A sharper look for baby Ninja
Little gimmicky, but sporty bike should appeal to young riders
If a ninja is the epitome of covert stealth, then why is Kawasaki’s Ninja 650R painted the most gorgeous, arrest-me green you could imagine?
In 2006, Kawasaki introduced the 650R, a really good, mid-displacement, sporty-ish motorcycle. It’s been popular with entry level riders, shorter riders or sporty types who didn’t want the committed riding position, peaky motor and Everest-like insurance premiums of a true 600cc supersport.
For 2012, the engine is the same liquid-cooled, 649cc, DOHC, 8valve parallel twin workhorse that now pumps out 72 horsepower and 47 lb.-ft. of torque. It has a nice, strong pull off the bottom and through the mid-range with a fairly impressive top end rush. It’s redlined at 11,000 r.p.m., but at just over 9,000, it runs out of breath and the power signs off.
A new, steel, twin-pipe perimeter frame raises the seat height 15 mm to a still manageable 805 mm (31.7 inches). The frame narrows under the seat, which helps shorter riders get both tiny feet flat on the ground when stopped. The swingarm likewise now has two tubes and looks significantly different from the old single tube unit.
The single laydown shock is still offset to the right and adjustable for preload only. The 41mm nonadjustable forks are slightly overdamped and oversprung (like so many budget-priced motorcycles) and, although they work fine on smooth pavement, on broken surfaces, both ends of the bike seem choppy and harsh.
Kawasaki’s specs show the new Ninja 650 tilts the scales at 209 kg wet — not a heavyweight but leaning toward lardy. Even at that, the baby Ninja is well-balanced and there’s no feeling of top heaviness when stopped, which will be welcomed by the intended market, the aforementioned new riders and those short of stature.
Twin 300 mm, semifloating “petal” discs are up front, squeezed by two piston calipers. The rear disc measures 220 mm with a single piston caliper. Initially, the lever felt soft, but as the pads bedded in, it got better. Overall stopping pow- er was good with average feel and feedback. Both the clutch and the brake lever are five-position adjustable — a nice feature on a motorcycle in this bracket. Thankfully, Kawasaki has gotten away from those totally useless LCD sweeping bar graph tachometers and the new fascia has a large, analog tachometer front and centre. A digital speedo sits under that and you’ll also find twin LCD tripmeters, an odometer, fuel gauge, average and instant fuel consumption and a clock. Nice. Sadly, Kawasaki still employs a director of gimmicks, as he’s inserted an LCD “eco” emblem on the instrument cluster. When you accelerate gently, this emblem lights up and you can congratulate yourself that you’re saving a polar bear. For this bike’s intended market, a gear position indicator would’ve been more welcome. The 650R now has a sharper, more modern look that’s similar to Kawasaki’s other supersport offerings. The changes will likely appeal to younger buyers, while not putting off too many of the older types.
The seat has more padding but unfortunately, it still slopes forward, causing the rider to slide toward the fuel tank, compromising certain body parts.
The six-speed transmission was a little stiff and notchy at first but as I racked up the klicks, the shift action got lighter and smoother. The overall gearing seems low as first is a real stump-puller, second not much higher and on the highway, 100 km/h comes up at 4,500 r.p.m. I kept reaching for a seventh gear that wasn’t there.
Handling is quite good for a machine designed to be a budget flyer. The relatively high and wide tubular handlebars and narrow chassis make commuting and riding around town a breeze. The steering is light at slow and medium speeds without getting twitchy once you start to push it and overall, steering feel and feedback is pretty good.
Fuel economy was a pleasant surprise. At a steady cruise, the on-board computer shows anywhere from 3.2 to 4.5L/100km and my average was 4.14L/100km or a sparkling 68.16 miles per imperial gallon. Owners should easily realize 350 km per tank, more if they stay in “eco-mode.”
The windscreen manually adjusts over a 60 mm range and on the tallest setting, it fit my tall frame nicely.
The mirrors look nice but aren’t up to the standards set by the rest of the motorcycle. They’re too far forward, too narrow and it gives a blurry view of your elbows.
The $8,299 Ninja 650R may be entry level, but that doesn’t mean cheap. The welds on the frame and swingarm are well done and spatter-free, the paint is first class, while the inside of the fairing is nicely finished with no unsightly wiring or cheesy plastic edges.
It definitely brings something to the middleweight party. It’s greatlooking, economical to operate, reasonably lightweight with a low-seat height that will be userfriendly for new riders, while possessing enough performance to provide the all important “fun factor” for more experienced ones. Steve Bond writes about motorcycles for Wheels. He can be reached at: