2025 Kawasaki Versys 1100 SE LT Review – First Ride

On Any Given Tuesday

It was sterile. Quiet. Militaristic. The folks on patrol quickly shuttered our attempts at photography with a grave, serious demeanor. Not a smile – or much emotion at all, for that matter – in sight. There I was, your typical American speaking little more than English – and doing even that poorly. This only added to the anxiety brought on by the solemn setting. I swallowed hard as a stern woman in uniform stared into my eyes, unflinching as I handed over my passport and documents. After reviewing my paperwork with slightly more than a cursory glance between pages, the Guardia Nacional officer slammed a stamp onto the pages, handed me my things, flashed a smile, and with a “Bienvenido a México,” we were set to head south into the Baja peninsula. Cue the mariachi! 

2025 Kawasaki Versys 1100 SE LT

The Baja Peninsula contains the two most western states of Mexico: Baja California, and Baja California Sur. To most of us gringos, it’s just “Baja.” To many, the peninsula conjures up images of surfing and racing. A place that time forgot; where you can sit on the beach, munch a few mariscos tacos, polish off a Tecate or two, and spend the day letting the lapping Sea of Cortez lull you into a nice afternoon siesta. Things move at a different pace in this part of the world, and that’s what made it a perfect destination for our 10 assembled vaqueros mounted up on Kawasaki’s 2025 Versys 1100 SE LT.

2024 Versys 2025

As Mr. Chung sussed out through his sleuthing – which was later confirmed – the changes for the 2025 model versus the 2024 bike are significant in some ways, and minor in others. You’d be forgiven if you weren’t able to pull the ’25 model out of a line-up of 2024s because the styling hasn’t changed an ounce. What has changed is the long-legged tourer’s Inline-Four engine.

Kawasaki has bumped displacement from 1,043cc to 1,099cc by increasing the stroke by 3mm. This has given the new Versys a 13 horsepower boost according to Kawi, placing the claim at 133 hp in addition to a bump in torque in the upper half of the rev range, peaking at 82.5 lb-ft. Additional changes to the Versys’ mill include a “fine-tuned” piston shape, lighter 38mm throttle bodies, narrower intake ports to increase intake velocity, new cam profiles with lower valve lift, and a 3% heavier flywheel. Fifth and sixth gear are now longer while reduction ratios have been massaged to optimize the delivery of torque. The slip and assist clutch is carried over and works to mitigate rear tire hop under even the most botched transmission manipulations.

The chassis has gone on unchanged to the previous model with the aluminum frame using the engine as a stressed member to wrap up the entire package. Also unchanged is the Kawasaki Electronically Controlled Suspension (KECS) which consists of a Showa cartridge fork and BFRC shock. The fork offers up 5.9 inches of travel with electronically adjustable rebound and compression damping, while preload is manual. For the shock, Showa utilizes what it calls a Damping Force Chamber which handles compression and rebound damping independently to suppress pressure balance changes which can cause cavitation leading to oil degradation and wear in shock performance overall. Shock preload adjustment is electronically controlled for rider, rider with luggage, and rider and passenger with luggage. Being able to adjust suspension settings for the most part without hopping off of the saddle makes this “versatile system” just that much more so.

Continuing with the electronics conversation, Kawi has kept the four ride modes which alter power delivery, traction control (switchable between four modes including off), and suspension settings. The active suspension adapts every millisecond to what's happening with the IMU and throttle position. As hinted at in the previous sentence, all rider aids are IMU-backed to deliver lean sensitive functionality. Cruise control is also standard. To put it bluntly, the Kawasaki Versys is ready to set it and forget it when it comes to choosing a setup for your tour.

Venturing into the Valle de Guadalupe

That last time I found myself in the Baja for MO shenanigans we were also mounted up on a Versys, comparing the wee 300 against a BMW and Royal Enfield to determine how many ways we could skin a cat (spoiler alert: it’s at least three). This time though, we’ve matured… or at least our bike selection has. The Kawasaki Versys 1100 SE LT has longer legs (and a longer name) that make touring a breeze and this Versys doesn’t require keepin’ ’er tapped deep into the rpm range for hours on end. Rolling off of our centerstands, we made our way out of Kawasaki’s Irvine HQ post haste, setting our 17-inch wheels south toward a land that’s quite the opposite from the fully (constantly) developed heart of Orange County.

All it takes is a controlled release of the clutch lever to start appreciating the smooth torque-rich character that the now 1,099cc Inline-Four cylinder has on offer. Although it spools up more slowly at speed, whether you’re on the freeway or strafing your favorite backroads, the bump in torque is appreciable. Perhaps where it’s most useful is low speed riding around town, though. Folks with a steady left hand could nearly forget about the right one as the engine pulls from a standstill without necessary assistance from the throttle. While the Versys’ bigger mill feels smooth in most situations at the touch points, between 6-7,000 rpm the vibes make themselves known in a big way through the bar, footpegs, and seat. While it can be exhilarating for a time, the excitement soon becomes numbing. Fortunately, things smooth out both before and after that point.

Mounting up on the Versys 1100 SE LT (the only trim sold in the U.S.), your tush is welcomed by a large flat seat with a comparable one ready to accept your passenger’s. While there’s room to move around this saddle, we were only 65 miles into the ride when I started getting antsy. After seeing a few others in our band of misfits start to squirm and stand up, I realized I wasn’t the only one whose posterior had found the Versys’ seat foam inferior. Punching a hole in the air, the Versys boasts a massive adjustable windscreen, though adjusting it while moving is ill-advised given that it takes two hands to do so. That, of course, didn’t stop me from setting the cruise control and doing just that, and while the coverage is substantial, its gargantuan size can hamper the field of view.

The ergos of the Kawasaki Versys are just what one wants for a tour, and given we were actually going to pound out some miles, they were welcome. Once you're moving, the rider triangle is perfectly neutral, though when saddling up, the thicc 33.1-inch seat height requires every bit of my 30-inch inseam. That said, between the heavier flywheel, smooth torque delivery and nicely balanced chassis, Kawasaki has managed to hide the Versys’ 571-pound curb weight surreptitiously.

Once we had peeled off the scenic 1D, we made our way inland toward the Banyan Tree Vaya hotel nestled in the Valle de Guadalupe. This gave us our first chance to stretch the Versys’ long legs. Hustling through mountain passes at full tilt in Sport mode, the new mill delivers respectable performance while the stiffer suspension helps the bike maintain composure as the pace quickens. While power spools up lazily, it can build to the point where you feel the chassis getting overwhelmed, exhibiting flex that blows past just giving feedback straight to downright noodly. Combined with less than stellar braking performance, you’ll be better suited to keeping things at a legal pace. If you’re riding the machine in a more mature fashion and not just trying to wring the thing for all it’s worth, you’d likely be perfectly content hustling the Versys through a set of bends.

Speaking of mature, Kawasaki told us 20% of Versys buyers are over the age of 65 while 25% are under 44. The average buyer is 53 years fun. Team Green also mentioned 30% percent of owners use their machines for bouncing around town or reeling in sport bikes on their favorite mountain roads. Only 15% use their Versys for long distance touring.

The Versys may have once been considered an “adventure bike” back in the early days of the current ADV trend thanks to sporting nearly six inches (!) of suspension travel at each end and similar ground clearance, but it now finds itself sharing much of the same touring space as the Ninja 1100 SX, though not nearly as conventionally sporty. I was thankful for the extra ground clearance as we made our way off-piste into the vast network of dirt roads leading to farms and vineyards in the region. We didn’t ride through anything I would think twice of cruising down on a Harley-Davidson, but still, the Versys’ stilts give you slightly more comfort when exploring the unknown. Within a few miles we arrived at our hotel, perched on a hill surrounded by vineyards, the Banyan Tree Vaya offers up excellent views, luxe accommodations, and exquisite local faire – all of which were thoroughly sampled.

Carrying the key-matched luggage back to the bike in the morning, we were quick to get locked in, suited up, and headed back north as our Baja Blast was coming to an end just as quickly as it had begun. The Kawasaki Versys 1100 is just as useful and adept at bouncing around town as it is ready to take you a few hundred miles to a quick getaway south of the border. Given my experience on the previous model, it’s just as willing a partner to crush many more miles in comfort while delivering a cush ride from its semi-active suspenders.

Should you trade in your 2024 Versys for a 2025? Well, maybe not. The light refresh probably isn’t going to be motivating enough to lure current owners, but if you’re on the outside looking in, the 2025 Versys 1100 SE LT with its smooth, well-mannered engine getting a bit of a bump in torque and its carried-over comfortable touring chassis, is the best one yet.

Scorecard

In Gear

2025 Kawasaki Versys 1100 SE LT First Ride Gallery

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