Most riders in North America know little or nothing of Kawasaki’s long-running KLE500 enduro which has been available, all over the world, since 1991. By 2007 (it’s last year before being replaced by the KLE650), the KLE500 had evolved into a feature-packed, sport- looking, affordable, light-weight enduro with lots to offer. Amongst its top features was the reliable 500cc parallel twin, the same found in the Ninja 500R, a 21" spoked front wheel and—and perhaps most interesting—a double snorkel fed air box!

The 2007 Versys (only seeing U.S. shores in 2008) was an obvious and dramatic departure from the KLE500’s conceptual model. The dirt-loving 21" front wheels were set aside for sportier 17" cast alloy wheels shod with street tires. Gone too, was the snorkel, full cradle frame, standard luggage rack and enduro-style saddle. For whatever reason, Kawasaki decided to remove these features from the KLE line and, like Triumph who also released the Tiger 1050 in 2007, decided the North American market was ready for their tarmac-tamed configurations.

Thankfully, not all was lost. With a larger, reliable and fuel efficient parallel twin 650, comfortable riding position and over 6 inches of suspension travel, it wouldn’t take much to get this horse back on dirt touring duty. Understanding the Versys’ latent potential, ADVMoto contacted Kawasaki U.S.A., Twisted Throttle and a host of the industries finest aftermarket suppliers for ideas to help transform the Versys into the “ADVersys”—a machine more fitting of its KLE heritage.

Wheels

The biggest issue facing the Versys in terms of becoming an adventure bike is the stock 17" cast wheels. Thankfully, RAD Manufacturing from Utah made this all possible through an unlikely shift in market demand. Although traditionally makers of dirt bike hubs, RAD found new overseas competition had forced them to diversify their lines—and we’re glad they did!

The RAD Manufacturing Versys hubs are even a beauty to look at. All hubs are billet machined from a single block of aluminum, and each order is custom-anodized to a variety of colors. The rear wheel is 32 spokes laced to an 17" x 4.25" EXCEL Takasago rim. All RAD hubs feature amazing attention to detail but we especially liked the fact the new rear hub uses the OEM cush drive. Considering the available suspension travel and front fender shape, a 36 spoke 19" x 2.15" rim seemed most suitable.

Like the V-Strom, 19" wheels are a wonderful balance between keeping snappy pavement carving manners while still being able to soak up some of the rough stuff. RAD did a great job in measuring and machining the hub’s precise dimensions as all of the stock spacers and axles fit perfectly within the forks and swing arm. The only caveat is that the rear brake rotor bolts need to be shortened considerably before installation, or they will not clear spokes behind the bolt eyelets. Since receiving and installing the wheels, RAD mentioned eventually sourcing the appropriate rotor bolts to make the install easier. The front rotor bolts suffer a similar problem but since there’s more space between the eyelets and spokes, stock rotor bolts will just fit with minimal, or no, modification necessary.

Another great benefit of moving to a 19" front wheel is the richer dual-purpose tire selection. Choosing the right tire is a difficult decision and we really wanted some skins that connect well on dirt but allow for natural cornering and lean angles on pavement. The list of true 50/50 tires like the Continental TKC 80 has been relatively limited until just recently when a handful of smaller tire companies from Europe started showing up on North American shores. Of these, are the Mefo Explorers (which did not have the correct rear tire size for our 4.25" wide rim) or the Heidenau Scout K60s we purchased through Black Dog Cycle Works. Initial online reviews of early adopters reported great on- and off-road performance as well as having the correct sizes for the ADVersys (110/80-19 front and 140/80-17 rear).

Tires

The Heidenau Scout K60s performance is impressive. Although the 19" front wheel turns in more slowly than the stock 17", the K60s street-like profile and well-balanced side blocks sacrifice very little of Versys’ fun and flickablity. On flat ground, the K60s roll much like a street tire and we only noticed minor lug vibration under heavy braking when weight transfers to the front tire. The K60s transitioned from pavement to gravel with minimal loss in traction, or speed, and we were easily able to achieve over 50 mph on gravel roads the Versys could only do at 35-40mph in its stock incarnation.

Although we’ve put less than 2,000 miles on our set, the Scout K60s show very little wear and we expect at least 6,000 plus miles on a mid-weight 650 should be easily achievable as others report over 9,000 miles of wear on larger bikes.

Another obvious consideration when swapping wheels is the fender height. Thanks to the guys at Cycletech, out of Illinois, custom front fender raising brackets are available. Their Versys adapter brackets are laser cut, black anodized and set to match the stock fender drop out.

To wrap up the wheel section, we’re more than happy with how the wheel swap turned out. The taller 17", 80 profile rear tire even made the stock gearing (known to be a little too high from the factory) just about perfect and got the speedo and GPS numbers closer together. Minimal loss of pavement handling with a tremendous increase of dirt and gravel capability is just what the ADVmoto doctor ordered!

Sound like a lot to keep track of? We’ve heard the folks at Twisted Throttle express strong interest in developing a Versys Enduro Kit which would include the complete wheel set and other important accessories you’d need (some mentioned below) to make this great bike even better. With the exception of a few parts in the project, Twisted Throttle carries the most comprehensive collection of adventure touring accessories for the Versys in North America.

Exhaust

If there was ever an exhaust that would bring out the dark side of such a practical and fun bike, the Yoshimura TRC series would be it. Not only does it shave several pounds of weight without making it top heavy, but by bringing the pipe higher and out to the side, it adds several benefits. First, the higher exhaust means more clearance for water and mud. Second, it frees up space in front of the now larger rear wheel for routine maintenance, while gaining a little bit of ground clearance under the bike as well.

In typical Yoshimura fashion, everything from the welds to the carbon fiber finish is art and the included hardware is top-notch. The TRC-D (with a dual tip) has a well-tuned sound, amazingly throaty, that makes the twin 650 sound like a race bike. Luckily, you can get all the bite with 10 decibels less bark by ordering the TRC (with single tip) and a quiet core insert which has made the bike more pleasant during extended rides and should provide back pressure closer to the stock muffler.

Frame Protection

One of the best features of the KLE650’s engine, besides low maintenance, is its ease of maintenance. The easy-to-access oil filter and drain bolt are great on pavement where road spray is your only real concern but, on dirt, these features become dangling dangers. We needed something to keep mud and rocks from getting to these delicate parts of the engine.

The SW-Motech Skid Plate does this job better than any other option available on the market. Although installation requires a measuring caliper to be sure you’re getting one of the many different sizes of spacers and bolts in the correct position, once done you’ve got the best-looking and most effective protection for the underside around. As with many SW-Motech pieces, the aesthetic design and construction are top-notch but we would have appreciated a small cutout  to give us access to the drain bolt and more easily allow oil changes (sans filter) without removing the guard.

If you’re going the extra step to protect the frame, motor and plastics, the skid plate integrates into the SW-Motech Versys Engine Guards which serve as stout protection for both side engine cases as well as the bottom portion of the radiator shroud. Hepco Becker makes the only other commonly available option, but it only covers the radiator and makes the bike slightly wider. We looked at both but decided to go with the SW-Motech, not only for its integration with the skid plate, but because it looked to have a stronger mounting system and should keep a lower center of gravity.

Lighting

It’s nice to have protection if you go down but we’d all like to avoid that in the first place. Adding auxiliary lighting is one of the best ways to go about enhancing your visibility of the road, and your presence to others on the road at the same time. For a small, light, bright and compact lamp we ended up with the Denali D2 LED lamps and hooked them to a new Shorai LFX lithium-iron (LiFe) battery which is 6.5 pounds lighter than stock and acid free to boot (no tipping worries or removal for shipping).

The D2 lamps are amazingly well built, submersible up to 3 meters and only draw 10 watts per unit! Lamp install was super simple since the controller box has a built in relay so all you have to do is vampire tap any switched positive line, connect the harnesses and find space for the perhaps over generous wiring. Each unit comes with narrow or wide focus lenses to choose your beam patterns.

No matter what lamp you choose, you’d be well served to get the SW-Motech Auxiliary Light mounts, available for both the 2007–2009 and 2010–2011 models. You can certainly try to fabricate a bracket yourself but this may be the best forty bucks you can spend on adding safety and visibility to your Versys. MSRP: Denali D2 LED Lamps $279.99; SW-Motech Auxiliary Light Mount) $39.99.

Saddle

Unless you’re lucky enough to live within a few hours from adventure roads, many of us will have to spend a couple days in the saddle getting to the good stuff. One of the first, and most important pieces to upgrade is the Versys’ stock saddle which is notorious for having an aggressively crotch-crushing forward slope. Who better to address this problem than Corbin Saddles whose custom seat pan not only opens up the riding position by making the front seating section longer, but also dishes out nicely towards the back to offer more butt and thigh support. While the Corbin does add weight and sacrifices a bit of rear seat space to make this happen, the Versys isn’t particularly suited for long, two-up dirt rides, so the back seat is better suited for luggage in any case.

Lowering Pegs

Another tell-tale sign of the Versys’ street-oriented design is the stock narrow foot pegs, which are entirely unsuited to lugged boot sole, standup-style riding. Once again SW-Motech solved the problem with their Versys On/Off Road foot pegs, show here with the Motowerks lowering blocks (note this combination is not yet fully tested for heavy off-road use). The ON/Off road pegs are simple to install, adjustable and have a removable rubber core that uninstalls in seconds to expose the metal trap style pegs.

Handle Bars

Last, but definitely not least in the comfort geometry trio is the handlebars which, in stock form, perform well on the street but really cramp your style when standing. A simple 1? rise available from SW-Motech or Motowerks solved this problem by both raising and bringing the bar back for easy cruising and faster action when out of the seat.

To add some bar and wind protection, BarkBuster Storm hand guards not only protected the bars and shield the hands from wind and rain, but also seemed to reduce the mirror vibrations more common to the hard mounted 2008 Versys. The installation takes a few minutes to align the mounting posts correctly but once finished, the units are rock solid and highly functional.

Side Stand

One of the most useful and least expensive upgrades we did to the ADVersys was swapping the stock sport bike style side stand with one from a later KLR650. Kawasaki U.S.A. was kind enough to send us a stand for testing and the results were great. In addition to being thicker, black (if you order from more recent versions) and set further out, the KLR650 side stand also has a wider foot, which is a real necessity for parking on soft surfaces. Many Versys owners buy bolt-on foot pads to solve this problem but for about the same price (approx. $80 for the stand with spring, pivot bolt and nut) you can easily change out the whole assembly to a better working and looking unit. While the KLR650 side stand is a direct swap with no modifications necessary, be sure to have a spring puller handy… you’ll need it!

Luggage

There’s no wandering off into the hinterland without carrying some supplies. Both Givi and SW-Motech (featured) make great detachable luggage racks for the Versys, but what we liked about the SW-Motech’s was their lighter weight, much wider range of usable cases, and that being able to detach the side case frames from the bike was as simple as twisting a few locking cams.

The TraX Evo cases not only give plenty of carrying capacity but are light weight and extremely well finished. The top opening side cases have an “ammo can” look to them, with well-placed plastic corner guards (we already found out that they work quite well!) and a secure four-point mounting system to the case frames. The top case is made of similar construction and has plenty of room for a full-face helmet and more—although we would have appreciated if the lid top and bottom section were slightly more even in proportions to give the case a more “clam-shell” feeling. If you’d like to use a more streamlined Givi top case, no problem. Simply get a GIVI adapter plate for the SW-Motech rear rack and you’re set. Although great cases all round, the biggest gripe we could find is that the key cores can be quite finicky and sometimes needed few seconds of jostling to get the tumbler to move smoothly.

Either for convenience or space, you can’t store everything in the hard cases and we usually end up with quite hefty tank and saddle bags. As a long time user of Wolfman soft luggage, we went with the Rainier Tank Bag mated with a medium Expedition Dry Duffel. This combo keeps all of our gloves and paperwork handy while ensuring a dry place for our tent, sleeping bag, pad and tripod.

Conclusion

In its stock form, the KLE650 Versys isn’t an enduro like the KLE500 before it, but the ADVersys project yielded results surpassing our expectations. There’s no doubt the 19? front wheel gained the Versys more versatility from pavement pounding highways, to gravel and dirt roads. The overall improvement to the bike was undeniable in every aspect from comfort, off-road handling and a dramatic increase in “wow” factor.

With only a few relatively simple changes at the factory, there’s no doubt the Versys would be considerably more capable and attractive to both experienced and new motorcycle consumers. As the adventure motorcycle industry grows around the world, we can only hope to see more Versys in the hills, deserts and mountains of North America… and maybe even wearing a KLE650 badge. Until then, there’s more work to do on the ADVersys so don’t be surprised if it shows up on a trail or rally near you!

Parts List

With so many parts available for the Versys not mentioned in this article, a complete list of parts for you is below with their approximate prices.

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