2017 KAWASAKI Z650 SPORT ABS
FIRST TEST
P106
there's a new dash display with
a fuel gauge, fuel economy aid,
and a user-adjustable shift light
indicator.
This is not a race bike, of
course, but these added touch-
es of detail like a shift light can
sometimes become usable in
the real world, for example, if
you're rushing down an onramp
to match the high speed of an
intimidating freeway and want to
keep your eyes on the merging
traffic instead of your tach—its
bright, illuminating shift light can
keep you informed as to how
close you're getting to the higher
RPMs as twins can sometimes
run out of over-rev quite abruptly.
I think, however, Kawasaki's
greatest achievement on this
bike comes from a combina-
tion of slimmer 36mm intake
ports, improved fuel atomiza-
tion, and a sub-throttle-valve
system whereas the main valve
is operated by the rider and the
sub valve opens by a servomo-
tor controlled by the ECU. So,
if I whacked the main throttle
open quickly, there was never a
hesitation of any kind.
The whole bike has been
re-tuned to create the best pos-
sible midrange—the result is a
torque curve that's smooth and
Paso Robles with a
Ninja 650 is a pretty
rad place to be.
