Versys named Motorcycle of the Year for 2008

Ok, I'm bracing for the beating I'm going to get after posting this, but........

I like the versys. A buddy of mine bought one and I've ridden it a couple times. It's a pretty nifty little bike. For the price point it actually has a few things I wish the FZ6 did like a very comfortable seat, fully adjustable suspension (front and rear), LED tail lights, ventilated discs, and a passing light switch (I know.......but sometimes the small details make a big difference). It's also a taller bike (which is a lot of why I like it). I fit more comfortably on it than I do the FZ (long legs). The trade off of course is that it only has about 2/3 the horespower and weighs about the same, oh and it has narrower tires too (not really important to some people). Riding it, I found it to be a very capable bike. It doesn't have a ton of get-up-and-go, but what it does have is accessible throughout the powerband (unlike on our bike, where you have to break 7K). It dips into corners quick and easy (even with high handle bars) and feels confident in a deep lean. Stops in a hurry too if the situation requires it.

This is just my opinion, and as I mentioned above, a lot of why I like the bike comes from the fact that it seems to have been designed for taller riders and longer rides. Anyways, begin the ridicule......
 
shaggystyle said:
Ok, I'm bracing for the beating I'm going to get after posting this, but........

I like the versys. A buddy of mine bought one and I've ridden it a couple times. It's a pretty nifty little bike. For the price point it actually has a few things I wish the FZ6 did like a very comfortable seat, fully adjustable suspension (front and rear), LED tail lights, ventilated discs, and a passing light switch (I know.......but sometimes the small details make a big difference). It's also a taller bike (which is a lot of why I like it). I fit more comfortably on it than I do the FZ (long legs). The trade off of course is that it only has about 2/3 the horespower and weighs about the same, oh and it has narrower tires too (not really important to some people). Riding it, I found it to be a very capable bike. It doesn't have a ton of get-up-and-go, but what it does have is accessible throughout the powerband (unlike on our bike, where you have to break 7K). It dips into corners quick and easy (even with high handle bars) and feels confident in a deep lean. Stops in a hurry too if the situation requires it.

This is just my opinion, and as I mentioned above, a lot of why I like the bike comes from the fact that it seems to have been designed for taller riders and longer rides. Anyways, begin the ridicule......
Click to expand...

No ridicule, I almost bought a Versys, but unlike you, the bike was too high. I'm only 5'10" so I was tippy toeing the bike, not the most secure thing. I really liked the bike, very well rounded and capable motorcycle.
 
wolfc70 said:
No ridicule, I almost bought a Versys, but unlike you, the bike was too high. I'm only 5'10\" so I was tippy toeing the bike, not the most secure thing. I really liked the bike, very well rounded and capable motorcycle.
Click to expand...

It was on my "short" list until I climbed up on one. At 5' 4" it's a joke for me!


("only 5'10"...." :Flip:)
 
The Versys is a very good bike. It's adaptable to most any situation, including some that the FZ6 wouldn't handle so well.

Mechanically, there's nothing wrong with it.

Functionally, it's badass.

Cosmetically, it's got all the attractiveness of a syphalitic crackwhore.

They need to not make it ugly, and then it'll sell more.
 
I like the Versys.....I like the specs, I like the idea, I like the way it fits me, I like the way it looks from the side, I like the way it looks from the back....:cheer:

And then I look at it from the front and promptly throw up in my mouth:(

what were they thinking?
 
I like my V-Strom much better than the Versys. Something about the V-Twin feels much better than the parallel twin. Same reason I think the SV650 is much better than the Ninja 650R.

Ergonomically, my V-Strom feels very similar to the Versys. It is also, however, designed from the vertically inclined, AKA tall. :rolleyes:

That being said though, the Versys is a great bike. I would like to spend more time on one to get a more informed view of it though, so I can't comment too much!
 
Versys is a great choice. Actually, I thought it won the award in '07, but it must have been something different. The editors should weight innovation heavily, and the V. breaks some new ground. The common man's Multistrada. I would love one, but it's probably too tall for my 32" inseam. I also think the nose is unnecessarily weird and ugly. Like it's trying to be different just to be different. But all the owners love their ride. I like the low end torque, with no need to rev to the stratosphere. Slightly better on fuel economy too, I believe.
 
Like Shaggystyle, it was on my short list (along with the FZ and the 650 VStrom), but with a face only a blind mother could love, I let the aesthete in me override the engineer.
I still sit on it every time I walk into the dealership, and smile a bit...
 
To quote Senator Obama...."You can put lipstick on a pig"... :D
The Versys was also on my shortlist, but the saddle height was just too awkward for my 5'8" frame. I really don't mind the Versys' looks, quite honestly...it is what it is. It was the looks of my FZ6 that won me over, and I'm glad of that.
Bike of the Year, though....that's a stretch.
 
shaggystyle said:
Ok, I'm bracing for the beating I'm going to get after posting this, but........

I like the versys. A buddy of mine bought one and I've ridden it a couple times. It's a pretty nifty little bike. For the price point it actually has a few things I wish the FZ6 did like a very comfortable seat, fully adjustable suspension (front and rear), LED tail lights, ventilated discs, and a passing light switch (I know.......but sometimes the small details make a big difference). It's also a taller bike (which is a lot of why I like it). I fit more comfortably on it than I do the FZ (long legs). The trade off of course is that it only has about 2/3 the horespower and weighs about the same, oh and it has narrower tires too (not really important to some people). Riding it, I found it to be a very capable bike. It doesn't have a ton of get-up-and-go, but what it does have is accessible throughout the powerband (unlike on our bike, where you have to break 7K). It dips into corners quick and easy (even with high handle bars) and feels confident in a deep lean. Stops in a hurry too if the situation requires it.

This is just my opinion, and as I mentioned above, a lot of why I like the bike comes from the fact that it seems to have been designed for taller riders and longer rides. Anyways, begin the ridicule......
Click to expand...
I am in agreement with Shaggy (apart from the tall bit as I am short). I test road one when I was thinking about the FZ6. It was very nice to ride indeed.
One the down side for me was I thought that I would get very familiar with the power delivery in a short time. Where the FZ6 still keeps surprising me.

Shaggy, UK/Europe bikes come with pass switch as stock. You guys in the USA get shafted on standard equipment, running lights, engine immobiliser.

Nelly
 
I wouldn't want anybody to see me riding a Versys, that's for sure. I'd prefer the V-Strom then (or even better, the Yamaha TDM :cheer:)
 
I also cross-shopped the versys with the FZ6...but just felt better about the Yamaha even though on paper the versys seemed ideal. The tall front of the versys felt like I was looking "around" the bike, whereas the FZ6 just felt "right"...confident riding position, comfy yet in control, reminds me of my mountain bike. Looks-wise I also preferred the Yamaha, although aside from the ugly headlight, the versys is a pretty sharp design.

I wonder if the bike mags would review a newer model FZ6 iof they'd have a better opinion of it...most reviews are from 2004, and a lot has changed on the bike that they used to complain about.
 
No ridicule Shaggy. I wanted to compare the Versys and the V-Strom with the FZ when I bought it. But, I couldn't find a dealer around me that had either one in stock. In fact the FZ that I got was the only one I could find within a 50 mile radius. I'm 6'4" and I would have liked to compare them all. But, I'm not in the least bit disappointed with the FZ.
 
SergeantG1 said:
I'm 6'4\"
Click to expand...

I hate you. :D:p
I'm 5'8". When I go looking at new bikes with my son (who's 6'1"), he always gets a chuckle out of me climbing aboard some of the newer bikes that have towering seat heights, which leave my feet dangling a couple of inches from the floor.
The FZ6 was one of the ONLY "big" bikes that I felt confident on when in the saddle, kickstand up.
I'm waiting to try an 09 FZ6 that has the Comfort Seat as standard equipment, to see if it really does give us normal sized people more purchase on mother earth when stopped.
 
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