First Ride Review: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650

The 2017 Ninja 650 is Team Green's latest iteration of a model that was introduced in 2006 with the company's first liquid-cooled, 650 twin engine. An approachable, easy-to-ride package with an affordable price tag and sporty styling has made this Kawasaki's most successful model in the 650-twin platform. Previous Ninja 650s had lots to offer at a great price point and in our last comparison test of four affordable middleweight sportbikes, it pegged the friendly meter over the other three. But when compared to the other bikes in the test, its wow factor was less than stellar. An odd seating position, brakes and suspension that lacked feedback, and a bland motor all combined to rank it fourth of four in the comparison behind the Yamaha FZ-07, Suzuki SFV650, and Honda CBR650F.

For 2017, the Ninja 650 will continue to be an entry-level sportbike for new riders as well as one that bridges the gap between a small-displacement starter bike like the Ninja 300, and a more powerful race-bred middleweight like the ZX-6R. And it seems that Team Green took our critiques to heart when it came time for the redesign.

As soon as you throw a leg over the new 650, you'll be greeted by a revised ergonomic triangle that effectively ironed out the kinks in the old seating position, and Ninja 300 riders will find a familiar feel to it. Kawasaki accomplished this by dropping the seat by 0.6 inches and bringing foot controls forward by 2.4 inches for a more natural posture. Handlebars are now slightly forward and lower than before allowing you to ride in a slightly more aggressive stance for a longer period of time. At 5-foot-9, I found the ergos to be a perfect fit; however, riders pushing six feet might want to look into the Ergo-Fit extended-reach seat from the accessory catalog which will provide an additional inch of comfort.

Eight hours of slicing twisty roads through California's wine country aboard the new 2017 Ninja 650 was ample time to get a feel for what essentially is a mid-sized streetfighter draped with bodywork. The Ninja 650 shares much of the same architecture as the recently unveiled Z650 naked bike including the all-new trellis frame and gull-arm swingarm, both of which contribute to a claimed 42-pound weight reduction over the 2016 Ninja 650. In terms of mass, that's like removing a five-gallon bucket of water from the bike!

The new trellis frame replaces the heavier steel-tube perimeter frame of the outgoing 650; the more rigid structure allows the use of smaller tube diameters with thinner walls that account for nearly 19 of the claimed 42-pound weight reduction. The new gull-arm swingarm is a pressed-steel unit with a unique shape that sheds another 6.2 pounds. Even more weight is trimmed from the wheels (a combined 3.9 pounds of unsprung weight gone), engine components, exhaust system, fuel tank and bodywork.

The result is evident from the moment you pull out into traffic. The lighter weight and lower seat height makes the new Ninja a pleasure to manage in stop-and-go situations as you head out to more challenging roads. Surely a confidence-builder for even the newest of riders.

Our test ride took place on an icy cold winter day right after some heavy rains. Not ideal for spirited riding and our planned route was changed at the last minute due to rock slides and unstable surfaces. Our alternate course took us through the scenic hills of the local vineyards along California’s central coast, providing sections of twisting roads and sweepers with numerous elevation changes.

On the throttle, the 649cc parallel twin provided what Kawasaki promised: plenty of torque that does a good job of pulling up into the power band on up to the 10,000 redline. Having to pass a few big rigs along the two-lane roads gave us a chance to grab a gear and really feel it pull through the rpm range. Although the basic engine is unchanged, the broad torque curve and smooth throttle response is the result of new cam and head design, new 36mm throttle bodies with slimmer intake ports and fine-atomizing injectors, and a new airbox designed for mid-range power that also emits a sweet intake sound at full twist.

Although throttle response was crisp and smooth, I did experienced a few quirky engine hiccups throughout the day. It occurred as I was just starting to get back on the throttle after decelerating. Nothing serious, just a momentary hesitation before the engine would start to pull. After the ride, I asked Kawasaki test rider Derek Keyes if this was unique to my bike or if it were happening with all the bikes. He explained that this lean condition was certainly more noticeable in cold temperatures (high-40s to low-40s), but new Euro 4 emissions requirements are making it more challenging for the tuners.

As a mid-sized sportbike, there is nothing intimidating about the Ninja 650. With 42 pounds of weight removed, the new Ninja 650 is easy to handle at slow speeds, and now maneuvers like a lightweight bike at higher speeds. A revised rake and trail adds to the improved handling and quick steering characteristics. Suspension-wise, the non-adjustable front end of the Ninja 650 is unchanged from 2016, but gone is the offset rear shock absorber. In its place is a centrally located shock with a horizontal back-link system that adds a pivoting lever for the rear shock mount similar to what the ZX-10R uses. That adds a progressive movement as the shock compresses, and Kawasaki says it’s a benefit of trickle-down Superbike technology.

In spite of the cold pavement with the occasional patches of loose gravel, the Dunlop Sportmax D214 tires stayed planted, and the new Nissin binders up front worked well with the new ABS to bring speeds down with an easy one-finger pull on the lever. A new “Assist & Slipper” clutch provides some slipper-clutch function but the “assist” feature contributes to a nice, light clutch pull that small hands will greatly appreciate.

Since 2006 Kawasaki has sold more than 60,000 motorcycles powered by the 650 parallel-twin engine in the US, and it’s no surprise to learn that 70 percent of those were Ninja 650s. This statistic serves to exemplify just how important this platform is to Kawasaki and why they’ve turned their engineers loose on the redesign of a new and improved Ninja 650 for 2017.

Will it rank at the top in our next four-way comparison? Until we can get our hands on all four bikes again we can only speculate, but one thing is for certain: Kawasaki listened, made some significant improvements, and raised their own bar for a mid-displacement sportbike in this ever-popular budget-friendly category. Job well done.