Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

Query Approved

The two motorcycles are from such different categories that it is near impossible to compare! And to complicate matters more, you are coming from an R15!

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

Get ninja650, since you are coming from a R15.

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

Hi Ranveer,

If you have to buy immediately then I would recommend that you avoid the Harley. Simple reason, the bike it is based on (and supposedly improves upon) was never proper Harley quality to begin with. As per the reviews online, many users absolutely hated the 750 because of its crude quality and unsafe braking. The only thing that spelt Harley in the bike was the engine, which nobody could fault. But as a package it was flawed. I myself had almost made up my mind to go for it but then relented.

Clearly the nigh rod is a better bike, you can read reviews from International journalists as well, still considering the past, its best to wait and watch.

The Jap on the other hand is a tried and tested high quality product, which I think also now comes equipped with ABS. A sure winner in my opinion. So if you want one right now, then the Ninja is perhaps a safer buy. IF you can wait, then keep checking the ownership reviews of the Harley and perhaps it will prove me wrong.

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

Are the Indian Built Harley's good in India? Read lot of reviews and found customers complaints are more pronounced than anything good about street 750. May be due to lack of government rules, regulations, absence of strict customer service rules where customer service is like "teri meharbaniya". Also understand dealer not paying any heed to customer complaints & Company too is least bothered to attend customer complaints.

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

If you want soulless perfection get the Ninja650-if you want the cliched character go for the Street Rod-The SR has much more open riding position-the Ninja kind of cuddles you up.
And the SR has awesome brakes.
The Street750 too has much upgraded brakes now-i own one so i know.-do test ride the Street750 along with the Street Rod-The Street has much better ergonomics than both the Ninja650 and the SR.
But with both heavyweights Ninja650 or SR750 ,you sure are gonna miss that lithe R15.

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

Thanks [MENTION=38603]The Monk[/MENTION] for approving the query!!!

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Hi Vikramaditya. Thank u so much for ur valuable suggestion. I surely have some time in hand before I end up deciding "The One". Meanwhile I do expect a thorough user review of the SR750 as well as the 2017 Ninja 650 which shall help me in making the decision.

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Sir, I have heard of some issues regarding unsatisfactory customer and after sales service from Kawasaki dealers as well. Normally they don't even offer test rides. Now when they have split with Bajaj and have come up with their own dealership networks, whether it improves the overall experience or not? Also, how does Harley Davidson feature in this aspect???

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

I would recommend you to take ninja 650 over Harley only because you are already used to aggressive riding position. Both bikes are good though. But I would suggest you first try both the bikes and only then purchase what you want. All reviews in the world were given according to the person testing it, but in terms of comfort for yourself, no one can say that but yourself. So try them and whatever you like, purchase. If you wish to go for honda, try cbr 650F. That is one hell of a comfortable bike too.

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

Sure Sir, I am going to miss my cute and sturdy R15. Maybe I won't give it up! The HD weighs around 238 kgs and the Ninja weighs around 193 kgs. The SR750 seems to have covered up several shortfalls if the Street 750 and also has better GC as compared to the Ninja 650. But which one seems more practical on our roads???

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

That aggressive riding postion is something that I am looking to change. And I guess the new Ninja 650 offers higher clip-ons that offer more relaxed driving position. Also, the CBR 650F shoots over my budget (which is around 6.25 to 6.50 lakhs)!

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

My driving shall consist of weekend rides and occassional long drives. So I want a comfortable bike that is reliable and can be driven without fatigue. Have done around 600-700 kms per day on my R15 till now and never had to worry about reliability issues. But now am looking to a more relaxed experience so that my better half can also accompany me.

The main concerns are reliability, comfort, economy, good after sales services and safety. Japanese bikes are very refined (as per my experience with the R15) and are also economical to maintain, specially when compared to the American brand. But surely there must be some reason as to why the HDs are considered an epitome of tourer bikes in the world! Also, the GC of Ninja is only 130 mm which seems quite low and may not be very practical on our roads. The budget is maximum upto Rs. 6.50 lakhs. Hope these thoughts can help me to get some more opinions from my fellow xbhpians!!!

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

Bro see ninja 650 2017 is not like previous models anymore its much sportier so it wont help if you want to tour on highways , rather than ninja your should considered versys 650 and street rod is great bike but if your height is 6ft or more than you probably have to bend your kness more which could be uncomfortable.
Test ride and then select which one is suitable for you man.
+_※

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

Hi Ranveer,

One additional point, sometime back I was talking to one of the HD dealers in Ahmedabad and he said that being belt driven and having a very sensitive clutch, the Harley are made for open road/highway cruising strictly. He also said that the way we are used to riding by modulating the clutch, results in the clutch getting burnt and that costs a bomb to replace. No such issues as far as I know in the Ninja.

With due respect to @zestbiker

Can you please elaborate your experience in this regard? Also Sir, how tall are you? I felt a bit cramped at my height (6 ft)? Just wanted to know if the HD Street is comfortable for other riders.

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

[MENTION=65319]Vikramaditya[/MENTION] -i am 5'10" height.I find the Street750 ergonomics perfect. [MENTION=30141]rana[/MENTION]_shera -If touring with your better half is on agenda,do take test rides with your better half as pillion-from a pillion perspective,lower the bike the better it is as the pillion can can keep their feet on ground and help balance the bike better otherwise the whole load falls on the riders leg -exactly one of the reasons I like my bikes long and low.
Best of luck balancing all the factors.
BTW,wifey adores the rear seat of my Street750 and we successfully did a 450km round trip in 11hours in March2017

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

The goodwill gesture as shown by Kawasaki by providing bikes who booked them at SNK Palm Beach Dealer at Nerul, should be an eye opener to services rendered to customers for Indian bike manufactures and others. I don't think you can expect the same from Harley Davidson, the way the customers are facing them.

Bikes manufactured in USA/CBU are good enough, however they have failed to maintain satisfactory after sales services. They lack very poorly in this regard. Though bikes manufactured in USA were a dream for us too. However Bawal plant has not kept the same quality level as its USA counterpart.

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

Thank you [MENTION=42309]zestbiker[/MENTION] and [MENTION=86981]mknaidu11[/MENTION] for the inputs. And yeah, for the records, my height is 5'6". Can someone give an idea of the service intervals and service/ spare costs of both these bikes/ brands? Also, any other options within 6.5 lakhs that may be suggested???

P.S.: Is Kawasaki Vulcan slated for an Indian launch??

----consecutive posts auto-merged-----

Sir, appreciate your views! However, adventure bikes (versys 650, etc) are somethings which don't actually excite me. Any other options that you can suggest???

Re: 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 vs Harley Davidson Night Rod 750!

Check out hyosung aquila if you dont
t have any misconception about korean bikes when it comes to reliability ,the stance of the bike is comfortable.plus this bike is a looker ,you can easily cruise at 150kmph+ and if you rev till peak rpms it can also do 195kmph and i think thats more than enough for a cruiser