Riding across Australia and back again is no mean feat. When the bike of choice is a 300cc, multi-cylinder newbie even Kawasaki says wasn’t made for the job, it’s really testing the limits of both rider and machine. Robin Box and Mick Hamilton set off on a wide loop which would take them from Victoria to Byron Bay, west to the far coast, south through places like Perth and Esperance, across the Nullarbor and back to Victoria. There was some trepidation at the start but they arrived home with big grins and full of praise for the Kawasaki’s Versys-X300.
Since the adventure-bike phenomenon began, a small-displacement, multi-cylinder bike has been the missing stepping stone for many riders not comfortable on bigger bikes, especially those who are a little ‘height-challenged’.
The unproven Kawasaki Versys-X300 was chosen for this across-Australia journey and was seen as exceptional value, coming in at under $6500, but with enough horsepower to run along at a decent speed on a long-haul trip.