2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R
Pity the poor motorcycle designer who has to come up with an entry-level or beginner’s bike. Make it too big, powerful or heavy and potential buyers will be intimidated. Make it too small and light and folks will scoff and quickly outgrow it. Make it too expensive and it will languish on showroom floors. Seems like a tough assignment, to say the least.
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R
With the 2006 Ninja 650R, Kawasaki’s designers have walked this tightrope quite successfully. Starting with a fresh-looking sporty design, powered by a lively new 649cc twin and mounted in a competent chassis, we think Kawi’s engineers deserve a round of applause.
Team Green’s intended market for this machine is new riders and those who are shopping for their first new bike, re-entry riders coming back to the sport, and multibike owners looking for a reasonably priced second or third motorcycle for their spouse or visiting friends to ride. But if you don’t fit into one of these demographics, I’m sure they’ll sell you one anyway.
Conservative graphics and a choice of three tasteful colors (black, red or silver) add to the bike’s grown-up visage. That wind-cheating fairing effectively directs the wind blast away from the rider while at the same time giving the 650R a distinct look of its own. Windscreen protection is
above average for this class of bike and helps take the
windblast off the rider’s torso. Although your head is still in the breeze, helmet buffeting is almost non-existent.
Rider Report
Motive power comes from a torquey little 649cc liquid-cooled parallel twin with twin camshafts and four valves per cylinder.
While similar in layout and design to the EX500’s engine, this is a brand-new design that Kawi says is even smaller externally than the 500. Shim-under-bucket valve lifters allow a long 26,000-mile adjustment interval. To quell vibration the 180-degree crankshaft is paired with a single counterbalancer shaft.
The Keihin digital fuel-injection system with 38mm throttle bodies eliminates the need for a cold-start lever. Cold and hot starts are instant and the bike is immediately ready to ride. Drivability is excellent and throttle response is free of abruptness coming off idle and smooth throughout the operating range.
Source: http://www.riderreport.com/...
issued: Monday, May 15, 2006
updated: Monday, May 15, 2006
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