I bought this bike new 4 years ago from a Kawasaki dealer for just over £4000 OTR with 0% APR finance over 3 years with a £99 deposit.

I have covered about 15000 miles so far, most of them when I lived in Southern Spain and have done a couple of track days.

I was 30 years old when I bought the bike and was a little disappointed to find that the insurance was £229 fully comp when the bikes I had owned previous such as my ZX12R and a brand new Ducati 749 had only been around the £350 mark in my 20's. At 34 the insurance is still £200 which is about the same as quotes I got for Fieblades and R6's so there is nothing to save on that side of things anymore.

Fuel economy averages around 60mpg on the road with mixed riding, on a track day I can start with a full tank and still have fuel left at the end of the day. Just over 200 miles is average between tank refils. Fuel economy vs general performance is the best of any bike I have owned so far.

Oil changes are recommended every 8000 miles in the manual but I usually do them every 4000. I had a new air filter at about 12000 miles as the performance and fuel economy had started to drop off, this restored them. Tyres generally last ages and you can run pretty much what you like as the engine won't stress them too much. Being a twin grip is pretty good in the wet compared to a four. The chain has been known to go as many as 3000 miles without adjustment which is good considering I like to pop the odd wheelie or two. I still haven't worn out the original brake pads.

Out of the box the handling was pretty rubbish, mainly due to the crappy Dunlop tyres that it came with. The biggest problem was lack of front end grip. Dropping the yokes down as far as the tappering (about 25mm) and fitting some Renthal handlebars which put more rider weight over the front wheel helped but didn't cure the problem. The damping on the front fork was cranked up to max straight away which was about right although when I do eventually change the fork oil I will go slightly thicker for a little more damping. I can't remember what I did with the pre load. The rear shock was too hard so I dropped the pre load to the 2nd softest setting (I go up one for the track). The damping is on the second or third stiffest setting and the shock is still generally working pretty good.

Tyre pressures I run are 32psi front and 34 rear during summer, dropping to 29 front and 30 rear for winter. The best tyres for grip so far are Dunlop D207RR's and they did at least 6000 miles in Spain, and a trackday. The front is still in use, not bad considering they were secondhand from a track bike on ebay.

The Michelin Pilot Road 2ct was pretty good in this country but hopeless on spanish roads. It was also pretty good at Malary Park but has become a little more slippery on the road since. Tyres do go off after being run on a track but it isn't usually enough to notice on the road.

As a general bike I can't fault it, it will grind the footpegs on a trackday, sip fuel as the finest wine on a daily commute, tour and carry passengers comfortably while still being handy on those dirt tracks in the spanish mountains.

I am 5' 6" tall and have no problem with the seat height, it is actually lower than my ZX10R superbikes seat by about an inch. I weigh 62KG so the standard shock pre load would probably be ok for heavier riders.

It was a bargain at £4000 brand new, I could still easily sell it for £3000 now. I wouldn't pay the £6000 price for a new one now though(hence the low value for money rating). There are SV650's out there new for under £5000, having owned one of those as well I would say at that price they are the better buy. £6000 would also buy a year old low mileage 600cc sportsbike with better suspension, more power and probably better resale value. I have seen a couple of 2010 bikes with around 5000miles on the clock going for £4500, I still think this is a little expensive for what is essentially a low tech bike. There are also plenty of brand new ER6's around for £4800 on 0% finance, this is essentially the same bike with more power and a different riding position. If I was going to buy a new Versys I would be looking to pay no more than £5000 OTR, look around hard enough and you just might be able to get the old model for that price.

After owning a Triumph T100 Bonnie for 6 months I realised this choice for my first bike was not the correct one. Although the Bonneville in looks was my dream bike to get when I passed my test, I found myself looking for something that was lighter, quicker and didn't take 3 hours to clean.

I've now owned my 2007 Versys for just over a year and what can I say? Firstly the looks, yes it's true the Versys is not gorgeous however I wouldn't call it ugly because it isn't a boring looking bike. It has a hint of off road stature, however you can see it is for the road and not for sporty riding...but wait..

The Versys may not look sporty but the ride will tell you a different story. Don't expect the feeling a 600cc sports bike will give you but you can certainly have some fun. I completely agree with Neil below, the stock tires were rubbish, so I threw on some Bridgestone BT021s and the Versys now flicks through corners. I've been riding in Wales and the Peaks many times and even in the wet I find the bike sticks to the corners and gives you a rewarding ride as long as you treat it right. Push a little too hard and you will know about it, it's not scary but you can just feel the bike is not happy on the edge.

I took the bike to Ireland for a trip to see family. This involved a ride from Dublin to Belfast so I had a long straight motorway to contend with. Normally if I commute on the bike I do an 80 mile day and one way is around 50 mins which is comfortable. However in Ireland after a couple of hours on the Versys the seat does become a little uncomfortable. I had bought a taller MRA screen for the bike which I would recommend as it was a windy day. My dad on the TDM900 ended the day with a splitting headache and looked tired. I however coming off the Versys was quite fresh. On the twistys you wont be asking for more power however I feel I could do with a bit more poke on the straighter roads and motorways.

The build quality of the bike is not as good as I'd hoped. The chassis and engine I cant complain about but the plastics do make a buzzing sound. I've tried to fix this by taking bits off the bike and dampening with foam and rubber but the noise is still there. Earplugs will solve this, and I'm not too fussy as it's a parallel twin and there's bound to be vibrations. Otherwise the bike has given me no problems at all.

Again I'll agree with Neil, I can recommend all the extras on his list for the best improvements as I have them all. I've also fitted the following:

- Barkbuster Handguards (good for the british weather)
- Oxford Heated Grips (combined with the Barkbusters, they work well - heated gloves may be better though)
- Tall MRA Touring Screen (The Vario spoiler is okay, I still get a little turbulence though)
- Givi Panniers (came with the bike, just makes it even more practical, looks okay too)
- Algard (custom gravel guard for the bike, difficult to get, more a cosmetic piece if riding on the road)
- Radiator guard (I was worried the rad looked a little exposed, not compulsory item)

The bike seems to have many accessories however maybe not as much as a BMW, but another thing is the price. An amazing buy for that price. The new model looks even better and hopefully sorts out some of the noises. I can't say much more except that I am very happy with the bike, I only wish I could see more on the roads. I can't see me parting with it for a while, it does everything I want, to my limit of riding. I hope this review has been helpful.

I bought my Versys new in 2007. I still have it now. Nuff said.

I test rode this along with a wee-strom. The Versys won on lightweight flickability and engine response. Perhaps thats a little unfair to the V-strom as its extra weight and girth probably make it a better more comfortable mile muncher, and there are more aftermarket goodies for the strom, including a centre stand. The low position of the exhaust make the versys unable to fit one.

Agreeing with many on the Versys forum, the stock Dunlop tyres are rubbish, leaving the bike feeling skittish on damp roads. Last June I needed them replaced so had Pilot Road 2 front and back. The handling was transformed.

September last year saw me and a couple of friends take our first trip to the Alps. Long days in the seat proved no problem. Nor the last day of 4 to 500 miles from Cherbourg to Calais, to Birmingham. Fuel economy good. 2700 mile in 2 weeks, no problems. 80mph all day up the peage's of France.

Givi do some smart hard luggage for the versys and say the older wingrack is unsuitable. Being a tightwad, I modified the wingrack fittings from my old XJ900, and used the old cases. This worked absolutely fine. I have also made an aluminium bridge for the seat and used my bicycle panniers on a week trip doing John-O-Groats to Lands End.Both systems have done well for me

Many users fit handguards which I would like to fit but careful selection of aftermarket screen is needed to avoid them fouling each other. At the moment I prefer my Givi screen for touring than the handguards. (Cannot fit both.)

Its important to remember 1 very important fact. THIS IS NOT AN OFFROADER. People on the versys forum have ventured off road and certainly it can handle gravel tracks and the like, but despite its upright position and offroad looks, venturing up mountain tracks are not what this bike was designed for. Sure you might make it, just as you might on a TDM900 or fazer 600. Just dont look at this bike as an alternative to an XT or the BMW, you will be sadly disappointed.

The bike is what it is, a cost effective multi tasking machine, a VERsatileSYStem. It commutes great, tours great, and it leaves me smiling everytime I ride it. Would I have preferred a BMW GSA when I was looking round, hell yeah, but at half the price I can say I have never regretted the decision to buy this little marvel.

In my opinion, a few extras are necessary.

1. rear hugger and front fender extender. I had fitted at point of sale and the bike still looks great after 4 years.

2. touring screen, I fitted the Givi model. Found it does a good job for me at 5' 8

3. Scottoiler or similar. (Not yet aquired.)

4. Good tyres. I couldnt get over the difference in handling.

5. Paddock stands for home maintenance.