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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.
