Versys-X 400 speculations thread

Re different frames
Wheelbase on the new Ninja 400 seems to be shorter compared to the Ninja 300. 1370mm vs 1405mm.
Versys-x wheelbase is 1450mm.

How much of that due to swing arm? Different front triangle? Steering angle? Longer forks?

Haven't looked closely but to me Ninja 300/VX frames look very much like old EX250/GPz/EX500 frames, different measurements but still the same design. New one is missing some front triangle parts and uses engine as stress member as substitute.

Would be interesting to find what is the weight difference between old and new engines.

Not sure. It was shortly after Tokyo premier and I think link and quote is in Ninja 400 thread.

With regards to Euro4/5 while comparing Moto to other sources is a joke, one needs to consider quality of air you inhale while stuck in traffic. Cars/bikes alot cleaner what they were several decades ago.. just saying.

Engine mounts are close, kinda. Comparing to the 400 Ninja motor.

So looking at 15lbs Ninja lost it's safe to assume ~5lbs of them due to smaller tank, 3-4lbs due to newer ABS unit. Which leaves 6-7lbs due to lighter frame/engine.

Would it be safe to imagine that when VX 400 comes out it will be 6-7lbs (3kg) lighter? (no we don't wanna smaller tank)

Entirely possible. The 300x is about 2 lbs heavier than the Ninja version, per Kawi's website, at 386 lbs. I think I read that the 400 engine is 5 lbs lighter than the 300. Given the compact dimensions of the new 400 mill, virtually the same as the old 300, I would expect a 400x to weigh in around 380 lbs / 173 kg if Kawasaki simply revised the 300X frame to accommodate the new 400 mill. That's 50 lbs lighter than a CB500x. If they indeed do have a 48 hp version destined for NA (ala Canadian Ninja 400), that could be quite an interesting bike.

I believe that a 400 might be a tad lighter or tad heavier, it makes no difference, but it has to remain in the same bulk park or will destroy the original
appeal of the bike that works so well with the 300.
IMO, the light adventure bikes demand will grow like a wildfire and for that they have to remain light, agile and economic. That is what the consumers expect.

Noticed this on Kawi's website today:



Wondering what the bike top left is?

It could be the 2018 klx250 ?

Might be, but that is already up on Kawi's site. Maybe a new variant (rally?).

There's no pat formula for designing a bike. It's more art than science and when it's right it's as much a product of luck as the chief designer's bag of tricks based on experience and intuition.

Will the X-400 turn out "better" than the X-300? As always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't think the odds are any better than 50/50. Sure, the X-400 will be more "refined". But, one could argue, part of the appeal of the X-300 is it's eclectic, incongruous raw nature. No electronic nannies here. At the core of it's appeal is the quirky, "un-adventure", "non-tractor" power delivery which demands from the rider an adroit touch but also delivers that sudden, importunate, v-tec type rush as it spools up into the narrow power band.

No way 300cc should produce this amount of fun. It's a kludge, a stop gap, a placeholder to move past the KLR to the next generation. It really shouldn't work this well, but it does.

One is almost reminded of the air cooled, rear engine Porsche 911 starting out as not much more than a sporterized Beetle. My first car was a used '63 Bug with the canvas top. No other car was anything like it.

Either way, the competition can't touch the engine at the price point. Kawi has a lock on the small displacement, parallel twin.

I think the idea is to keep it pretty much the same with just that bit added power and torque that will further increase the versatility of the bike.
At the same time they can add a few things that do not cost anything like a switch to turn off the ABS.
Same thing they are doing with the ninja but in the versys. It is not like a huge change, just an upgrade that keeps the bike as the top choice.
Maybe they should call it the Versys 390 like KTM does ???

I dunno, the X-400 looks like a golden opportunity for the corporate suits to jump in and take over with design by committee. Bet it breaks the 400 pound barrier, with more weight being the last thing it needs.

I was thinking that too. Kawasaki is not going to do a new bike reveal when it's already released it.

Could be a 450 woods bike finally has come back in the lineup.

Kawa are doing fine I think. They are leading in several areas where others are trailing with fashions. They have done this many times in history.

IMO there is no one single indication that says a X-400 should be any heavier. In fact, the ninja 400 is lighter than the preceding 300.
The only differences I see are actual benefits. Still light and agile, a tad more torque and power, great price and new styling w/o sacrificing on the high rev fun.
Unless the Ninja 400 sucks, which I highly doubt, a reasonable expectation would be to see the same type of exercise in the x version.
It only makes sense and I believe Kawasaki knows very well by now what it takes to get ahead of the pack and stay there.

Based on what I see, if they do not release a x-400 someone is going to release a small and light twin in the 390-420cc bulk park and it will not be a heavy
scaled down engine like they did with the previous versys 400 that was a mistake. I think by now it is clear this is about keeping the weight in that bulk park.

Maybe they will not do it now but they might not take too long neither. The race is on and the ninja 400 was the response. The x version will most likely follow
with the same engine as the sport version.

Anyway, we are just speculating here. Lets see what they actually do.

What about the elusive " KLr 650 twin " with fully adjustable suspension . I can dream

I thought of that but the bike under the cover does not look to have the bulk up in the fairing area for a Versys 650X.

I'm guessing one is a Z900RS, another a cruiser.

The image looks a bit dodgy to me - that front wheel appears too skewed for the handlebar alignment.
And I don't see any silver on the rear wheel rim.

It looks like it has spoked rims to me, although the picture had part of the front wheel cut off.

Yes, that's it. Covering it wasn't enough to hide the shape, so they've edited the front end.