Kawasaki India, the Indian subsidiary of the famous Japanese automobile manufacturer, recently launched its first bike in adventure touring segment of the Indian market - Kawasaki Versys 1000. The 1000 cc bike is targeted mainly at avid travellers who don’t want the comfort of a cruiser and power of a sports bike. The bike, first launched this year will be retailing at a price of Rs. 12.90 lakhs (ex-showroom Pune) and is currently available in only one colour, black. Though Kawasaki had started shipping the new Versys in the last year itself to all its dealerships across the country, it officially announced the bike at the inauguration of its new showroom in Kolkata.
One of the very few adventure tourers in the country, the Versys 1000 is powered by a 1034 cc in-line 4-cylinder, liquid cooled engine capable of producing 120 bhp of maximum power and 102 Nm of highest torque. The bike comes with a 6-speed gearbox that sends the power to the rear wheel via a chain drive. The bike is made on an aluminium chassis and comes with travel suspensions that give it a steady grip on all kinds of terrains. It comes equipped with 17-inch alloy wheels that make it a bad choice to go off-roading though. The Versys 100 has a highly efficient break system that consists of a dual 310 mm discs with four-piston callipers at the front and a 250 mm disc with single-piston calliper at the rear.
The adventure tourer sports an upright seating position, a windscreen and also adjustable handlebars providing the rider the utmost comfort. The 250 kg bike comes with a large fuel tank of 21 litres to live up to its image as a tourer.
The Deputy Managing Director of Kawasaki Motors India, Shigeto Nishikawa, announced to the press present at the inauguration event that the company will be expecting to grow by at least 50 per cent by the end of this year. Last year the Japanese giant launched 6 new bikes in India which show that the company is serious about its expansion in the country. The Versys 1000 is imported to India as a CBU (completely built unit) and will be competing against other adventure tourers in the country like the Triumph Tiger800XC and the Suzuki V-storm.
