with an analog tachometer. Riders can also connect their smartphones to the bike via Bluetooth, and using Kawasaki’s Rideology The App, they can view vehicle information and a detailed riding log as well as make adjustments to certain electronics parameters.
The 2019 Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE LT+ is available in Metallic Flat Spark Black/Pearl Flat Stardust White, and MSRP is $17,999.
In three short years, the DirtDaze Adventure Bike Rally has become one of the largest adventure events in the U.S. In 2019, it will move to a new, larger venue and will take place later in the riding season.
For DirtDaze’s first three years it was held in Lake Lucerne, New York, during the first week of June–at the same time and just a few miles away from the Americade touring rally in Lake George.
The Northeast rally will continue to offer extensive guided and unguided rides, demo rides, rider training and camping/lodging.
“We’re very excited about this change,” said Christian Dutcher, the rally’s director. “We’ve narrowed the potential new location to two different regions, both of which offer incredible riding. And, the new dates will allow our staff to do even more with the event, which the attendees are going to love. We’re hoping to unveil the new location and dates by January 1st.”
The DirtDaze Adventure Bike Rally is a fun, adventurous and educational multi-day festival for dual-sport and adventure motorcycles. The event offers on-site demos and vendors, world-class rider training, dual-sport rides to far-off destinations with lunch, fun night time activities, riding games and contests.
