[FarPatel]

Thanks for sharing a great writeup and pics, Anil. Takes me back many years when I used to ride a bike too.
It was good to put a face and a name to the guy with the max posts on the stickers thread at last.
Cheers,
Farokh

[Turbo_Torq]

You dont see much superbike ownership threads so thanks for taking the time to pen this one Ironhawk. I'm not an avid reader but I managed to read the entire review - multiple times! Congrats on making your dream come true.

Ride long, ride safe mate.

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

KTM Duke 390: Honestly, I hate that puttering sound that it makes, really drives me up the wall (no offence to any Duke owners).

+1 on that. Again, no disrespect to any KTM owners but personally, I find that sound unappealing especially at idle/low revs.

Originally Posted by amansanc

I recently rode the Honda CBR650F and saw the Ninja 650 at the same time. The latter looks beefier and more comfortable too.

Where did you test it Aman?

Originally Posted by FarPatel

It was good to put a face and a name to the guy with the max posts on the stickers thread at last.
Cheers,
Farokh

Exactly

[Astonite]

@IronH4WK, excellent write-up and congrats.

Thank you for writing about the weight of the bike and especially the height. Being 5'4", this is a dream that is close to impossible.

[Visaster]

Hi, any idea where we can source OEM speedometer or any other Ninja parts apart from India at a Cheaper rate? The cost of parts the Bajaj sells is too much for my comfort. Thanks.

[PatienceWins]

Thanks for sharing the experience and the pictures. Hope to meet you soon.

[daretodream]

@IronH4WK,
Just wanted to check whether you've been riding last month regularly... Given that it's so only getting hotter in Bangalore and traffic is only getting worse. How is the ninja taking it? Is there discomfort ?
And how much kms on Odo now- and what split city:highway?

And, did you check out the versus 650? If you're planning to move to V650 from N650, let us know :-)

[IronH4WK]

I'm sorry folks, been away from this thread for fairly long time. What have I been up to you ask? Well, riding the wheels of the Ninja - breakfast rides, overnighters or "just for the heck of riding" airport runs, you name it. Already done four overnighters and a zillion breakfast rides (okay, I was exaggerating there).

Here's a picture of the Ninja on one of our breakfast/twisties ride - the Anchetty loop.

Originally Posted by daretodream

@IronH4WK,

Just wanted to check whether you've been riding last month regularly... Given that it's so only getting hotter in Bangalore and traffic is only getting worse. How is the ninja taking it? Is there discomfort?

Indeed, it's been getting hotter since February and we're just in March! Daytime temperatures are anywhere between 34 to 38 degree Celsius! This has not stopped me from riding the bike though. If I'm taking the bike to work, which I do on alternate days, I leave early in the morning and return late (most of the times). Those days when I leave at 5pm and get stuck in traffic, I could literally cook my dinner in my jacket! Even a mesh jacket won't help you in standstill traffic.

The Ninja has never given me any trouble, be it heat or no heat. Of course, the engine does cook you thighs in stop and go traffic, but as soon as you move, the heat is gone. This will happen irrespective of the season, so no qualms there.

On our last overnighter, to Chikmagalur early March, the major cause of fatigue was heat and dehydration.

Originally Posted by daretodream

And how much kms on Odo now- and what split city:highway?

Believe it or not, she's already done 15.5k kilometres! The split I would say is 50:50 as the city rides also include airport runs and some close by breakfast rides.

Originally Posted by daretodream

And, did you check out the versus 650? If you're planning to move to V650 from N650, let us know :-)

I did and planning to take a test ride in a week's time (TR vehicle is not available yet). Truth be told, I was more keen on the Versys 650 than the Ninja 650, but since KTM outlets didn't have a clue when the Versys would be launched, I went for the Ninja. Make no mistake, I love the bike; we have a symbiotic relationship - I take care of her and she takes care of me

Upgrade? Yes, it is on the cards (not the Versys 650 though). I know - the Ninja is not even a year old and I'm planning to upgrade? Well, it natural progression. Now that I've been riding a 650cc bike, I want to move on to a bigger one, this time around, something that makes a whiny noise

[niranjanrvce]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

Upgrade? Yes, it is on the cards (not the Versys 650 though). I know - the Ninja is not even a year old and I'm planning to upgrade? Well, it natural progression. Now that I've been riding a 650cc bike, I want to move on to a bigger one, this time around, something that makes a whiny noise

Great mileage for an year old bike Hawk And looks like you'll be joining the Triumph family soon? The Tiger then?

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

Great mileage for an year old bike Hawk And looks like you'll be joining the Triumph family soon? The Tiger then?

Shush! I ain't saying nothing

Today, Ninja baby is exactly 11months old

[jkdas]

15.5k in 11 months! That's a great number!
Triumph I think give you a small token gift if you cross 10k within an year.
Like they say ' vere pani onnumilla alle'

[kailashnj]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

Upgrade? Yes, it is on the cards (not the Versys 650 though). I know - the Ninja is not even a year old and I'm planning to upgrade? Well, it natural progression. Now that I've been riding a 650cc bike, I want to move on to a bigger one, this time around, something that makes a whiny noise

I have one question for you now that you have the Ninja for over 15 months and the Versys is also launched.

Today the onroad price of N650 in Mumbai is 5.8 v/s the Versys which is 7.7 lakhs, do you think its a good buy over Versys or we should stretch the budget and try to get the Versys. Asking as I am planning either one.

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by kailashnj

I have one question for you now that you have the Ninja for over 15 months and the Versys is also launched.

Today the onroad price of N650 in Mumbai is 5.8 v/s the Versys which is 7.7 lakhs, do you think its a good buy over Versys or we should stretch the budget and try to get the Versys. Asking as I am planning either one.

to put it simply, it depends on what you want to do with your bike. are you more of a city/ twisties/ highway kinda guy or do you go on trails, like to off-road (ps: Versys is a soft-roader)?

i've test ridden the Versys multiple times within the city (since i had plans to laterally upgrade to it) and found it pretty good. the USD forks handle bad roads pretty well. the ABS is a plus and the brakes have a good bite - can bring the bike to stop on a dime (sane city speeds). the on-the-fly adjustable rear suspension is good (the ability to do so), however the drawback is that people tend to toy with it if left unattended in the parking lot.

a while back i got a chance to take the Versys for longish highway/ twisties/ bad roads kinda ride with couple of friends (my friend and BHPian had rented the Versys). initially i was thrilled, but as i rode the kilometres, i started feeling uncomfortable.

here's couple of things i noticed (and didn't like):
* due to the higher position of the handlebars , you've your elbows hanging a bit and this, over the course of time travelled, puts weight on the shoulders and after a point your shoulder start to ache.
* the mirrors are placed higher and gives you a good view of what's behind you. that being said, unlike the Ninja 650's mirrors where one had to just turn your eyeball to check the mirror, you've got to turn your head to look the Versys's mirrors. a distraction you can do without when you're doing triple digit speeds.
* the gearbox is notchy. every shift, either up or down, is a *clunk*.
* the gear-shifter position is much lower as compared to the Ninja 650 and since the seating position on the Versys is more straight than the Ninja 650, one really needs to put an effort get the toe under the shifter. more uncomfortable if riding with boots.
* the rear brake lever suffers the same problem as the shifter - is placed lower than one would want it to be. i found braking a bit cumbersome since i'd have to move forward on the seat (balls to the tank boys!) every time i had to brake. situation gets even more hairy if one has to panic brake.
* the windshield is nothing to write home about. effective when doing double digit speeds, but once you cross 120kmph, you'll feel the wind no matter what position you put it on.
* the build quality, i personally feel, is less than that of the Ninja 650. there are panel gaps, vibrating instrument console (this i've heard from other Versys riders/owners too), the tail lamp (don't like them).

what i liked about the Versys:
* comfy seats, both rider and pillion.
* ground clearance; i can confidently scale himalayan speed breakers in the city.
* linear torque across the gears; can wheelie on 1st gear
* standing and riding is fun (if you know how to control the bike)
* it comes in black!!

couple of pictures for comparison:














now, i'm not saying that the Ninja is not capable of a bit of soft-roading. in the 15 months that i've had the Ninja 650, i've taken her places and terrains where normally you wouldn't take a road bike. heck, i've taken her trail riding with the Tigers and (wait for it).. the Africa Twin! if you're confident about the bike, your ability to control it and understand the terrain, you can take the Ninja 650 anywhere. well, almost.

Ninja in the wild:






at the end of the day, follow your heart. test ride both bikes and go for the one your heart longs for. there's no point in buying a bike just coz it costs lesser or more or because someone told you so.

best of luck!

[IronH4WK]

I know I've been away from this thread for a long time; my apologies. Been riding with my buddies. Toothless has now covered almost 23,000kms!

Oh btw, she's Toothless


(the green one )

So, where had I left off? Oh yes, the comparison - 2011 and 2015.

The engine is pretty much the same, 649cc. What has changed is the looks. I'll cover the main parts that have been changed (2011 on the left and 2015 facelift on the right - because she's always right).

The first thing you notice is the front - the headlights and how it's placed. The 2015 facelift model has a more aggressive looking front and the headlight design has been improved:




The fairing has been changed and the combination of black and green looks much better on the 2015 model:




The swingarm on the 2011 model, you can see connecting frame tubes. In the 2015 model, the swingarm design is much cleaner, minimalist:




The instrument cluster has gone from a longish all-digital to smaller digital-cum-analog type. I like the latter; sits snugly ahead of the handlebar:




The position of the switch is ahead of the handlebar brackets in the 2011, whereas it's behind the handlebar brackets and on the tank in the 2015 model:




The seat is a single moulded unit in the 2011, whereas it's split in the 2015; easier to open to access the small space under the pillion seat:




The exhaust tip has got a facelift in the 2015 model:




The steel plate near the riders foot pegs is not there in the 2015 model. This, I believe, is because of the redesigned swingarm:




The tail lamp gone from electrical in the 2011 to butterfly (or triangle) shaped LED lights in the 2015:




That's pretty much it. The 2015 facelift model looks bit more beefier than the 2011 model, but doesn't feel so while riding. Also, the 2015 facelift model comes in lime green as compared to the bright green of the 2011 model.

Here are a couple of pictures of the two models face-to-face:

[kailashnj]

Originally Posted by IronH4WK

to put it simply, it depends on what you want to do with your bike. are you more of a city/ twisties/ highway kinda guy or do you go on trails, like to off-road (ps: Versys is a soft-roader)?

at the end of the day, follow your heart. test ride both bikes and go for the one your heart longs for. there's no point in buying a bike just coz it costs lesser or more or because someone told you so.

best of luck!

Thanks for the wonderful tips. I wanted to know if N650 will be launched soon with the ABS version in India as that will complete the bike. Since the new Govt. rule on ABS being mandatory on any bike over 200 CC, I am sure it needs to get an ABS soon. But when is the question.

Also do you face any problems with the brakes. Heard that the brakes have very less bite for the front when heated. Is that true?

[IronH4WK]

Originally Posted by kailashnj

Thanks for the wonderful tips. I wanted to know if N650 will be launched soon with the ABS version in India as that will complete the bike. Since the new Govt. rule on ABS being mandatory on any bike over 200 CC, I am sure it needs to get an ABS soon. But when is the question.



Also do you face any problems with the brakes. Heard that the brakes have very less bite for the front when heated. Is that true?

As with any Govt. ruling, we'll have to wait and see how the "standard ABS" rule gets implemented. This means additional costs for manufacturers; will have to wait and see how this pans out.

As for the Ninja 650, don't think they've plans of getting the ABS version in the near future (checked with the Kawasaki dealership and they've no clue either).

If you're coming from a bike with ABS you'll find the brakes of the Ninja 650 wanting. I've ridding the Honda CBR250, Triumph Street Triple/ Street Twin/ Tiger, even the Versys and one thing you'll immediately notice is that the Ninja 650's brakes lack the bite. That being said, once you get used to riding the Ninja 650, you get used to it. DO NOT rely only on the front and back brakes - use it in tandem with engine braking. This method helps with better and controlled braking, although doesn't compare to ABS braking.

Also, using the front and rear brakes along with engine braking prolongs the life of your brake pads. I've done almost 23,000kms and I can go another 3-4K kilometres before I've to change the pads.

Here's a video I put up about panic braking on my Ninja (from one of my breakfast rides).

http://youtu.be/N3aup1W5GyI