Kawasaki Versys 1000

[DJP]

Anyone had one? Thoughts?
____________________
Suzuki Bandit 1250
https://deejayp999.atwebpages.com/index.html
That's http not https

[yen_powell]

Bought one new in 2015. Did 103,000 trouble free miles on it before selling it to a mate for £1600 in 2020, it ran perfectly, it had a weepy fork seal which he never fixed.

He part exed it last year to a dealer who put it on youtube. I never washed it as you can see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVmChBS-syg
____________________
Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits

[DJP]

Good work.

What was maintenance like (valve clearances/suspension parts etc)?
____________________
Suzuki Bandit 1250
https://deejayp999.atwebpages.com/index.html
That's http not https

[yen_powell]

I had the valve clearances checked twice, first time at 30,000 miles, 8 out of 16 needed doing. Second time at 60,000 miles, none needed doing. Decided to leave them after that as I knew I was changing bikes at around 90k. Spark plugs were changed at the same time as the valves were checked, so the last set had done 40,000 miles when the bloke in the video started it.

The bloke in the video reckoned the front discs were replaced, they were original. All I did with the brakes was to clean the disc buttons so they moved freely and just before each winter I would clean the exposed parts of the pistons and coat them in coppaslip on the front, same with sliding pin on the rear. They were still fine when I sold it.

I never greased any of the rear suspension linkages, but I also never jet washed them either, as I said, I don't really clean bikes. Headstock bearings I replaced once at 40k, they were fine after that.

Bike never ever used any oil between 8k changes. I ran it in a little bit rougher than I usually do, first bike I had that never used any at all, I have done the same with the replacement Yamaha.

Engine is a peach, very powerful. I could be in top gear before the end of a short slip road on to a motorway.

Only had two issues through the whole time.

Once it refused to start on the button at work, everything worked except the start button/motor. I bump started it on my work's car park ramp and rode it 50 miles home. Got the local bike place to check out the wiring, it was a wire that had rubbed though, they repaired it and added foam where it had abraded itself against the frame.

Fork seals went every 20,000 miles or so. I think this was due to some pinhole damage to the chrome on the sliders on the inside face. I used some araldite and smoothed these out and things improved. If I had my time again I would have put covers over the sliding part of the forks from new.
____________________
Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits

[DJP]

Cheers for that. Food for thought...
____________________
Suzuki Bandit 1250
https://deejayp999.atwebpages.com/index.html
That's http not https