Kawasaki Ninja 650

The Kawasaki Ninja 650 too has adorned the design of its other fully-faired motorcycles, all of which have gradually sought inspiration from the mighty flagship, the Kawasaki Ninja H2.

The Kawasaki Ninja 650 has got a completely revised new front fascia which looks like a scaled-down version of that of the Ninja 1000. The bike gets a dual headlamp setup, which is placed at an angular manner from each other, thus giving it a wider look.

A transparent visor sits atop of the headlamp assembly, which is fully adjustable. The fairing mounted rearview mirrors too have been shared with the Ninja 1000, which are wide and offer a great view of behind.

The side fairing of the Kawasaki Ninja 650 too has been redesigned, which along with the all new fuel tank, looks much more macho than ever before. The fuel tank too has a nice curvy design which accommodates good knee recesses even for taller riders.

Like before, the engine as well as curved aluminium swingarm are given all black treatment, with a 2-into-1 exhaust pipe sitting neatly below the engine. The tail piece accommodates split seats, in which the pillion seat is placed in an angular manner like in many other supersports.

At the back, the Kawasaki Ninja 650 has a small tail lamp with Z-shaped LED inserts, something which has been shared with the Z650, and so is the rear fender on which the turn indicators are mounted.

The Kawasaki Ninja 650 is now blessed with an all new full TFT instrument console which is shaped in a rectangular console. The meter panel has every essential data on display, including speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge, temperature gauge, odometer, clock, trip meters and MID, thus having the most comprehensive and best display in the middleweight category of fully faired sport bikes.

The motorcycle features large clip-on handlebars which are placed slightly lower than before, which gives it a more sporty riding posture to the rider.

The Kawasaki Ninja 650 has got a rather basic suspension setup of hydraulic telescopic forks at the front and an adjustable monoshock at the rear. Sure, the motorcycle misses out on inverted forks at the front, but it has been fantastically tuned for a good ride quality at both lower as well as higher speeds. The Ninja 650 is kitted with dual petal disc brakes at the front and a single petal disc brake at the rear.

There has been no significant change to the powertrain of the Kawasaki Ninja 650, which continues to retain the same good old four-stroke, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, parallel-twin, 649cc engine. The engine is paired to a 6-speed gearbox and produces a maximum power output of 69 PS and a maximum torque output of 65.7 Nm. The engine feels super refined and very tractable, with good low-end torque and mid-range on offer.

The Kawasaki Ninja 650 is equipped with a decent number of safety features, if not the best in the segment. The list of safety kit here includes dual-channel ABS, engine kill switch, and assist and slipper clutch, which facilitates safe braking and gear shifts while on the go.

The Kawasaki Ninja 650 is not a pure supersport machine (for that, Kawasaki has the Ninja ZX-6R). Instead, it offers a more relaxed experience with a tractable motor high on low-end torque and refinement as well as more touring friendly experience in terms of better wind blast protection at higher speeds and comfortable ergonomics. However, we do wish that it had a few more exclusive features to make it even more desirable.