Could less really be more? We are just starting to believe that idiom, at least when it comes to the Kawasaki Versys-X 300. Small bore ADV bikes aren’t new, but twin-cylinder, 39.3 hp (claimed), 4.1 gallon tanked ADV bikes are very rare. Normally, the small “adventure” bikes start out as dual-sports and have to be heavily modified to be comfortable for riding any length of time on the tarmac. With the Versys-X 300, the long distance comfort is there in spades, we just want more off-road performance.

What We Already Like

This little Kawi is really impressive on the highway. It cruises comfortably at 80 – virtually no vibration, stable, great wind protection, and it isn’t even tapped-out. It will accelerate from 80 to 95 to pass, but that is when the needle on the tach is bouncing into the red zone at 12,000 and 13,000 rpm. In the twisties, it also shines with its low weight making it easy to flick back and forth and its high-revving engine putting out good power from the mid to top-end.

We also like that it has real adventure bike range, estimated to be well over 200 miles. It has a big ol’ wind screen, a large passenger seat (read luggage space) and a luggage rack (read even more luggage space) with plenty of locations for securing straps. We had no problem strapping on all our gear with a set of Givi Gravel-T soft bags for a few days of adventure riding.

It isn’t a dirt bike by any means but it definitely isn’t a handful in the dirt either. We’ve already enjoyed the Versys on some sketchy, sidehill single track that wasn’t much wider than the mostly-street tires. We, for sure, wouldn’t take any bigger machine down that trail. Low weight, low seat height, and smooth power make it more manageable and, dare we say, fun to ride off-road, where heavier, bigger machines would slide off the trail because of their overall girth.

What We Want To Change

First off, we already bolted up a skid plate from Ricochet Off-Road because the two-into-one exhaust routes directly under the frame. Secondly, we’d really like to work on the suspension. Our first gripe is how little travel there is. The fork has 5.1 inches and the shock has 5.8 inches; not really screaming, “Ride me in the gnarly stuff!” But what travel it does have isn’t that bad. The fork blows through the stroke much faster and more often than the shock does – there is a surprising amount of comfort out back. So far we haven’t found any shops that offer suspension travel increases for the Versys-X but we’ll keep looking. If anything, we might be looking at getting some better springs and valving for the fork that will optimise what little fork travel there is.

The stock tires are getting ditched for some Motoz Tractionator Adventure tires and we’ll be getting some other protection pieces to keep the Kawi from getting too banged up. The stock rubber street pegs are near useless off-road and will be replaced with some pegs with a lot more bite. The seat shape is OK, but there isn’t much padding. We are going to look for one that is a bit higher and more squishy.

Power-wise, the twin is very mild off the bottom and lacking that torquey hit that small singles have. We are going to look into how we can get more excitement and punch in the bottom-end without messing with the mid and top end power that makes this bike so good on the highway.

That’s it for now but check back to see the progress of our Kawasaki Versys-X 300 project bike. And, feel free to let us know what you would like to see on this bike by leaving a comment below.

Update

See our little Kawi’s transformation here.

Author: Sean Klinger

With his sights set on doing what he loved for a living, Sean left college with a BA in Journalism and dirt bike in his truck. After five years at a dirt-only motorcycle magazine shooting, testing, writing, editing, and a little off-road racing, he has switched gears to bigger bikes and longer adventures. He’ll probably get lost a few times but he’ll always have fun doing it. Two wheels and adventure is all he needs.