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[[{“value”:”The Kawasaki Versys 1000 is more of a street bike than an adventure bike—that 17-inch front wheel isn’t made for dirt riding. But a lot of people still push these bikes into ADV duty, as you can see from the forum thread here. And now, it appears Kawasaki is bringing a new version of this bike to the market.
The tip-off comes from Motorcycle.com—or rather, from regulators in Australia. MO’s Dennis Chung saw a filing for a new Versys from the Aussie Department Of Government Paperwork, or something like that. Here’s what he saw in the documents:
Firstly, the homologation is specifically for an S model, which for many markets is considered to be a mid-tier option between the standard Versys and the SE. Trim levels and packages vary from market to market, with Kawasaki U.S.A., for example, only offering a Versys 1000 SE LT+. In Australia, the only option available is the Versys 1000 S, which adds a TFT display but lacks the SE’s electronic suspension.
The newly certified model is designated the Versys 1100 S, with the model code KLZ1100B. Rather than certifying it as a new model, Kawasaki opted to homologate it as a variant to the Versys 1000 S (KLZ1000B). This suggests that the changes won’t be too substantial, so those hoping for more off-road capability may be disappointed. That said, this applies specifically to the S model, and we don’t know how other variants may differ as the S is the only version currently offered in Australia.
So, the Aussies are getting an updated version of the S-model, it looks like. Chung theorizes it will get Kawasaki’s adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection systems that are already on the Ninja H2 SX. He also wonders if the Versys 1100 signals a shift on the Ninja 1000SX model, indicating a larger motor is coming for that bike as well:
A Z1100 would also be an interesting prospect, as the Z1000 has been absent from Kawasaki’s lineup since 2021. The 948cc Z900 had essentially taken the Z1000’s spot, but a bump in displacement may be enough to give a Z1100 its own space in the market. It should be noted that the Ninja 1000SX was not among the returning models Kawasaki previously announced for 2025, nor has the existing 1,043cc engine appeared in certification filings with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or California Air Resources Board for the 2025 model year.
New bike season is here, with shows just around the corner. We expect to see more on this bike’s potential North American introduction soon!
The post Kawasaki Is Working On New Versys 1100 appeared first on Adventure Rider.”}]]
