trade a ninja for a versys?

Skyway6

Skyway6

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so if you bought a 2013 Ninja 650abs in May 2013 would you trade it for a 2014 Versys 650abs?

well my answer is yes. just did that very thing today :)

i wanted the versys when i got the ninja but it was missing one thing. ABS
So when i saw the 2014 had it i asked at my dealer what the out the door $ be with my trade

was shocked as shYt when i was told the numbers. They gave me almost what i paid for the trade
(7999 paid. 7299 trade) so i jumped on it b4 they changed their mind. I now await the 2014's to arrive, was
told usually December.

i am old so need a more upright less knee bend tourer. I thot the Ninja would be ok but it wasnt.

old
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new
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you know what, i have a ninja 650 and when i saw the versys...it doesn't look great for me because honestly im into the more sporty look, but seating position and the seat itself looks incredibly comfortable, i really want to just get a comfortable bike so i can enjoy riding more without my body parts screaming at me
 
I learned that if I find a road with enough curves, there is no such thing as a cramped seating position. Of course Ontario being what it is, a bike with an upright position is hard to avoid.
 
Is the 2013 Ninja really that painful? I love the styling on that bike. Really considered it before buying my cruiser.
 
Um.... Beyond Fugly ?


the Ninja Looks like a bike..


the green thing looks like something that should hang on the Shelf at Walmart, with the 12V jeeps and quad kids toys.
 
Good for you! I'm on an '07 Versys and love it. No issues in almost 70000 km, and if you add luggage, it becomes useful; not just fun. The fact that it is top heavy takes a bit of getting used to, but that balance lets it fall into curves and corners making it a really fun bike to ride.
 
That and my 2009 Versys will do 110 on the gravel. It's brilliant and congratulations!
 
fastar1 said:
I learned that if I find a road with enough curves, there is no such thing as a cramped seating position. Of course Ontario being what it is, a bike with an upright position is hard to avoid.
Click to expand...

I avoid the upright position. I like the Versys a lot. Clearance issues permitting first thing I'd change is the handlebars to CR-low bend. That Ninja actually looks quite comfortable to me. Proving everybody's different. Right now I'm leaning into the terminal.
 
ya some do not like the look. But for me i have maybe 20 good years of riding left if i am lucky. (i am old)
Bikes like the Versys and Vstrom not the prettiest bikes. But for me being comfortable is more important than looks

due to health reasons (cervical disc issues - pinched nerve) and the more agressive sport riding position (leaned forward - head tilted back)
causes alot of pain. The Ninja wasnt too bad in that regard as it was more upright ergo. What got me was the knee bend. I could not ride on the
hwy for more than an hour without having to take a break to stretch.

I love going on long hwy tours so i am hoping the Versys almost upright less knee bend ergo will allow me to ride all day without having to take Motrin
for pain.

Anyone see that TV show - Highway Thru Hell ? - I love taking that hwy (in summer of course :) ) lovely mountain scenery. I like to ride Vancouver to Hope (120km) then
take hwy 5 (hwy thru hell) to Merritt (110km) then to Kamloops or Kelowna .. (there are other routes too but this just an example) so the end of it all it end up being a 800km(or more) day ride.

I will be adding a small (33L) Givi box. Frame sliders and spools. The stock windscreen looks kind of puny but will test it to see how it is. I also ordered a new Shoei GT-Air (i have a RF-1100 now)
 
I went from a dual sport to the Versys, in part because two up with my gf on my 2009 Suzuki DR650E looked like the circus clowns had come to town, and because touring on the DR650E was breaking my butt.

I picked up the Versys this summer, and have since put just under 7k on it.

The suspension doesn't have enough travel for full on off road. I hopped over a branch, then a rock and it hopped up under my front pipe and smashed the exhaust right off the pipe. Later on down the same trail I lost the front end in the sand for the umpteenth time and laid it down to rest in the sand.

Picking that sucker up in comparison to my Klr or DR? No thanks, in the mud I'd have been screwed.

So my rule of thumb is, if I'd hesitate before taking a Honda civic down the road, the Versys won't be going down it either.

My off road experience with this bike cost me a couple of scratches and a $20 dollar welding job. While I think it's brilliant on gravel, mud holes have me thinking about whether CAA will come into the bush.

Cast rims? Top heavy? Expensive plastics? Not to mention the most aggressive tire you can mount is a TKC80.

You are better off buying a used dirt bike to get it out of your system.

I'd redo the Trans Labrador Highway on this bike with some Heidenaus or TKC80s in a heartbeat, but PEI clay roads in the damp? Forget it.

That being said, I rode mine for four days and 2500km and the only things I really needed was a better seat than stock as the oem has a forward slope that runs your boys into the tank.

I'm turning mine into a touring bike that will do gravel. It's comfortable on the highway, brilliant in the twisties, and works very well two up. I need some luggage that will let my gf do more shopping when we're in the states.

Have a look at my blog to see the sw-motech alurack in action with my givi topbox.

I bought it with the givi windscreen and am able to wear my dual sport helmet when riding around the island. I prefer my Shoei for touring.

I mounted Oxford Heaterz Touring model from Gpbikes, and I'm loving them.

Think about a fender extender and rad guard as well as bash plates and bark busters of you are going to do those logging roads. Been there, dropped that. :D
 
Completely agree about off road, although the last owner used mine a lot for off road (much more experienced rider than me). I have Happy Trails cases and Barkbusters, which are both great protection for tip overs. The panniers have hit the ground more than a few times and, apart from a few repairable scratches, no damage. Avon Distanzia up front and a Heidenau in the back are decent for gravel and offer good longevity. Highly recommend ADV Monster aux lighting for it too to see and be seen.
 
thanks for the replies and insite / headsup about the bike. Wont be doing any off road stuff. Mainly hwy and secondary roads.
Will be watching out for the top heaviness of it. That is a bit of a concern but i did not find it much different than the ninja. But that was just from
sitting on it and leaning it side to side but did not ride it. I can still flat foot the Versys with the stock seat and i still have a bit of bend in knees while standing.

I had entertained going to a cruiser style bike but just did not like the way they felt ..heavy bloated whales. I want to be able to do
some twisties a bit faster than grandma would do in a civic. Hate getting stuck behind a cruiser in the twisties. Tho a couple of times i was
blown away by how fast some guy on a Harley bombed thru some twisties (was two up as well)

I also considered the Honda NC700x and 500x but most reports on the 700 made it out to be boring and tractor-like. Plus the $$ difference was a bit much.
I even thot about a scooter like one of the BMW or Tmax. But dealers i spoke to where only offering me 5k for the Ninja. Was why when the Kowie dealer gave me
wholesale price of 7299 on the Ninja i jumped on it.


On a sad note just saw on the news. On the "Sea to Sky" hwy (Vancouver to Whistler and beyond) A logging truck lost its load and all the logs fell across the hwy
onto a biker...biker died...rest in peace rider.
 
sounds like you made a great deal,I have been looking at the versys myself,looks comfy compared to my klr.
 
I put 88,000 km on my Klr before I sold it, then jumped to more off road DR650E, and found I'd traded off on touring capability.

Now when I ride the Versys around the Prince Edward Island I regret not being able to take the private grass and clay roads out to the coast, but the trade off with this bike is comfort like the Klr. Hitting gravel roads on full on sport tires and owning everything but the potholes and tight corners.

Passing cars in top gear with roll on instead of a down shift. Deciding whether I want to scrub the tires to the shoulders on this next curve, or take it easy and rubber neck.
 
I mounted a Corbin seat on mine on Friday, and had it out today for a six hour jaunt, and am just chuffed with how this bike is really coming together.

I hope you love it. It's not a supersport, but it tours like a kick ass machine that can keep up to anyone without track experience and respect for his license.
 
Ugur Dinch said:
OP - good deal regarding $ in and $ out, IMO.

How many kms did you put on the Ninja ?
Click to expand...

yes, was totally shocked with what they gave me on trade. Bike has a 33L Givi monokey box and pazzo levers.
When i traded bike in it had just 63xx km on it. Oil change at 500km. first service at 2200km and oil change at 58xx km.
 
Wow great deal for you.

I guess by not simply releasing all the models with ABS when the first came out like they did in most of the rest of the world, Kawi is making more money off customers. I'm sure there are some people that went old (non ABS) 650R > new (with ABS) 650R > Versys (with ABS) instead of just buying a Versys with ABS the first time.

Never understood why the 650R has been available with ABS since it came into existence in 2006 but only available with ABS here since like last year or something. ER6N has had ABS almost everywhere else, too.

I have an ABS pump from a 2008 sitting in front of me right now. Meant to retrofit it into my 2009 650R but never did. Guess I might as well try to sell the ABS pump or something.
 
The bike I rented to ride in the Alps, a 2012 Versys 650 had ABS, and on those hairpins in the mountains it cut in twice. It gave me great peace of mind when compared to most of my bikes without it. It turns a 'holy sh!t' moment into just a mild panic stop.

The 2009 I'm on doesn't have it, and I'm back in the world of threshold braking and constant scanning for threats.

And as of my ride on Sunday, I'm wishing it had traction control as well, for I was making a pass in the rain, and my rear tire either hydroplaned or spun up on wet paint and gave me a shot of adrenaline that I really didn't want at the time.

I must be getting older or more careful. :-D
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