Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

I iTEEI 2006 Kowosoki Ninjo 550R that the six-spokes don't require as much material bettveen the spokes, so the resuk is a thinnen lighter wheel. tastly, the Ninia 650R fefiures a full fair- ing treatment that is similar to that of the ZX-6R and ZX-10R. lntegrated front turn signals with clear lenses were used to enhance the bike's overall appearance. The Ninja 650R is a\railable in two color combi- nationsi Galaxy Sifver/Metallic Graystone/ Flame Persimmon Red; and Ebony/Galaxy Silver/Flame Persimmon Red. For the Ninja 650R press launch, Kawasaki invited the U.S- moto-press down to Harrah's Rincon Hotel and Casino iust outside of Escondido, California, before tuming us loo6e on a 140-mile ride through the hill country near lulian and Mount Palomar. The little iaunt provided a Sood idea of the Ninja 650Rs character. Rest assured, this little wo-banger lives up to its tough-gq/ name, For starte6, the Ninja's little eight- lve twin provides surprisingly spriShtly Per- formance- lt isn't a brutal 600cc supeEport motor by any means, but plap more the role of Porsche Boxster to the ZX-6Rs Carrera Turbo. The 83mm x 60mft bore and stroke motor offen ziPpy Performance from iust a couple grand on the tachometer, and it just keeps building power almost all the way to the 10,000-rpm redline. Feverishly rowing the Ninia's smooth-shift- ing six-speed gearbox is a ton of fun, but the broad spread of power doesn't make that technique a necessity. Remember? Kawasaki said it wanted to build a bike for beginners and experts alike. The Ninia 650Rs torquey twin-engine is such a riot and is ample proof that Kawasaki accomplished its goal. Power wheelies were no sweat on the Ninia 650R. ln fact, sweral expen racers in our group couldn't resist pulling huge stand- up wheelies on their respective mounts. And yet the 550Rcan also be so mellow that any beginner could find a home aboard one. It's kind of like the proverbial minister's kid: The 650R look and feels innocent enough, but its as easy to find trouble with, a5 it is with any hooligan bike currentton the mar- ket. ln Fact, it I were Kawi R&D, I'd serious- ly look into building an 850cc version ofthis same engine and housing h in the 21000 chassis. lt would be twice the hooligan at half the wei8ht. well, maybe that's a stretch, but one of rhe truly beautiful attributes of the Ninia 650R is how incredibt flickable it teels at all speeds. Whether caught in downtown trar- fic or blazing your favorite back road, the 650R's neering is light. agile and precise. Kawasaki's attention to mass ceitralization realty paid off. Regardless ofvelocity, I never experienced any headshake on my test unit. ln fact, the tighter and twister the road, the better the bike worked. Another big plu5 in the Ninja 550Rs col- umn has to be its ergonomic bent. Although some testers griped a little about the 650R's handlebar bend, saying that it tended to put pressure on the wrists, the overall layout of the bike was excellent. The pegs are lo\ , not tu.ked up like a 6R or a loR, but they aren't so low as to drag on the Sround con- stantly when the bike is heeled over A few testers said that they were able to scrape the pegs. Overall, the Ninia 650R is a real- ly comforuble bike that you can ride really fast. Come to think of it. it reminds me of the old Honda CBR600F and TriumPh Daytona 600s. Those were comfortable bikes that you could ride fast, and so is the Ninia 550R The 650R's suspension does a good iob of keepin8 up with the package, and l'd have to say that the only negative thing I noticed with the suspension was that it tended to get a liftle busy with washboard- type road undulations. Otherwise, it's some of the best nonadjustable susPension I've sampled. Brakes? Well, here's one area where l'd like to see Kawasaki step the lit- tle Ninia up. The front features two-piston calipers, and really l'd like to see four-pis- ton puck instead. The feel at the brake lever was progressive enough, but lwas just looking for more power. Perhaps that's a concession that had to be made. but the Ninia 650R is pretty close to a perfect package otherwise, Overall, l'd have to say that I'm pretty darn impressed with the Kawasaki Ninia 650R. Granted, we haven't gotten into our rounds of hard-core 2005 lPortbike model testing yet, but my time aboard the 650R served as a nice warmup ride. ln fad, ifthis was the only bike that I got to ride all year, lwouldn't be totally bummed. ln fact, l'm thinking about buying one, uh, for my wife, you understand. Nice bike, Kawasaki. GN I t f -- -,,.\ -- Thc t xh ed tsot on lhs Ninio 65OR offers plenty ol troction to ksep the rider in plocc. \ 7/- E*\ \ \\ - - # ( tl J -a \ - The 650R'r onolog goges ore o.tuqlly oosier to reod rhon the rtick, digitol stuff lound on the '05 supertPort Ninior. Go figure. a \ {/ The perol-fyp€ reor brqke looks good ond is foirly effettive, though we'd - like-to hovl-o lirle more power up frcnl. ) t 7 7 a \ a' { $ \\? ,l' -' 34 FEBRUARY 8, 2006 ' CYCLE NEWS SPECtFICAilONS Kawasaki Ninia 650R LtSTPRICE . ...........................$6299 DrsplAcEMENT..........................649cc ENGINE TYPE......Liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-valve, parallel (win BORE x STROKE ................83 x 60mm CoMPRESSTON RATIO.............. I 1.3: I CARBURETION....DFI w/ Keihin 38mm throttle bodier 1GN1T1ON ............................Di9ka1 CDI TRANSM|SS|ON...................... 6-speed STARTING SYsTEl.l ...........,,...Electric FUEL CAPAC|TY........................4. I 8ai, wHEELBASE..........,,..................55.3 in. RAKE/IRAIL ....................25'l I 0 l.6mm SEAT HE|GHT............................30.9 in. FRONT TrRE.......................... 120/55- l 7 REAR TtRE...............--..,.......... I 60/60- I 7 FRONT-WHEEL TR4VE1............4.7 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL ..............5.4 in. FRONT BRAKE....Dual 300mm Petal dhc REAIi BRAKE ............220min petal disc f INAL DRIVE..--....,....,..................Chain CLATMED DRY WEIGHT ..--...-..392 lb. I L.- a T] l+- :E a i \ f o o - o

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