Kawasaki Versys 650 could be launched this year

Kawasaki is planning to launch the Versys 650 for the Indian market this year. The company has imported one model for homologation, making us believe that the Versys 650 will be sold in India via the completely-knocked-down (CKD) route.

The number of touring enthusiasts in India has grown considerably over the last few years. In order to be an important part of this segment, Kawasaki launched the Versys 1000 last year. However, the Versys 1000 was too big and impractical for a country like ours and hence the Japanese manufacturer took the decision to get the middle-weight touring machine to India.

The Kawasaki Versys 650 is powered by a 649cc parallel-twin liquid-cooled fuel-injected engine. This engine churns out 68.1bhp at 8500rpm and maximum torque of 64Nm at 7000rpm. The engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox that transfers power to the rear wheel via a chain drive. Being built on a completely different platform than the Ninja 650, we are expecting the Versys 650 to be priced marginally above the Ninja 650.

Kawasaki is tight-lipped about the launch of this bike, but we can expect the bike to be launched during the festive season. Internationally, the bike is available in many colours, but just like its other products in India, Kawasaki will introduce only one colour scheme for the Versys 650. While we appreciate the Japanese manufacturer’s move to get his bike to India, the BikeWale team would be very happy if the company brings the KLR650 to India.

Stay tuned to BikeWale as we will get you more details on the Kawasaki Versys 650.