Team-BHP - Kawasaki Ninja 650R : Test Ride & Review

Wow a first 2 wheeler official review on Team-Bhp. Excellent. Went through all the posts and looks like 3 bhpians have already booked it. That talks a lot about VFM this bike offers.

Now I want to request the moderators to consider the entry level Harley for review as well. The Iron 883 is mouth watering as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by black12rr (Post 2386294)

I see many of them cribbing about 15 ltr fuel tank . I dont see why you should not be able to fill within 300 kms of the range .Just need to plan the stops properly. And are there ppl who does 300+kms range in one stretch ?.

There is this one stretch on the Leh-Manali route, "365km till the next petrol bunk", if memory serves me right. (A different question whether many people will actually ride the 650r to Leh, but I'm guessing there are one or two who will want to.) Add to that the fact that range can drop considerably with riding styles and road conditions, and range can certainly become a concern, outside of Sunday highway rides.

Besides, once out of the Metros (and the GQ perhaps), having petrol bunks at regular intervals is not the issue, it's whether all will remain open at the time you are on the road and whether they will have stock, is the issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by black12rr (Post 2386464)

Congrats Rossi - the DOCTOR :D . Did you ask for black color and how much was the OTR there ?

Thanks :)
Even they were surprised that there was no color choice.
But then re-painting a bike is no big deal !
4,94,xxx

Quote:

Originally Posted by djpeesh (Post 2386560)

You can VISIT to our exclusive showroom BAJAJ PROBIKING to get the closer looks of the bike Located at Vashi Navi Mumbai

Do confirm before u make the long trip to Vashi because when I booked today morning they did not have any display bike. They said it is expected in another couple of days.

Ninja 650r at 4.67l on the road Hyderabad has confused me completely! I even considered exchanging my ninja 250r and getting myself a 650r but after days of weighing the pros and cons, i decided against it! Mainly due to the poor service technicians in pbk hyd (i've already faced number of problems which aren't sorted out when reported) and the ridiculously expensive spares. hopefully i've made the right decision in that i won't regret it in future :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikefreak (Post 2386690)

Do confirm before u make the long trip to Vashi because when I booked today morning they did not have any display bike. They said it is expected in another couple of days.

Oh no. So I will have to wait to making the visitlol:. Thanks for letting me know sir. Since you're buying one bikefreak, I might just wait to see your reviews before plonking so much cash on it, especially with no test rides in the monsoon. Also, what's with the single color scheme??? The website says Black and Green are available. Sounds a bit like the Model T sales pitch, no?

Awesome review. TBHP's first bike review, and that too a 650...! Kudos.

Just a small downer; I'm pretty sure BHPians could have garnered a Vbox/Gtech for some very important performance runs/numbers....ah well, there's always a next time; maybe on a litre class then, eh..

Kawasaki/Bajaj have upped the ante' by quite a bit. I'm waiting with bated breath for Honda, Suzi & Yamaha to retaliate, especially since they are on solid footing with self-owned (no partnerships) networks. I'm pretty sure that if Honda deals a blow with a CBR 600 on the southern side of 4 lakhs, the booking line would be longer than that of a Rajnikanth movie in Chennai on it's opening day... :)

Sadly, that could take a while...sigh...

But on the positive side, at last we have a sub-5 lakh machine that cracks the 200 kph barrier (barely). Three cheers for that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by plimsollmark (Post 2386499)

Just booked the 650R myself today, was told that mine was the 6th booking since the launch.
Expecting it in August.

Of course forgot to mention earlier that Pune RTO insists on having a Saree guard fitted on this bike as well. :uncontrol Hence Bajaj Probiking will deliver the Bike complete - Saree guard et al! Amazing the way our RTO functions.
Also found the plate affixed for the front number plate to be taking away all the beauty of the front view. If we decide to remove that and use the front mud guard instead, wonder if the traffic police will give any grief ?

Quote:

Originally Posted by plimsollmark (Post 2387163)

Also found the plate affixed for the front number plate to be taking away all the beauty of the front view. If we decide to remove that and use the front mud guard instead, wonder if the traffic police will give any grief ?

Can I suggest you go for a sticker number plate on the front windshield like on the T Bhp test bike.

You can have a rectangular piece of reflective white with sticker numbers which you can get from any decent sticker shop. This way, you can keep the mudguards clean, and be legal as well.

Cheers

Ride Safe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by plimsollmark (Post 2387163)

It is part of the Motor Vehicles Rules to have Saree Guards. There's no escaping it if you want a bike that plies on normal roads and not restricted to track.

Quote:

Originally Posted by plimsollmark (Post 2387163)

The number plate has to be a flat vertical surface facing the front. I had the number painted on the mudguard and was asked to use a plate on my previous bike. Otherwise the Yamaha R15 would not have a super-ugly looking number plate.

Really impressed with the attempts the motorcycle companies in india are making and thanks for the ninja 650.

I have a question, why not the ninja zx-6. If you can launch something like this why not the zx-6 sport for about 5-6 lakhs.

I believe the 650 is tuned and made much sober for india. Why???????

I will not buy this bike, I rather go for an in-line 4 cylinder filled with many horses and weighing only about 170kgs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by veyron1 (Post 2387001)

.

But on the positive side, at last we have a sub-5 lakh machine that cracks the 200 kph barrier (barely). Three cheers for that.

How safe would the roads get with spoilt brats doing their stuff in urban areas :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ku69rd (Post 2387760)

How safe would the roads get with spoilt brats doing their stuff in urban areas :)

A bike is a LOT less forgiving than a car in terms of teaching spoilt brats a lesson. :)

A lesson not just in terms of money but physical pain.

Smart ones learn the lesson and give the bike the respect she demands.

Also a bad rider usually causes lesser damage than a bad driver.