Kawasaki Joins Tour de France with Versys 1100

The 2025 Kawasaki Versys 1100 will play a surprising but crucial role in the Tour de France. Here’s why this motorcycle-cycling crossover is more than just clever PR.

Subscribe to our Telegram channel for instant updates!

At first glance, it sounds like a bizarre twist: Kawasaki motorcycles at the Tour de France? But once you look under the fairing, it’s actually a match made in two-wheeled heaven.

Kawasaki has officially been named the motorcycle supplier for the Tour de France and all A.S.O.-organised races until 2027. That includes marquee events like Paris-Roubaix, La Vuelta, and the Tour de France Femmes. And the machine they’re deploying? The Kawasaki Versys 1100—a litre-class adventure-tourer designed to go the distance. Literally.

Why Does a Motorcycle Belong in a Cycling Race?

Because the Tour isn’t just about skinny tires and spandex. Behind every breakaway and mountain climb is a logistical ballet: support vehicles, race officials, medics, camera crews—all of whom need to be fast, agile, and reliable. Enter the Versys.

As the name implies, “Versys” comes from “versatile system,” and the 1100 model wears that badge proudly. Built for long hauls but quick to react, it’s as capable weaving through tight mountain hairpins as it is soaking up long highway miles. In this race context, it becomes a mobile camera mount, emergency response unit, and all-purpose road warrior.

45 Bikes, One Mission

Kawasaki will supply 45 Versys 1100s to assist with media coverage, security, resupply, and on-the-fly logistics. With the chaos and unpredictability of professional cycling—think rain-slicked descents, cobblestone sprints, and spectator-lined roads—having a fleet of adaptable, rider-friendly bikes on hand isn’t just helpful. It’s critical.

And these aren’t your average showroom bikes. Kawasaki is equipping them with cutting-edge tech, including rider-to-motorcycle voice systems for seamless communication. It’s a showcase not just of hardware, but of what precision motorcycle engineering can do under pressure.

A Mutual Celebration of Performance

Shigemi Tanaka, President of Kawasaki Motors Europe, framed it perfectly: “The Tour de France offers a global platform for showcasing human and mechanical performance in an ecologically responsible environment.”

This partnership isn’t just marketing—it’s a celebration of two worlds powered by endurance, obsession, and a love of the ride. Sure, one uses watts and the other uses horsepower. But both demand discipline, courage, and machines (or bodies) that can take a beating and still push harder.

So the next time you tune in to watch the Tour, look beyond the cyclists. That blur zipping past in Kawasaki green? That’s not just a support vehicle—it’s part of the race’s heartbeat.