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a nice bike and I wish you success with your venture, whatever it is. Last year I sold my 2013 KLR650, which was very well kitted out for travel. I did this because the bike weighed too much and was too top heavy for me when riding anything "knarly" off road. My riding buddy dumped his similarly equipped KLR spectacularly, fortunately sustaining only sprains and bruises. With my help he was able to ride the bike out to paved roads, but only just. We are both in our seventies and neither could pick our bikes up in an adverse camber situation without help. So I decided to sell and bought a 2015 Hawk 250 for $700, thinking it was 200lbs lighter and that I didn't worry so much if it got scarred or even mutilated should I dump it.
That strategy worked very well for exploring the local by-ways and single track roads but the Hawk is not a comfortable highway cruiser and getting to places further away to ride, involves trailering the bike to a suitable starting point and then riding. This isn't bad but it would be so much easier to just get on a bike and ride to wherever.
I have looked at a Versys 300X (my local and very friendly Kawasaki dealer has one) but I have never liked the small Kawasaki engine as it is too dependent on stratospheric revs to get any power. I think Kawasaki will bring the new 400cc engine to the Versys, it is just a case of when, and how much compared to the RX4. I have ridden an RX3 and liked the low seat height but it really needed a tall 6th gear and just a little more power. 5000miles at 8000rpm is not my idea of a relaxed ride. 8000rpm is frenetic in any ones book. Will it do it is beyond doubt. Do you want to? Hmmm, at 70 odd years old, not if I don't have to. Hence my interest in the RX3S and the RX4.
This is, BTW, an excellent forum and has been a great help to me in my initial foray into Chinese bikes. Thanks to all.
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