Information available is still very limited at this time, but it looks like Kawasaki will give the Versys 1000 a complete update for the coming model year. Team Green has filed paperwork in Australia for the homologation of a new Versys 1100 model.
To be honest, we know nothing yet, but at the same time we know a great deal. The fact that Kawasaki has filed homologation papers in Australia for a new Versys 1100 model doesn’t tell us how many cc’s the new Versys has, or how much power, but it does tell us that a completely new Versys is coming from Team Green.
The Australian homologation specifically applies to an S model, which is the middle option for us between the standard Versys 1000 and the Versys 1000 SE. The difference? The Versys 1000 S doesn’t have the SE’s Skyhook semi-active suspension, but is otherwise identical to the top-of-the-range model.
It’s also interesting to note that Kawasaki didn’t certify the Versys 1100 S, which has been given the model code KLZ1100B, as a new model in Australia, instead opting to homologate it as a variant of the Versys 1000 S (KLZ1000B). It would therefore be suggested that the changes won’t be earth-shattering. Bad news for those hoping for a sandbox toy.
The fact that Kawasaki has only filed paperwork for a Versys 1100 S does not mean that Kawasaki has reduced the Versys 1100 family to just one model, currently in Australia only the Versys 1000 S is available. So assume that in our country there will soon be 3 new models; the Versys 1100, Versys 1100 S and Versys 1100 SE.
The rest is still a guess at the moment, but we’ll give it a shot: the block will be derived from the current 1,043cc four-cylinder, but with a cylinder capacity that is close to 1,100cc. The current block has a bore x stroke of 77 x 56 mm, by extending the stroke length by 3 mm to 59 mm a cylinder capacity of exactly 1,100cc would be achieved. A slightly longer stroke provides better torque at low end.
We also expect Kawasaki to have equipped the top model of the new Versys 1100 family, the Versys 1000 SE, with the most comprehensive electronics package currently available. Expect front and rear radar for blind spot detection and adaptive cruise control and a TFT display that can be used for navigation, on top of the current options such as Skyhook semi-active suspension, cornering ABS, cornering lights and cornering traction control. And of course the adjustable riding modes.
With a new Versys 1100 in the pipeline, the next question is whether this will open the floodgates. The 1,043cc inline-four is also used by Kawasaki in the Ninja 1000 SX, and it is certainly not inconceivable that this too will soon make way for a Ninja 1100 SX.
The new 1100 block would also make it very interesting for Kawasaki to breathe new life into the Z in the form of a Z1100. The Z1000 has always been an important model for Kawasaki, until the Z900 took over that position. In 2021, the Z100 was taken off the market, but the larger cylinder capacity could give the Z1100 its own position on the market again.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.