With a son still on a LAMS licence and stupid prices being offered for some old bikes in the garage during COVID lockdowns, a near-new Kawasaki Versys 650 was acquired by my household around 18 months ago. It's provided sterling service as a versatile all-rounder, but with Damien attaining his full motorcycle licence and moving out anyway, it was starting to look surplus to requirements.
But first there was the Karuah River Rally… very local for me and with a bunch of mates going, I dug out some camping gear for a night under the stars. With around 15km of gravel road required to get to the campsite, the Versys coped admirably, although there were a few slips and slides on the standard Dunlop Roadsmart tyres. It's no adventure bike, but copes admirably with decent gravel.
It's been a long time since I've gone moto camping — too long. I had a great time on the ride, around the campfire, swimming in the creek, listening to tall tales and true stories, enjoying the countryside and the camaraderie of like-minded people.
Then a trip to the centre of NSW to catch up with mates during the heat of summer came up and I decided to take the Versys rather than the FJR 1300, because fully-faired touring bikes can get awfully hot when the thermometer starts to sweat… and there was the likelihood of some dirt roads, which aren't so much fun on the FJR. The bike had arrived with a set of genuine Kawasaki panniers, so
