New Ninja 650 Too budget or brilliant?
Good-looking Ninja 650 completes running-in period without any fuss, but now the fun can really begin
Price £6549 Fuel 15 litres @ 52mpg = 170 mile range Weight 193kg Seat 790mm Power 67bhp Torque 49ftlb
Kawasaki’s new Ninja 650 had me at hello. The sharp styling was the first thing that turned me on to the new model, and now I’ve taken delivery of the bike I was able to appreciate just how pretty it is. I personally don’t think there’s another machine in this price bracket that looks quite so good. My first weeks with the Ninja have been pleasant, even if the riding experience was somewhat muted by the requirement to go a bit gentle with the revs during the 600-mile running in process. Overall though, my first impressions have been really positive and I have to admit, I’m really excited to be using it. With a trip to Dartmouth coming up, I decided I would use the journey as a good way to get a good chunk of my running-in mileage out of the way. The trip would also give me a decent idea of how comfortable the bike will be when covering long distances – very important for the type of riding I do. Happily, I found the bike to be really well-suited to longer stints on the road. The seating and handlebar position is relaxed enough to be comfortable but sporty enough to still be fun. It made riding on the motorway a lot more bearable than I thought it would be, and not feeling achy or fatigued at the end was a definite bonus. The screen helps with the riding comfort a lot and comes with three levels of adjustment – low, mid and high. You need to undo eight bolts with a hex key and it takes about five minutes to sort, but on the whole it’s simple enough, even if it is a little fiddly. I’ve only tried it on the lowest and mid setting so far, but am finding it really effective in the latter. I’ve had it in the mid setting since and find it just right for deflecting the wind. It’s enough to remain comfortable without looking too conspicuous, retaining the sporting profile of the Ninja. I’ve yet to try the highest setting but will give it a go on my next trip. The trip to Dartmouth gave a great introduction to the bike and the Ninja has left a brilliant first impression. Now I can’t wait to get the first service out of the way so I can have some proper fun on it now the weather’s finally starting to improve.