The Battle of Kawasaki Sport Touring Machines.

The Versys and concours battle it out! Which is the best bike for JAMIE AND i ?

I have been very fortunate to have owned multiple machines from both of these models. Jamie and I started our motorcycle journey together on a Kawasaki Concours C-10. We purchased a 2005 25th Aniversary Concours back in 2005 and we have been riding together ever since. We put 21K miles on that Connie before it met its demise on AR16, right outside of Boston Arkansas. We will always have a special place in our hearts for this wonderful machine.

In 2010 we can across a great deal on a 2008 C-14. It was used, with 500 miles on the clock. We jumped at the chance of purchasing the bike, as it also had a Two Brothers pipe, bar risers and a few other options already installed. Jamie and I had many great adventures with this Connie. We sold her with 74K of smile inducing miles aboard her.

When we sold the C-14 we purchased the new to the States, Versys 1000. I had been keeping track of this bike on the forums in the UK and was really hoping they would bring it here. My wish was granted in 2015 and I knew we had to get one. We purchased the first one sold in the state of Texas. We enjoyed 34K mile son her before upgrading to our current steed.

One day I was watching YouTube and the Kawasaki ad came on shouting out the virtues of the new state of the art Versys 1000 SE LT. All of the new electronics, including suspension, TFT, heated grips and cruise control. It was the total package.

Jamie and I started reading about it, and the more we learned the more we wanted one. So we called our friends at Plano Kawasaki to have them call us when they got one in stock. They called, we jumped in the Jeep and drove to Dallas to purchase the new Versys. We have enjoyed 16K miles of pure joy and excitement and look forward to many more adventures on her.

This brings us here. I get asked all of the time on why I chose the Versys over the C-14. I get that question in person, on the blog and even from my Youtube channel. I thought that the time has come to tell you all our reasons for jumping the “connie” ship. These are “Our” reasons for choosing this machine. This was based on our riding style, mostly two up spirited touring loaded up with gear. It was also about the stage in life we are currently enjoying. So without further delay, lets get on with it.

The C-14 was a great machine and very good on long road trips. It was amazing! A quick twist of the wrist and boom… we were grinning from ear to ear. The electronic windscreen was very convenient and is something we miss. The C-14 had large touring bags and with an additional top case we had space to hit the road for 9 days. Even loaded up with camping gear, the C-14 never missed a beat. That motor is a thing of beauty and was plenty powerful to make get us in plenty of trouble. This bike was fun on long trips and a blast on a sweeping, tight and twisty road. We shared many great memories together on this wonderful machine.