VOLUME 59 ISSUE 17 APRIL 26, 2022 P119
lever reach is adjustable, which is a nice touch.
You have five positions from which to choose.
The 41mm non-adjustable KYB conventional-
style fork aligns with the bike's retro look.
However, the rear suspension looks all modern
with its half gull-wing swingarm and single-shock
design. Like the Z650, the RS relies on a KYB
horizontal back-link rear shock that offers adjust-
We said of the 2017's motor: "It has an
easy-to-ride disposition and forgiving nature
courtesy of decent low-end, which translates
to easier pull-away from a dead stop." Again,
nothing has changed. However, before
dumping the clutch from a stop, I preferred
to build up some revs first because the RS I
rode had a slight hesitation directly off idle.
From what I could tell, so did the other bikes
on our ride, but the hitch didn't take away
from any of the fun. (We mentioned a simi-
lar issue with the '17 Z650.) Otherwise, the
RS's engine is exceptionally smooth when it
comes to both power delivery and vibration.
Clutch pull is also easy on the fingers, and
changing gears through its six speeds with
your foot is a breeze. Gearing is well-spaced
with ratios suited nicely to the 650's power.
Shifting is aided by an assist/slipper clutch
that helps tame rear-wheel hopping, often
resulting from sloppy downshifts/braking.
Speaking of the brakes, the lightweight
RS slows down in a hurry with its more than
adequate Nissin triple disc braking system,
including non-obtrusive Bosch 9.1M ABS.
ABS is standard equipment. The front brake
You'll feel right
at home on the
Z650RS even
when you're far
from home.
