Versys 650 .... refresh or ???????

Neil W

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Owned this 57 plate versys 650 for nearly 3 years and did attempt to sell it last year but in the end due to covid and E Bay idiots it is still in the garage .

Typical Kawasaki it is very good in places but in others ie the frame the paint has been misted on at best, yet the bolt on black subframes for the rear pegs are better finished than a BMW frame

Decided to strip it down over the holidays and will get the frame powder coated satin black rather than the scabby silver it is currently sporting and fit a new set of steering head bearings and then go from there.

I'm thinking after painting the plastic rad shrouds and frame cover black I either :-

1. get the rest of the paintwork changed to a fetching shade of Kawasaki Racing Green (the current metallic black is actually very good ) and keep the bike

2. I already have a DR650 17" rear wheel that fits so fit it and adapt a spoked twin disc hub to fit and add a 19" front rim and keep it

3. Once the frame is done and I have blasted and painted the smaller brackets put it back together and stick a years test on it and flog it
 

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loads of rust on the frame yet with he bodywork fitted none of it was visible
 

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I keep thinking about getting another bike again and a Versys would be up on my list. Keep it, but not convinced of the green colour... I believe a Suzuki DL1000 front wheel fits?

When I saw this for sale in January I was in India and watched a few videos about the Versys, the best of which was made by a Russian guy who certainly used his bike and rated it highly.
I rode one a few years back when I had a Varadero, it was a quick bike and as long as you revved it a bit would keep up with the Varadero to excessive speed on windy Irish west coast roads.
 
I decided to go for option 3 so have the motor out and it will be a bare frame tomorrow afternoon with the head bearing races out , will pressure wash it down and then it can go to the powder coaters on Monday morning to get powder coated in satin black, will paint the crankcases either in a matching silver or black and then blast the various brackets and paint them with satin black hammerite.

Engine is bloody heavy for a 650 twin
 

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Mine had replacement downpipes just after I bought it as the originals rotted at the joint with the silencer
 
good bikes them ..only problems was the exhaust breaking..and also the headlight/fairing looks like a grasshoppers head and the look of a short/too tall wheelbase

Grasshoppers head; :D; that's the one; i must admit i prefered the model after with the transformers headlight;in fact i prefer the second gen to the later ones. Does'nt matter which one you buy really ; they are all very good bikes.
 
Well down to the frame (bloody heavy .....heavier than a Katana 1100 by a few kgs) , degreased and most of the serious rust off with a rotary wire brush .... here is the rub all the local blasters and powder coaters are either closed due to Tier 4 restrictions or only doing contract work so who knows when i will be able to get it done especially with stricter restrictions about to be announced .

In the mean time I can use my blast cabinet for all the smaller fixings and brackets and get them primed and painted ready
 

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Well down to the frame (bloody heavy .....heavier than a Katana 1100 by a few kgs) , degreased and most of the serious rust off with a rotary wire brush .... here is the rub all the local blasters and powder coaters are either closed due to Tier 4 restrictions or only doing contract work so who knows when i will be able to get it done especially with stricter restrictions about to be announced .

In the mean time I can use my blast cabinet for all the smaller fixings and brackets and get them primed and painted ready

Looking good, a lot of work just to sell it again.
 
To be honest with this lockdown and the weather I am bored shitless, now't to do on the 2 bmw's , the katana, the ccm or the super tenere (not mine ) in the garage.

All the work will cost £150 not inc the new steering head bearings ( bit shocked that the originals were not taper rollers), the bike will be 100% when I sell it.

Once done I need to get the Polo into the garage, get some welding done and get the new front wings fitted.

Again was shocked by the standard of the frame paint where it could not be seen and the amount of rust
 
To be honest with this lockdown and the weather I am bored shitless, now't to do on the 2 bmw's , the katana, the ccm or the super tenere (not mine ) in the garage.

All the work will cost £150 not inc the new steering head bearings ( bit shocked that the originals were not taper rollers), the bike will be 100% when I sell it.

Once done I need to get the Polo into the garage, get some welding done and get the new front wings fitted.

Again was shocked by the standard of the frame paint where it could not be seen and the amount of rust

I'll be watching this Neil, Not had a bike for four years and if I buy another it would be to do a big trip, a Versys is on my list of possible bikes. But Covid could go on for ages too...
 
Well down to the frame (bloody heavy .....heavier than a Katana 1100 by a few kgs) , degreased and most of the serious rust off with a rotary wire brush .... here is the rub all the local blasters and powder coaters are either closed due to Tier 4 restrictions or only doing contract work so who knows when i will be able to get it done especially with stricter restrictions about to be announced .

In the mean time I can use my blast cabinet for all the smaller fixings and brackets and get them primed and painted ready

I was going to say ; i'am surprised at it being heavier than the katana frame; but looking at it; it's quite substantial; the bike looked good and clean in your first pictures; but it just goes to show how much you miss ; even with a really good clean.
 
I was going to say ; i'am surprised at it being heavier than the katana frame; but looking at it; it's quite substantial; the bike looked good and clean in your first pictures; but it just goes to show how much you miss ; even with a really good clean.

Yep kawasaki cleverly put on bits of plastic bodywork that cover every single piece of rust (ie every joint or point where the wiring harness touches the frame) , yet the paint on the exposed tubing was thick and well lacquered .
 
Found a powder coaters locally that is open so frame should be back by the end of the week finished in satin black
 
Well the frame is ready for collection tomorrow ,I got the new lower taper roller steering head bearing fitted and the first layer of paint on the bottom steering stem, other than that it is far too cold in the garage to do much.

Need to take the gsx750 motor off the engine stand and put the versys motor on so that I can clean up the crankcases and paint them
 
frame back today , new taper steering head bearings fitted with the top and bottom clamps and most of the wiring harness in place . Too cold in the garage to do any more today
 

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Few more hours today
 

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