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The buildup Phase
One of my friend was looking to get a bike so the phase where you research and compare the market was on in full swing.
I have been riding a CBR 250R ABS since 2012 and have clocked more than 69000 km on it. I was too used to the power, feel and the handling of the bike. I had my eyes on the Ninja 650 from a long time but the models before 2017 were just too tourer like and curvy in nature (and without ABS. I know the importance of having ABS. It won't disturb/bother you until you need it. IMO, having the ABS watch your back is a good thing to have). So all the urges to upgrade would automatically go away. During my research for my friend's bike, I saw 2017 Ninja which was a completely revised model now and the upgrade bug bit me again. This time I went to the Kawasaki Showroom in Hyderabad and decided to see and explore. I booked the bike on 18 July 2017 without even test riding the bike. Then on my next visit I wanted to test ride and got a Z650 (which is the test ride vehicle with N650 engine and mostly everything else same) and then sat on the Ninja 650 (Black color was available for next day delivery too) for the look and feel of it.
They did try to get me the Black one but A Ninja should have some green in it is what I felt and still feel. The KRT edition had a waiting for around 1-2 months. ( dealers were not much sure when) and insisted to go for Black one but I was determined to get a Green one, so I decided to wait for the green one.
Delivery experience
First it was tentative August then found out that the part from Japan will come towards September 1st week and will take around 2 week for assembly and dispatch.
After a few rounds of follow up, I got the know on 12 Aug 2017 that finally my bike has started from the Bajaj Pune plant where they assemble the bikes and it will take 2 days to come to Hyderabad. So the next day i.e. 13th Aug 2017, I went to the showroom and completed all the payment related formalities so that when the bike arrives, I can go and receive the bike without any hassle. The bike was expected to be in Hyderabad by 13th Night but some driver delay issue pushed the date to Friday to Saturday to Monday. That's irritating and you feel like cancelling the whole thing but I kept my cool and went ahead. So it was Monday morning and this time I look leave for the day from work so that I can come and collect the vehicle. I called up Kawasaki as to when to come and take delivery and I was told that they need to delivery two Versys to some outstation costumers and that to come after lunch. I insisted to come and take delivery ASAP as it was 2 months since the booking.
I reached Kawa showroom, met the people and there it was the NINJA 650 KRT waiting to be unboxed. They started to unbox it but wait Mohit the sales manager comes and asks me if he can unbox the Versys before as it doesn't come with the front wheel on and these guys need to fit it before delivery.
Now, I had to wait for 90 odd minutes and watch all of Versys unbox and its wheel go on it and what not.
Moment of frustration came when we resumed the unboxing and I found that it only took about 30 minutes to complete the unboxing and PDI (Pre delivery Inspection) for Ninja.
The Bike
The bike has a parallel twin 649cc engine which produces around 69 bhp power and 67 Nm torque. So it is a lot of power for a bike and you are faster than any other car (99%) on the road. But power also gives you the sense of responsibility.
Now comes the Run-in/break-in period of the bike. Before everything else you should be aware that the Brakes are brand new and need little applying to get the stopping power you require.
So I started slow and applied both breaks to have the stopping power needed to go out on the road. The new engine has a lot of engine braking (which goes away after 1st service) which I was liking as the need for applying breaks reduces a lot.
I have covered about 3k kms till now on it and it is a superb combination of different parts put together in a harmony. Everything is where it needs to be.
Did a 440 km solo ride on it and it was awesome. Did put the windscreen on highest setting and the wind blast in next to none. ( I’m 5'5) Seat is comfortable and spacious and the riding position is not too aggressive leading to long time at the saddle. This bike is a true mile muncher. Take it for short high speed bursts or long and I mean as long as you want to and it will do it without any trouble at all.
With spirited highway right with speeds over 130 km/s mileage will be around 21-23 ish while at 90-120 km/s it increases to 25-27 ish. ODO indicated
Clutch
I personally felt the clutch to be a touch hard when you are in a stop go traffic. (Coming from CBR 250R back ground with super soft clutch) Otherwise, under normal running condition it does its job. Slipper clutch and assist is a good addition for those who miss that occasional down shift revmatchings and makes the clutch soft.
Brakes
Previous generation N650 owners had to go for break setup change. But this time the Nissin Breaks are just amazing. They have the perfect feeling and progression. Even breaking from speeds above 180 kphs, they give you a perfect blend of brutal stopping power in a progressive manner.
ABS is standard and is functional.
Engine
Smooth and keeps betting smoother with mile munching. As for parallel twin, it does have little vibes but as I said little.
The power band is available from as low as 2k rpm till redline. Can overtake without any gear shifts at any gear. Beautiful engine which you can run in any gear you like. 6th gear can be used from as low as 50 km/hr and the roll on time is amazing.
Suspension
Adjusted at soft preload for touring purpose. Feels like sitting on a medium cushioned sofa
But they are not ideal for too aggressive/track day riding but they will be able to handle the track days (unless you are some MotoGP racer)
Chain sprockets
Requires cleaning and lubing every 500km and adjustment every 1000 km. Best way is to get a paddock stand and DIY ( Do it yourself).
I personally think we do a better job at these things than at service centers as we have do it for our own vehicle.
Lights
Right headlight is always on low beam and the left one is the high beam. Initially High beam was not correctly aligned for me but once I got them to the needed alignment they are good and illuminate the road quite well. The lights are adjustable both vertically and horizontally.
Exhaust
The exhaust is an underbelly exhaust and doesn’t sound all that loud but has more bass than previous iteration. If you are wearing earplug/listening to music you won’t even hear the engine even when cruising at 6000 rpm in the 6th gear @ 130 km/hr. It has a grunty sound when you rev the engine but it is nowhere close to an i4 sound. Those looking for an i4 sound sorry you won’t get it here but this 2017 N650 is gruntier than ever.
Ground clearance
At 130 mm it is low. Which mean you will have to be careful of big potholes and those stupidly high speed breakers. You may scrap you low belly a few time for sure but be sure to be super slow while doing it so that your silence is in place and not on the ground.
The plus side of this is that the bike is super stable at high speeds.
And doubles riding is sort of big NO NO coz ground clearance decreases further and you scrap even those which you never did.
Miscellaneous
This bikes is around 193 kgs which is down from its 211 kg previous generation ones. Massive weight reduction and it shows. This bike is as flick able as a 250 cc bike if not more. You will start to love it more in Ghat roads.
Fuel tank is 15 liters with 3.4 liter of reserve fuel with avg range of 230 kms in city and around 280 kms on highways.
Mirror are good and provide great rear visibility.
Rider seat is comfortable along with plenty of room for the rider to move around. Pillion seat is hard and i would suggest not to carry passengers on long tours.
New dash comes with a gear shift indicator and is amazing to look at be it day time, night or under direct sun light. Also present is a gear shift indicator whose rpm can be adjusted. The analog tachometer changes color from white to pink to red as you approach the set shift indicator rpm. The gear shift indicator can be switched off also.
Recommended Accessories (For the bike)
These are the recommended accessories for the bike. Before buying these make sure you have your riding gears in place.
Radiator Guard
Swing arm spools
Frame sliders
Paddock stand (chain cleaning and lubing)
Now some photo time
One of my friend was looking to get a bike so the phase where you research and compare the market was on in full swing.
I have been riding a CBR 250R ABS since 2012 and have clocked more than 69000 km on it. I was too used to the power, feel and the handling of the bike. I had my eyes on the Ninja 650 from a long time but the models before 2017 were just too tourer like and curvy in nature (and without ABS. I know the importance of having ABS. It won't disturb/bother you until you need it. IMO, having the ABS watch your back is a good thing to have). So all the urges to upgrade would automatically go away. During my research for my friend's bike, I saw 2017 Ninja which was a completely revised model now and the upgrade bug bit me again. This time I went to the Kawasaki Showroom in Hyderabad and decided to see and explore. I booked the bike on 18 July 2017 without even test riding the bike. Then on my next visit I wanted to test ride and got a Z650 (which is the test ride vehicle with N650 engine and mostly everything else same) and then sat on the Ninja 650 (Black color was available for next day delivery too) for the look and feel of it.
They did try to get me the Black one but A Ninja should have some green in it is what I felt and still feel. The KRT edition had a waiting for around 1-2 months. ( dealers were not much sure when) and insisted to go for Black one but I was determined to get a Green one, so I decided to wait for the green one.
Delivery experience
First it was tentative August then found out that the part from Japan will come towards September 1st week and will take around 2 week for assembly and dispatch.
After a few rounds of follow up, I got the know on 12 Aug 2017 that finally my bike has started from the Bajaj Pune plant where they assemble the bikes and it will take 2 days to come to Hyderabad. So the next day i.e. 13th Aug 2017, I went to the showroom and completed all the payment related formalities so that when the bike arrives, I can go and receive the bike without any hassle. The bike was expected to be in Hyderabad by 13th Night but some driver delay issue pushed the date to Friday to Saturday to Monday. That's irritating and you feel like cancelling the whole thing but I kept my cool and went ahead. So it was Monday morning and this time I look leave for the day from work so that I can come and collect the vehicle. I called up Kawasaki as to when to come and take delivery and I was told that they need to delivery two Versys to some outstation costumers and that to come after lunch. I insisted to come and take delivery ASAP as it was 2 months since the booking.
I reached Kawa showroom, met the people and there it was the NINJA 650 KRT waiting to be unboxed. They started to unbox it but wait Mohit the sales manager comes and asks me if he can unbox the Versys before as it doesn't come with the front wheel on and these guys need to fit it before delivery.
Now, I had to wait for 90 odd minutes and watch all of Versys unbox and its wheel go on it and what not.
Moment of frustration came when we resumed the unboxing and I found that it only took about 30 minutes to complete the unboxing and PDI (Pre delivery Inspection) for Ninja.
The Bike
The bike has a parallel twin 649cc engine which produces around 69 bhp power and 67 Nm torque. So it is a lot of power for a bike and you are faster than any other car (99%) on the road. But power also gives you the sense of responsibility.
Now comes the Run-in/break-in period of the bike. Before everything else you should be aware that the Brakes are brand new and need little applying to get the stopping power you require.
So I started slow and applied both breaks to have the stopping power needed to go out on the road. The new engine has a lot of engine braking (which goes away after 1st service) which I was liking as the need for applying breaks reduces a lot.
I have covered about 3k kms till now on it and it is a superb combination of different parts put together in a harmony. Everything is where it needs to be.
Did a 440 km solo ride on it and it was awesome. Did put the windscreen on highest setting and the wind blast in next to none. ( I’m 5'5) Seat is comfortable and spacious and the riding position is not too aggressive leading to long time at the saddle. This bike is a true mile muncher. Take it for short high speed bursts or long and I mean as long as you want to and it will do it without any trouble at all.
With spirited highway right with speeds over 130 km/s mileage will be around 21-23 ish while at 90-120 km/s it increases to 25-27 ish. ODO indicated
Clutch
I personally felt the clutch to be a touch hard when you are in a stop go traffic. (Coming from CBR 250R back ground with super soft clutch) Otherwise, under normal running condition it does its job. Slipper clutch and assist is a good addition for those who miss that occasional down shift revmatchings and makes the clutch soft.
Brakes
Previous generation N650 owners had to go for break setup change. But this time the Nissin Breaks are just amazing. They have the perfect feeling and progression. Even breaking from speeds above 180 kphs, they give you a perfect blend of brutal stopping power in a progressive manner.
ABS is standard and is functional.
Engine
Smooth and keeps betting smoother with mile munching. As for parallel twin, it does have little vibes but as I said little.
The power band is available from as low as 2k rpm till redline. Can overtake without any gear shifts at any gear. Beautiful engine which you can run in any gear you like. 6th gear can be used from as low as 50 km/hr and the roll on time is amazing.
Suspension
Adjusted at soft preload for touring purpose. Feels like sitting on a medium cushioned sofa
But they are not ideal for too aggressive/track day riding but they will be able to handle the track days (unless you are some MotoGP racer)
Chain sprockets
Requires cleaning and lubing every 500km and adjustment every 1000 km. Best way is to get a paddock stand and DIY ( Do it yourself).
I personally think we do a better job at these things than at service centers as we have do it for our own vehicle.
Lights
Right headlight is always on low beam and the left one is the high beam. Initially High beam was not correctly aligned for me but once I got them to the needed alignment they are good and illuminate the road quite well. The lights are adjustable both vertically and horizontally.
Exhaust
The exhaust is an underbelly exhaust and doesn’t sound all that loud but has more bass than previous iteration. If you are wearing earplug/listening to music you won’t even hear the engine even when cruising at 6000 rpm in the 6th gear @ 130 km/hr. It has a grunty sound when you rev the engine but it is nowhere close to an i4 sound. Those looking for an i4 sound sorry you won’t get it here but this 2017 N650 is gruntier than ever.
Ground clearance
At 130 mm it is low. Which mean you will have to be careful of big potholes and those stupidly high speed breakers. You may scrap you low belly a few time for sure but be sure to be super slow while doing it so that your silence is in place and not on the ground.
The plus side of this is that the bike is super stable at high speeds.
And doubles riding is sort of big NO NO coz ground clearance decreases further and you scrap even those which you never did.
Miscellaneous
This bikes is around 193 kgs which is down from its 211 kg previous generation ones. Massive weight reduction and it shows. This bike is as flick able as a 250 cc bike if not more. You will start to love it more in Ghat roads.
Fuel tank is 15 liters with 3.4 liter of reserve fuel with avg range of 230 kms in city and around 280 kms on highways.
Mirror are good and provide great rear visibility.
Rider seat is comfortable along with plenty of room for the rider to move around. Pillion seat is hard and i would suggest not to carry passengers on long tours.
New dash comes with a gear shift indicator and is amazing to look at be it day time, night or under direct sun light. Also present is a gear shift indicator whose rpm can be adjusted. The analog tachometer changes color from white to pink to red as you approach the set shift indicator rpm. The gear shift indicator can be switched off also.
Recommended Accessories (For the bike)
These are the recommended accessories for the bike. Before buying these make sure you have your riding gears in place.
Radiator Guard
Swing arm spools
Frame sliders
Paddock stand (chain cleaning and lubing)
Now some photo time
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