Kawasaki Z650 ABS

Taking a slight departure from the usual Kawasaki style ethos, the Z650 ABS looks aggressive without being intimidating. The bike has very compact proportions with a length of 2115 mm, width of 775 mm, and height of 1080 mm. Kawasaki hasn’t strayed too far from its front heavy stance on its naked bikes. But the slim front view and the low seat makes it more approachable. The high tank, scoop seat, and raised tail gives the bike a crouching appearance and shows its roots originating from the Ninja 650. The headlight is a single piece with a narrow windshield. And a big improvement on the weird ER6N. The taillight uses LEDs to create a Z shape that makes it unmistakably Kawasaki. The centrally mounted short exhaust keeps the bike from looking too long. The instrument display is very innovative. It features an analogue-style tachometer that comes with a shift up indicator with three display modes, on top of a multi-function LCD display that comes with a gear position indicator. 17-inch 5 spoke alloy wheels on each end come with 120/70 front and 160/60 rear tyres. The bike comes in two colors – green and silver.

The biggest draw after the economical price of the Z650 would be the low seat height of 790 mm. This combined with flat and wide handlebars give the rider a sporty yet upright stance without much discomfort. This bike is very easy to ride. Compared to the previous bike, the steering geometry has been made sharper while the wheelbase has remained unchanged. The new steel trellis frame weighs just 15 kg which results in a low kerb weight of 187 kg. The front has a new 41 mm telescopic front fork and a horizontal back link with adjustable preload. The suspension is pliant and absorbs road imperfections well. However, the seat itself is quite narrow and not the most comfortable for long rides. There is also the issue of the low ground clearance of 130 mm which puts it a risk on speed humps.

The 649 cc liquid-cooled, eight valved parallel-twin produces 69 PS at 8,000 rpm and 66 Nm at 6500 rpm. Fueling is through twin 36 mm Keihin throttle bodies with dual injector valves. These use different injector circuits and valves for low and high engine speeds, which allows better fuel mapping and throttle response. Since these bikes are supposed to serve as every day rides, torque has been maximized in the low-mid range. The engine is punchy and power delivery is linear. The transmission uses a 6-speed gearbox and serves very well in both city riding and highway cruising conditions.

The bike also comes equipped with an assist and slipper clutch to decrease the effort in pulls and to avoid excessive engine braking due to quick downshifts. The fuel tank has a capacity of 17-litre and the fuel economy comes up to 23 kmpl. The overall effect is a learner-friendly power delivery, versatility, and everyday usability, which is exactly the kind of performance expected from a bike of this class. However, there is a noticeable amount of vibration between 5000 and 6000 rpm which sometimes even make the rear-view mirrors unusable. But this is a problem with all parallel engine configurations.

Braking on the Kawasaki Z650 ABS is assigned to 300 mm dual floating petal discs on the front with a dual piston calliper and a 220 mm single petal disc on the rear with a single piston calliper. As evident from the name, ABS is also included as standard.

The Kawasaki Z650 ABS is a big improvement on ER6N. Through many improvements, it has now become a more approachable entry-level middleweight naked for beginner riders. It has great looks, affordable pricing and learner friendly power and handling. What else can you ask for?