2019 · Tourer · Buyer's Guide
Packed For The Long Haul
This is the top of the Versys line, and the SE Grand Tourer aims its 1043 cc inline-four at distance rather than drama. The 120 hp peak sits at 9,000 rpm with 75 lb-ft at 7,500, so the numbers only tell you what the top end holds, not how it gets there. The equipment list is where this trim earns its name: electronic suspension at both ends, cornering ABS, traction control, ride modes, quickshifter up and down, a TFT dash with phone connectivity, heated grips, an adjustable screen, and cornering lights. All of it standard.
The chassis is built for pavement and nothing else. A 59.8 in wheelbase and 567 lb wet make it stable rather than agile, and the reliability record is the strongest thing on its scorecard after the load-carrying ability. It fits the rider who covers real distance on real roads, often loaded, sometimes two-up. The honest caveat: it delivers most of what the touring class promises without reaching the absolute peak of it, and the true grand-tourer setup wants the pannier system that this trim leaves on the options list along with cruise control.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 120 hp (88 kW) @ 9,000 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 75 lb-ft (102 Nm) @ 7,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 1043 cc |
| Engine | Inline-four |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 310 mm |
| Front tire | 120/70-17 |
| Rear tire | 180/55-17 |
| Wheelbase | 59.8 in (1520 mm) |
| Seat height | 33.1 in (840 mm) |
| Wet weight | 567 lb (257 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.5 gal (21 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Safety
What follows isn't my test log. It's what I've picked up over years of listening: conversations in the paddock, owners cornering me at club nights, and the messages that arrive after somebody's put a season of miles on one. On the SE Grand Tourer the pattern is steady. Riders praise the motor and the electronics almost without exception, then narrow in on a handful of small annoyances.
The 1043cc four earns most of it. Owners describe it as silky and flexible, with fueling clean enough to pull from around 3,000 rpm and real urgency waiting past 7,500. Easy when they want easy, quick when they ask. The electronics draw the same agreement: cornering rider aids, the quickshifter, and the connected dash come up as kit that actually gets used. Comfort talk runs along the same line, with the upright position and the adjustable screen credited for long days in the saddle.
The stock seat tops the list. Several riders say two or three hours in it starts to nag, and many have since fitted a pad or gone custom. Weight comes up too, almost always at walking pace or in a parking lot rather than out on the road. A few mention a buzz through the bars and pegs at sustained high revs, plus the heated grip setting buried in the menu and a fog light switch that a gloved hand has to hunt for.
Intermittent clutch judder when pulling away
Some owners notice a slight judder or chatter when engaging the clutch from a standstill, particularly during the first few thousand miles. It often diminishes with use and is not associated with slip or failure.
Where this Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer is actually built for.
Loaded and two-up over big western passes is exactly the job this was built for. The 5.5 gal tank and the suspension settings carry the days, but put the pannier set on the order sheet.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
Days of 200 to 400 miles suit it well. It stays comfortable through the highway stretch and still holds a clean line through the good part without asking you to wrestle 567 lb.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
It will run the tight stuff competently, but 567 lb on a 59.8 in wheelbase means you work for direction changes. Fine for a weekend of it, less rewarding than something lighter.
Made for Back of the Dragon · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2015–2018
Luggage King, Reliable Miles
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Competitor · 2015–2019
Superbike Engine, All-Day Posture
Roughly $3,700 pricier used than this bike at 7 yr
Competitor · 2021
Four Cylinders, Zero Excuses
Competitor · 2018
Italian Soul, Sport-Touring Muscle
Competitor · 2015–2017
Triple Soul, Touring Manners
Competitor · 2014–2016
The V-Twin That Overdelivers
Same Platform · 2010–2013
Instant Punch, Sovereign Character