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

An amazing review bblost :clap. Just the kind I was looking forward to. I used to ride a thunderbird and now thinking to upgrade.
I considered the baby ceeber. But this THING is making me think.

Amazing Test Ride their Guys!!
Wonderfully descriptive and covered all aspects..
Congratulations..

Although I am not looking to buy this bike but what really makes me happy is that this bike at this price will definately make other manufacturers think.

I just hope it sells really well so that after looking at its success other also join the party.

I hope better days are coming for Bike Lovers like us and specially for those people who want to own a SBK and are waiting for the right time.

Bravo Bajaj and T-BHP...

A great review. The price is very good. Seems to be a great touring machine.

A little more fuel efficiency would have helped for long distance touring, considering the way petrol prices are going.

Quote:

Originally Posted by EssYouWe (Post 2383639)

How twitchy is the handling at triple digit speeds? Comments on straight line stability when encountering minor bumps and potholes? Tendency to fishtail under heavy rear braking?

My Ninja is rock steady at triple digits and i'm sure the 650R will be able to cruise at high speeds without any issues.

Any bike will fishtail under heavy braking even at moderate speeds and with these bikes, its advisable to rely on front brakes at all times (unless on gravel). Thats why these bikes have two discs in the front.

I'm still confused why the 250R comes with a dual piston rear disc brake while all the other big ones come with a single pot rear disc brake. :confused:

Regarding the price in Blore, i just called Blore PBK, and the OTR price is going to be around 5.3L to 5.6L. Prices will be higher than other states, thanks to the taxes we pay. :Frustrati

Thanks BBlost, GTO and Manson for putting forth this review. It should look killer in black (should reduce the impact of the half fairing look a bit), although green looks good too. At this price point, seems like an awesome deal. Its time now for Yamaha and Honda to up the Ante as well.

17 kmpl seems good.

:OT Off topic - what sort of an FE does the baby Ninja see (city / highway)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluu (Post 2383729)

Can someone share the financing options? Interest rates, tenures etc?

+1. Would love to know if the info is avaialble.

Edit - Brilliant pics Stratos.

Great writeup with brilliant pictures,

Have BOOKED the N650 this morning at 11am as soon as the prices were announced.guess was one of the first to book it across India.

The OTR Vashi N Mumbai is 4.96lacs amazing price kudos to the guys at bajaj.

Now the seemingly endless wait untill the delivery begins.

Let the good times roll.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 2383509)

I am dead sure that I hit 11,500 rpm, and the engine refused to go higher :D

But good for a inline twin, seeing Kawasakis history its bit sad that they are chopping the umber of cylinders, still i remember their kick@$$ bike KZ1300 real monster with 6 cylinders and liqued cooling which made Honda realise that they had done a mistake by launching their CBX 6 cylinder bike with air cooling.
BTW its great move from Bajaj to start the revolution in India in this segament heard from cousine that Yamaha is also launching their naked XJ600 with detuned R6 engine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Urban_Nomad (Post 2383842)

what sort of an FE does the baby Ninja see (city / highway)?

During running-in period, i got a little over 30kmpl.

Post run-in:

Best - 27kmpl

Worst - 23kmpl

I've only ridden on highways with all six gears shifted at 10,000 rpm and above.

Odo stands at 12700 kms in little over a year :)

Nice review BBlost. I have already started getting the finances in order and cant wait to bring this baby home. The 90 day delivery period looks scary but what the heck, good things demand patience. This bike is a perfect step up from my 220 and before I get my hands on the litre monsters.

How does the bike behave on sharp corners in terms of handling? Would a knee scraping Sunday on the ghats be a possibility or is it too high and upright for such antics?

@ Speed-Freak: Congrats buddy. Will be joining the bandwagon soon!

Awesome Review Imran & great Pics Nishant :)

What a great bike for Team-Bhp Review, well suited for new riders on big bikes yet very powerful to satisfy the biker in you.

The pricing is killer & will make it very tough for Hyosung. It will also set a benchmark for pricing of next Bikes in 600+ cc category.

Having said that one cant expect the ZX10R to be price around 7-8L that would be where ZX6R would get priced if at all, thanks to it Track racing character & inline 4 engine.

Excellent review and cool pictures !! thank you guys for putting this awesome review together !!!

Finally real bikes have arrived in India which you can buy without really having to rob a bank! If Bajaj manages to sell some decent numbers, Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda too will get new bikes and aggressively market them !!