If sport-touring appeals to you but you’re looking for more versatility than an über-size sporty bike, a street-oriented adventure tourer like Kawasaki’s new-to-the-US 1,043cc inline-four powered Versys 1000 is a bike worth considering.
Redesigned for 2015, the Versys 1000 LT has a host of standard features, and its $12,799 price means it significantly undercuts the competition from Europe (BMW, Triumph, KTM) and Japan (Yamaha and Suzuki). Standard fare on the LT is generous, including colormatched 28-liter single-key hard cases, hand guards, a manually adjustable (without tools) windshield, ABS, KTRC traction control (with four settings), two power modes, a slipper clutch (with lever lightening assist function), and a fully adjustable KYB fork and shock with provisions for preload and rebound adjustments.
True to the Versys name’s “versatile system” mash-up, the bike’s…