New Kawasaki Versys 900 Is Loaded With Enough Tech and Power To Compete With the Best

The time has come. We've been waiting for an official announcement from Kawasaki about the Versys 900 ever since spy shots flooded the internet. Although I expected confirmation from Team Green, I didn't expect the Versys 900 to enter the category with such dominant specs, at least on paper.

The likes of Triumph's Tiger Sport 800 and Yamaha's Tracer 9 GT+ have a steady foothold in the tall rounder niche, but the new Versys 900 is set to disrupt that with a boatload of power, thanks to the 948cc 16-valve inline-four engine lifted from the Z900. This powerplant means the Versys 900 will put out 120 hp at 9,500 rpm and 71.6 lb-ft of torque at 8,000 rpm, and that's more than either of the aforementioned bikes from Yamaha and Triumph.

Housing the Z900 engine is an all-new steel trellis frame, which Kawasaki states has near 50:50 weight distribution. The frame was developed using analysis of the Versys 1100's aluminum twin-tube frame. Damping at the front comes courtesy of a 43mm inverted cartridge fork, which provides 5.9 inches of travel, with rebound damping and spring preload adjustment accessible at the
top of the right fork leg. To the rear, there's a shock and linkage with around 6.3 inches of travel, which features rebound damping adjustment and a remote, hand-operated preload adjuster.

Stopping power comes courtesy of twin 310mm semi-floating front brake discs that are paired with opposed four-piston, radial-mount monobloc calipers. And bonus points go to Kawasaki for fitting a radial-pump front master cylinder as opposed to an axial master cylinder. To the rear, there's a 260mm disc and single-piston caliper. The bike rolls on 17-inch five-spoke wheels borrowed straight off the Z900, wrapped in Metzeler Sportec 01 tires. Between the chassis and engine, the Versys 900 reads like a well-put-together motorcycle, but it's the electronic suite that raised my eyebrow with interest.

The Versys 900 will use Bosch's ARAS (Advanced Rider Assistance Systems) technology, which works with integrated radar units at the front and rear of the bike. This will allow riders to benefit from front collision warnings, blind spot detection, and adaptive cruise control, which is a rarity to come as a standard feature in this category. In fact, customers need to pay a lot more than the Versys 900 SE LT ABS's MSRP of $13,599 to get adaptive cruise control on any of this bike's direct competition. The bike will feature all the lean-sensitive rider aids we've come to expect, along with a quickshifter as standard. The latest model from Team Green will also feature a 5-inch full-color TFT dash, which riders can pair with their phone and which offers turn-by-turn navigation.

If turn-by-turn navigation gets you going, you'll also be happy to hear Kawasaki has put effort into making this model a comfy ride on long-distance trips. Kawasaki has told us to expect an adjustable seat height of between 825mm-845mm and, judging by the images, it won't be a far stretch to the handlebars, which look decently wide. The Versys 900 will come equipped with handguards and a seven-way adjustable screen. Although the bike will feature a 5.3-gallon gas tank, we don't yet know how much it'll weigh overall.

This is an exciting bike to throw into the middleweight tall-rounder mix, between its category-topping power and electronic features not found at this price point. The question is, can Kawasaki put this all together in a package that puts up a fight to the main players in this category? We'll have to wait until 2027 to find out.