2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R Launch

The new Kawasaki Ninja 650R is an interesting machine, coming to America packed with a high fun content at a reasonable entry-level price tag. Light, maneuverable and easy on the eyes, with a power plant that makes enough horsepower to make any twisting road a delight, it will be a good friend to the ever more expensive fuel in the tank and the rubber that wraps around its attractive, sporty wheels: Not to mention your insurance premium.

Arriving from the big K’s design team with a mission to bring affordable fun to motorcycling, the 650cc twin is a bold and exciting move. As a departure from the norm in motorcycling these days, the bike was designed for the rider first after some very extensive studies. Featuring a seat, foot peg and handlebar relationship that makes the bike easy to maneuver in town, and all-day comfortable on the highway, Kawasaki has produced a bike that caters to all levels of rider, whether beginner or expert.

As a totally new motorcycle for 2006, the Ninja 650 features a compact trellis style steel frame, which is no doubt a cost saving move over the more expensive aluminum alternative. Small, narrow and light, it wraps tightly around the compact engine, and fits easily between the legs. Borrowing from the lessons learned in the sport bike world, the Ninja uses a long swing arm to further aid the handling, and the combination of the two bless the bike with both super quick steering and confidence inspiring stability.

Forks and shock are basic units and do a fine job on smooth roads. Get into the rough stuff and they have a harder time keeping the bike on track, and with the only adjustment option being pre-load on the rear, your options are limited at this point. Hopping on my test mule for our upcoming 160-mile blast, I noticed the rear end was soft and springy. Set on the lowest setting, I easily moved it up one notch and hit the highway. Just this one position was all it needed to make for a very comfortable ride. Interestingly, the single shock runs in a straight line with the frame and swingarm and sits outboard on the right hand side of the trellis frame, which makes for very easy access. It also allows the battery to be located lower to help keep the seat closer to the ground.

Rolling tackle on the 650 is an attractive pair of cast six-spoke wheels sourced from its bigger brothers, the ZX-6R and ZX-10 R, wrapped with some sticky Bridgestone Battle Ax BT 020s. These come in a sporty 160/60-17 rear, 120/70-17 inch front combination, and do a great job. Providing oodles of grip, and looking like they will take a bit of abuse in the wear department, they only compliment the bikes agile and secure handling.

Getting to the heart of the matter, the little Ninja beats to the interesting sound of a 649cc parallel twin. Making noises that brought back memories of Kawasaki_s own Ninja 500, we had learned earlier from Karl Edmondson at the press brief that this is a totally new power plant, and not a bored out Ninja 500 lump. More compact than even its smaller sibling, the configuration was chosen for this reason, with Kawasaki feeling a four cylinder would be too wide and a V-twin too long. Besides, the Kawasaki line up already features the Z750S we tested back in the xx issue.

The water-cooled in-line twin uses double overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder. All pretty standard fare, Kawasaki were reluctant to talk horsepower numbers, but figure it is somewhere in line with the Suzuki SV 650. Producing the majority of its power in the mid to upper mid-range, by 9,000 rpm the party is well and truly over, even thought the motor will pull to 11,000 rpm. During more normal road riding duties, the engine is spinning between 4_6,000 rpm in top for speeds in the 60-80 mph range, and is flexible enough not to need a downshift for most overtaking situations. By around 6500 rpm the bike is making a nice healthy roar, and for the more sporting side of the bikes character, between here and 8,000 rpm is the place to be.

As is the norm these days, digital fuel injection gets the motion lotion into the cylinders via a pair of Keihin 38mm throttle bodies. These come equipped with a set of sub-throttle valves for a more controlled throttle response, allowing the engine to drop as low as 2,000 rpm in top without stumbling. This equates to about 30mph, but for the best forward motion it is really better to be up over three grand, and preferably four. Ejecting the spent gases into a unique centrally located exhaust system that lives under the engine, there is a three-way catalyzer tucked away in there for clean living. Affording the Ninja 650 a very clean look from the rear, it seems this location is becoming more and more popular in the two-wheeled world, a good number of year’s after Eric Buell first used the system.

Scorching through the flowing bends around the Palomar Canyons near San Diego at a respectable clip, the little Ninja did a highly commendable job. Ahead of me a couple of fast scribes were leading the way, and the bike proved extremely easy to pitch into the tight bends, with great stability. I was impressed with the bikes quick, responsive handling on the smooth roads and we continued at a pace that could seriously embarrass all but the most dedicated sport bike riders. The bike slips up and down the six-speed gearbox easily and the parallel twin propels man and machine down the road with a nice sense of urgency. Turning the twisting canyon roads into a good rendition of a motorcycle fun park, there was just one interruption to a totally fun filled experience: The brakes.

Checking them out during the pre-flight inspection, they looked promising: A pair of 300mm wave style rotors being gripped by a set of four piston calipers. In reality they were a little wooden feeling and required a lot of lever effort when the pace got hot. At more sensible road speeds they performed well, but ask them to haul off a lot of speed and they quickly felt overworked. I am sure a set of braided steel lines would do wonders, and maybe softer compound pads, as more experienced riders are going to find and pass their capabilities quite quickly I feel. The back brake worked well, but unfortunately sent mixed signals. Where the front brake was firm and needed a stout pull, the rear brake pedal was comparatively soft with plenty of movement, and the limited abilities that exist within my cranial space had a bit of a job adjusting to the different feelings.

With a 30-inch seat height, stopping and maneuvering were a breeze as I could get both feet flat on the floor. The bars are nicely up right, even if maybe a tad too narrow for my liking. Footpegs are fairly high, but not in a sport bike sense, and I never came close to dragging them in the corners as ground clearance appears plenty abundant. The small mini fairing helps ward off the oncoming breeze, and all inside is tidy and efficient: Easy to read round analogue gauges sit in a simple consol with the usual warning lights to the right. A low fuel warning starts flashing on the digital odometer display panel at around 140 miles, and we had covered well over 150 before we added gas. The tank holds 4.1 gallons, so to be averaging around 40 miles to the gallon with all the hard riding we did quickly confirms the 650’s frugal status.

Switchgear is all standard stuff, and both brake and clutch lever are multi adjustable. The mirrors attach to the fairing, and apart from showing a lot of elbow, give a clear view behind at legal speeds. The front turn signals are very stylish flush fitting clear lens jobs, and live lower down in the fairing. These are matched by the equally angular rears, which also feature clear lenses for a very modern look. Other styling touches include the color matched rear seat on the silver model, and the swooping footrest hangers.

Coming to your local Kawasaki dealer in a choice of two colors, Galaxy Silver or Black, the $6,299 price tag is going to suit a lot of people. A fun, agile do-it-all motorcycle, aside from some minor nit picks, the Kawasaki Ninja 650 gets high marks for its versatility, simplicity of operation, sporting performance and looks. Add in great gas mileage, low insurance and a machine that is going to be easy on the wallet come service time, and Kawasaki has just proved you can have your cake and eat it.

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