Kawasaki Ninja 650R - India bound?

Discussions are real hot that the next Ninja to blow away the Indian tarmac, after the Kawasaki Ninja 250 created a Big Bang, is the Kawasaki Ninja 650R.

So, let's see what's this Sports Tourer is all about.

The Engine

For the calendar year 2009, Kawasaki went ahead with major improvement to the machine which was doing it's work from calendar year 2005. Kawasaki took some major refinement strides to smooth out the earlier vibey engine and smooth out the delivery from the 649cc parallel twin motor.

The engine has been made specially responsive for city riding by providing ample throttle response below 4000 rpms. But at the same time, it's a complete package providing a wide power band through out the rev range which means that you can push the baby real hard when you wish to stretch her legs. As per the reviews over the Internet, it's an all breeze game for new riders, but seasoned Super Sports riders would find the bike a tad disappointing as it takes a lot of effort to nail the bike's top end. 

Handling

As I mentioned earlier, the entire package has been worked upon with some real power packed city riding in mind, but at the same time, the wider tires (120/70 up-front and 160/60 at back) means that if you wanna dash through the National Highways for those pleasant week-end rides (if you can get any these days!!) then the bike is all game for it!!

As we have seen with the Ninja 250R, the fairing of the Ninja 650R also has been created in-line with the ZX-6R, completed with Twin Head Lamp, which not only gives the bike a mean sporty look but also provides good wind protection when on long tours. Raised Handle Bars for upright seating also adds to the riding comfort for city riding and touring.

The seat is narrow and the seat height has been lowered keeping in mind first time young riders, but that does not mean that the taller crop would be cramped for space.

The Rear Engine Mounts and the Handle Bar Mounts have been rubber mounted making in for a more plush ride.

Equipment

The new Ninja 650R is designed to look a ZX-6R and to do that many design cues have been taken from the bigger killer to design the fairing including the flush mount indicators. The under slung exhaust not only adds to the beauty of the package but also helps in mass centralization.

For the calendar year 2010, Kawasaki has gone for the digital console for the Ninja 650R. Pretty amusing boot up the digital console has.

The good thing is... the digital console does come with a clock (highly handy stuff), but at the same time to me, the fuel gauge looks confusing. Also, there is a sleek animation on the console when the bike boots up.

So, overall the 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 650R is a good package for Indian conditions. Liking would vary from person to person. I for one, not a big fan of such Tour oriented machines, and would anytime prefer a Ninja ZX-6R over this baby, but at the same time, I cannot ignore the fact that the Ninja 650R is way more practical and usable machine for Indian conditions.

So, Kawasaki and Bajaj bring it on, and depending on the pricing of the bike, this should be prove to be another winner in the Indian market.

Image courtesy - TopSpeed.com