Kawasaki Ninja 650r
Kawasaki Ninja 650R
CYCLE WORLD TEST
Practical pleasure
MATTHEW MILES
BRIAN BLADES
New for 2006
K AWASAKI SPORTBIKE/OFF-ROAD PRODUCT MANAGER KARL Edmondson wasn't pulling the wool over anyone's eyes when he told the press gathered last December at Harrah's Rincon Casino & Resort near San Diego, California, that the new-for-2006 Ninja 650R was built for the "sheer enjoyment of riding." Edmondson has been with Kawasaki for nearly two decades. He's worked his way up the corporate ladder, filling in whenever and wherever needed, and he still gets his kicks blasting around racetracks-both paved and dirt-and exploring the vast expanses of Baja, Mexico. Point being, he knows motorcycles, and, manufacturer/journalist relationship noted, his word is as good as his wheelies. But we're getting ahead of ourselves. Last summer, photographs surfaced of a brand-new, sportoriented parallel-Twin with sharp, contemporary styling ("Winning Twin," Roundup, September, 2005). With its low seat height, slender profile, short wheelbase and centralized mass, the Kawasaki ER-6n (n for naked) promised "fun from the moment you climb on." Setting the bike apart from its peers-Ducati Monster 620, Honda 599, Suzuki SV650 and Yamaha FZ6-was styling unique unto itself, particularly the rakish, instrument-pod-topped bikini fairing and shark's tooth radiator shrouds that housed flush-mount turnsignals. In Europe, Kawasaki already had the ER-5, basically an unfaired, tube-framed version of the venerable Ninja 500R. So the ER-6n was the Next Logical Step, not only in terms of a recognized moniker but also handling, performance, tech nology, etc. When we asked Kawasaki if the ER-6n would also be sold stateside, the~ response was a firm, "No." Come again? In Europe, where naked bikes are all the rage,
the 6n is projected to sell huge. Wouldn’t an eye-catching Twin give Kawasaki’s U.S. operation a better foothold in the sporting middleweight, non-racer-replica segment? Why should Ducati, Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha enjoy all the profits?
All questions were answered two months later when Kawasaki Europe unveiled the fully faired ER-6f, the nmodel’s “younger, sophisticated brother.” While not expected to be snapped up across the pond as quickly as the naked version, it was perfect for the U.S. market. Only a name change was needed.
Enter the Ninja 650R.
“Our engineers took a completely different approach when they began to develop this motorcycle,” Edmondson explained. “Usually, they start with the motorcycle, trying to make it bigger, better, quicker, faster. But with this model, they actually considered the rider first, not the bike.”
Determining how individuals interface with their motorcycles was job number one. What makes two wheels fun for the riderl they asked. What posture creates the most confidence-inspiring seating position?
Edmondson was quick to point out that the 650R is not a replacement for the 500R, even though both bikes are powered by dohc, eight-valve, liquid-cooled parallel-Twins that displace within 151cc of each other. And, no, the 650 is not merely a bored-and-stroked 500. It is, in fact, an all-new, semi-dry-sump design equipped with digital fuel-injection, lightweight liner-less cylinders and a stacked gearbox.
The latter feature, which came to prominence on the firstgeneration Yamaha YZF-R1 and is now commonplace on racer-replicas, mounts the clutch and gearbox mainshaft high, with the countershaft underneath. Upshot being, the shorter powertrain allows for a relatively long, tractionenhancing swingarm without adding handling-hindering inches to the wheelbase.
In what is fast becoming this year’s trendiest new-bike feature, the muffler sits “midship,” its triangular tip angled out from under the right side of the bike. As beautifully finished as the rest of the bike, the stainless-steel can contains a three-way catalyst that helps the engine meet stringent EuroIII emissions-tougher even than California standards.
Housing this compact, clean-running engine is a steel trellis frame that is linked to a triangulated steel swingarm with a single lay-down shock. Up front is a conventional, non-adjustable 41mm fork, its lower legs color-matched to the tripleclamps, frame, swingarm and shock spring. Wheels are thinspoke 17-inchers shod with Bridgestone BT020 radiais.
Stopping power up front is provided by a pair of twinpiston, pin-slide calipers squeezing petal-style, semi-floating 300mm discs. Out back, a single-piston binder clamps a 220mm disc. In Europe, anti-lock braking is an option. Not here.
“We could have gotten this bike with ABS, but that would have come at a cost,” acknowledged Edmondson. “In Europe, where people ride their bikes in all kinds of weather conditions, ABS is very important. Our research shows that most people in the U.S. are not big fans of ABS. Even touring people are split on the subject.”
Americans have, however, shown a strong predilection for parallel-Twins. In fact, there was a time when this type of engine was as common as flies at a summer picnic-and, more often than not, just as buzzy. British bike-makers BSA, Norton and Triumph enjoyed their greatest stateside successes with such designs, and Honda sold hundreds of thousands of small-bore parallel-Twins in the 1960s and ’70s.
Kawasaki, too, has a long history of parallel-Twins. Prior to the introduction of the Ninja 650R, however, its most recent, all-new parallel-Twin was the air-cooled, Triumph Bonneville lookalike, the short-lived W650. Unlike that engine, with its 360-degree crankshaft and throbbing lowend power delivery, the 650R has its power pulses timed at 180-degree intervals and is equipped with a vibration-quelling counterbalancer.
It’s no secret that the Ninja 650R is aimed directly at the similarly priced Suzuki SV650S. If our admittedly early production (though well-broken-in) testbike is any indication, however, Kawasaki may have missed the mark-at least in terms of outright performance. Compared to our last SV-S, the Ninja 650R makes 8 fewer horsepower and 3 fewer footpounds of torque (differences of 12 and 8 percent, respectively) and tips the scales 10 pounds heavier. As a result, acceleration from 0-to-60 mph and through the quarter-mile is a couple ticks slower, and top speed is down by 4 mph.
Out on the road, though, the differences are far less apparent. Startup, as we have come to expect from fuel-injected motorcycles, is a non-event: Punch the button and the engine fires immediately and settles quickly into a smooth idle. Once under way, there’s a bit of driveline lash, but the powerband is broad, clutching and shifting effortless. Redline is a sky-high 11,000 rpm, but as the accompanying dynamometer chart reveals, revving the tuned-for-torque engine
beyond 9000 rpm is unnecessary. Vibration is minimal, the worst of it (very little, actually) sneaking through the footpegs. Rubber inserts would have pretty much distanced it from the rider altogether.
Steering is light and direct, and the 414-pound 650R flicks from side to side easily. Brakes shed speed progressively-pull harder, stop sooner.
Lack of rear linkage aside, the relatively firm suspension is well-suited to all types of street riding, from in-town errand-running to backroad blasting to highway flogging. It’s only at relatively high cornering speeds over rippled pavement that the suspension and tires begin to show any shortcomings.
Because the shock is offset to the right side of the bike to help reduce seat height, access to the seven-step, ramped spring-preload collar is unobstructed. In fact, it takes more time to remove the seat and pick through the toolkit for the appropriate spanner than it does to change the setting.
Keeping with the user-friendly theme, the riding position is nearly upright, with the tubular handlebar easily within reach and the pegs mildly rearset. On the thin side for all-day rides, the roomy, dished seat is at least an inch lower than on most
sportbikes and even .7-inch under the SV-S’s. Passengers are welcome, but grab rails are an extra-cost option.
Will practical play in Peoria? Are there motorcyclistsmale and female, young and old(er), trend-setters and traditionalists-who are eager to fork out $6299 for a sensible, versatile middleweight built, as Edmondson described, for the sheer enjoyment of riding? If so, the Ninja 650R is ready and willing. E3
EDITORS' NOTES
IN THE HOURS WE SPENT TOGETHER pass ing, plotting and pulling our way through heavy freeway traffic, and dancing through several hundred miles worth of some of California's best canyon-carv ing country, the Ninja 650R and I have become close friends. I found the con trols accommodating and the riding posi tion comfortable. Even though I'm still recovering from carpal-tunnel surgery, hand fatigue wasn't a factor.
The 650R's brakes work with a linear and progressive feel; slowing and stopping as need be didn't require a massive squeeze. Clutch engagement from stoplight launches and shifting through the gears while tangled up in the twisties came with a similar ease of effort. Even more impressive, at least to an ex-racer such as myself, I found it all but impossible to grind hard parts. This last fact is pretty surprising considering I used the still-visi ble gouges in the pavement left by my recent ride on a Honda 599 as my corner turn-in points! -Mark Cernickv, Associate Editor
TOUGH DUTY, GETTING UP OUT OF MY office chair and swinging a leg over the new Ninja 650R for an action photo shoot, on location at the top of the Ortega Highway. A real pain it was, quite liter ally, having recently wrenched my lower back while hoisting a testbike into the bed of my truck without assistance, a loading ramp, or much common sense for that matter.
But once I was under way aboard the Ninja 650R, I soon realized this was just the outpatient physical therapy I required-even if few doctors might agree. The 650R's soothing engine beat, spacious layout, natural upright riding posture, comfortable saddle and light handling all make dodging out of town and gliding down a freeway easy on the mind and body. Upon entering the hills, my stiff back loosened as the road tightened and the pain has vanished. At least until I rode the new Honda CBRI000RR at the track two days later. -Don Canet, Road Test Editor
IN A WORLD OF PERFORMANCE-FIRST, FULLY faired sportbikes, where the news-makers produce the most horsepower, weigh the least, have the quickest acceleration, boast the highest top speed and post the best lap times, the Ninja 650R doesn't measure up. As the accompanying test numbers indicate, it is none of those things.
Nor does it claim to feature the lat est whiz-bang technology. The stubby stacked gearbox and the long, traction-grabbing swingarm are racing trickle-downs, true, seen on Kawasaki's ZX-RR MotoGP entry, but there's a bit of parts-bin pilfering going on here, too. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as "Seinfeld" character George Castanza would say. Reality is, some folks don't care about racing or the latest technology. They just want get to work on time, take their significant other to the movies or roost down a favorite two-lane road with their bud dies. For them, the Ninja 650R finishes first. -Matthew Miles, Managing Editor
KAWASAKI
NINJA 650R
$6299
