adjustment . At times , if feeling eager , I ’ d select single rider and luggage just to raise it up a little at the rear . This added rear preload , quickened the steering a tad and sharpened up chassis attitude nicely for fun times in the twisties .
CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE I was very keen to try the new three LED cornering lights per side . The more you lay the bike over the more the lights progressively come on . You can never have too much light and clear vision at night and the Versys system looked very good . Unfortunately , in use , the system is fairly poor and not really any help on the roads I tried it on . They simply do not shine far enough ahead of the bike to be an advantage , lighting up the roadside more or less to the side of the bike . Stick with adding some decent spot lights if you ’ re a regular night rider . Stopping performance is excellent . Not in the phenomenal Superbike category , but they ’ re really great road brakes . The dual 310mm discs coupled with four-piston monobloc calipers have great feel and power , and stop the Versys
very confidently . A single 250mm disc and single piston caliper control rear braking duties well . There is a braking gauge on the dash that measures stopping force and I was surprised to see that it was often reading maximum . If you brake much harder or the surface is poor , the ABS chimes in ... so quite a handy thing to help get your head around how hard and safely you can brake . It also has a lean angle monitor in real time that you can watch and it remembers your maximum lean . Fun stuff to have one eye on and see how low you can go ... just don ’ t let it distract you . Overall , the 2020 Kawasaki Versys SE LT is an extremely capable , comfortable and dynamic ride in a sophisticated Adventure-style touring package . While 17-inch wheels limit its gravel road potential , it does not exclude it . The upside is more grip on tarmac than 19- or 21-inch hoops can provide . If you ride mainly tarmac but want creature comforts and genuinely all-day rider comfort – this Versys is an awesome choice . We ’ re glad to see the Versys going from strength to strength .
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