[TusharK]

The Kawasaki Z650 is now available with a BS6-compliant engine. The bike is priced at Rs. 5.94 lakh (ex-showroom, India).



The Z650 comes with a redesigned LED headlight and a 4.3-inch digital instrument cluster that has Bluetooth connectivity. It has a stepped seat and an underside exhaust. The bike now comes with Dunlop Sportmax Roadsport 2 tyres.

The Z650 is powered by a 649cc, twin-cylinder engine that produces 67 BHP @ 8,000 rpm and 64 Nm @ 6,700 rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox. The bike comes with telescopic fork suspension at the front and a monoshock at the rear. It features dual 300 mm petal type disc brakes at the front and a single 220 mm petal type dics at the rear.

Link to Team-BHP News

[Funny]

Kawasaki was running some schemes which offered up-to 85K discount on the BS4 Z650 for about 3-6 months till March 2020. Considering the 25K BS6 price difference that makes an effective ex-showroom difference of 1.1lac and a significant difference on OTR prices in some cities like Bangalore and Mumbai where taxes are sky-high. IMO the current prices are way too much for the feature addition (and possible performance hit due to BS6 upgrade), if anyone is keen on these bikes then I'd suggest to wait till year-end for Kawasaki to throw in some discounts. Although I was interested in a 650, now I am going to wait for Honda to launch their 500 series before taking any decision.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by Funny

Kawasaki was running some schemes which offered up-to 85K discount on the BS4 Z650 for about 3-6 months till March 2020.

End BS4 discounts won't be seen anymore. No point comparing with those discounted prices - some brands were even offering a few lakhs off to clear their stocks finally!

That said - I still do agree with you that the Z650 doesn't make sense. It is a very under-rated motorcycle, but I'd rather pick one up from the used market.

Originally Posted by Funny

Considering the 25K BS6 price difference

Is it just 25k? Looks like 2019 Z650 was launched at 5.29 lakhs - so there is a price difference of 65k between the two versions. Doesn't get that much kit to justify that price difference either - except for the addition of LED headlamps and that TFT console.

[bf1983]

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Is it just 25k? Looks like 2019 Z650 was launched at 5.29 lakhs - so there is a price difference of 65k between the two versions. Doesn't get that much kit to justify that price difference either - except for the addition of LED headlamps and that TFT console.

The 2017 model was launched at 5.29 lakhs but the 2019 model they increased it 5.69l ex showroom.

And yes I agree with you for 7.5 lakhs this bike hardly makes sense. Too expensive for its limited performance. A used Z900 makes a lot more sense than buying a new Z650 with a few extra gizmos.

[mohansrides]

Test rode this bike yesterday. Anzen were quite nice and welcoming. Test ride bike had only 614 kms on the odometer.

Overall impressions as follows:

Immediate feel - The bike is a NARROW. Even the handlebars are quite narrow and need getting used to. People moving up from a Dominar or KTM will miss their wide handlebars.

Seating - Quite neutral with more forgiving peg positions. This is one small issue that I had with the Z900. The pegs were further behind on the 900 which put me in a more aggressive position and transferred more weight to my wrists. Not so in this case with the Z650. I really enjoyed the seating position. For reference, I am 167 cm.

Seat height is super. In the 700s. I could flat foot very comfortably. Also seat compound is neutral. Not too hard; and not too soft.

Horn - Par for the course in the city.

Console - TFT has all needed information and is very readable in bright daylight; especially if you are wearing some sort of shades.

Engine - Redlines at 10k and tops out at 12k. Started to show me rev warnings at 4K. But that may be because the bike is new and has not yet been serviced. It revs freely otherwise. Quick to the 5k mark.

Gearing - Bike moved from a dead stop in second gear and I didn’t have to slip the clutch. At one point, due to traffic, I slowed to less than 10 kmph and went right back to 40 kmph; all in 3rd gear. 5th gear doesn’t lug until you go below high 30s and 6th doesn’t lug until you fall below the high 40s. All in all, one can easily ride this bike between 3rd and 6th in our conditions. Bike is quite tractable.

Refinement - Some palpable vibes in the tank between 4k and 5k (I couldn’t take the bike above that for obvious reasons). But these are not deal breakers as the bike otherwise felt quite good.

Brakes - Decent. Felt progressive and unintimidating in the city. But at one point, I saw an opening in traffic and gunned the engine, only to run into an obstacle just 30 or so feet ahead. I grabbed a huge handful and the brakes bit hard and kept me safe. I could feel the pulsating ABS.

Heat Management - Almost no heat felt; and I was wearing shorts.

Tires - Grippy and confidence inspiring. Bike really felt planted in the long sweeps of WEH. No nervousness. CG is nice and low.

Mirrors - No vibes at all. Decently sized to provide a clear picture of the road behind.

Tank Capacity - 17 liters. Anzen says that it should give a range of 350 kms to 400 kms. That is pretty good I think.

Price - On road Mumbai: 7.4.

Conclusions - The price is a bit high for this machine. But if it became closer to 6 lacs, it would be a good buy. Overall, it is a great option for those looking for a do-it-all bike.

FYI, I got stopped twice by random people on the road to ask questions about the bike.

[bf1983]

Just posting a quick update on my older BS4 model bike. I had 4 primary concerns that I wanted to address regarding the bike.

First off was the ground clearance. I love food and that unfortunately has resulted in my weight being a pretty hefty 93 kgs. More than enjoying my ride I was constantly looking out for speed bumps as I inevitably would touch quite a few of them if I wasn't careful. Some speedbreakers would look ok but when I reached the speed bump I would realise it was higher than anticipated and I would have to slam the brakes which at times took the person behind me by surprise because nobody comes to a full stop at a speedbreaker.

To fix this issue without resorting to some uber expensive suspension upgrade I simply changed the exhaust instead. Unfortunately the Z650 cannot accept a slip on and a full system exhaust is a necessity. I went for an Italian company Miiv Mk3 exhaust because it is one of the few non underbelly exhausts so I figured it would help with the ground clearance. Plus it was the cheapest exhaust by far which helped its case immensely ! :P

Long story short it works just fine. I have had it since June and I have yet to hit a single speed breaker despite flying over them. With a pillion I still touch a few speed bumps but I rarely ride with a pillion so that's not an issue. The downside is that the exhaust is pretty loud despite it having a baffle. Its about as loud as a older Bullet silencer. I know that because at signals when I come next to a bullet I can't hear my silencer anymore. But its still a lot louder than the stock silencer and I am not happy with that. But not having to watch speed breakers is most satisfying

Second was the seat. When I test rode the bike it was fine for a 30 min run. However for longer runs I experienced a lot of knee pain as my legs were very cramped due to my height of 6 feet. I had bought an air cushion which worked wonders. However having to fill it up before every ride wasn't fun plus it tended to slip when making sharp turns. So I dropped the idea. I finally went to a seat maker and increased the cushion by about 1.5 inch which has improved the sitting position by leaps and bounds. Went for a 250 kms round trip recently and aside from the outside heat I had no major pain anywhere.

Third was the abysmal headlight. I had gone for a ride on 15th Aug and unfortunately we got a bit delayed and had to return at night. I rarely ride at night because I wear specs and the glare of oncoming traffic blinds me. However that was the least of my worries as I couldn't notice a darn thing on the road. The headlight was so bad I found an Activa riding ahead of me and I stuck to him like glue ! His light was 3 times brighter than mine and like the Hutch ad wherever he went I followed ! I wanted to buy a Cyclops led which has got good reviews. But stock was an issue due to lockdown and I went with a much cheaper alternative in an Autobahn LED f5. That has tremendously increased the illumination and I feel a lot more confident in riding at night.

Fourth is the snatchy on/off throttle. Normally a throttle goes from 0 to 100% power in a linear fashion. However on my bike the throttle jumps from 0 - 15% power instantly and so the bike jerks ahead which means I need to slip the clutch to ensure I ride relatively smoothly. I read its a common issue and one solution other than an expensive ECU remap was using something known as a booster plug which fools the bike into running a lot richer and smoothens out the throttle response. This should make riding in traffic a lot easier and on slow turns as I end up giving the bike a lot more throttle when turning slowly. I don't have the funds to do that now so that's an upgrade for next year.

Upgrades for the future - BMC filter. Its not really an upgrade as I read its more of a placebo than anything but having one long lasting filter vs many paper filters seemed like an ok option. Already bought it but since I haven't ridden much during the lockdown ill wait till next year to install it when I am doing my yearly service.

Puig touring windshield. Seems like a good option but since I am not doing any long distance rides I am pushing that upgrade for end of next year maybe.

Overall the bike is being used as my everyday bike. I don't commute to work so I use it maybe once a week or twice a week. Its being used for everything from grocery runs to breakfast rides. And it does all of that so well. Its a smallish bike and so riding it in traffic is fine and I can park it without fear of people taking selfies as it looks like a Dominar or similar bike. Its a hoot and a half to ride on the highway as you have power in any gear and so overtaking is a blast. Unfortunately Kawasaki has increased the pricing quite a bit and its no longer that VFM anymore. This bike's sweet spot is around the 6 lakh mark. Its not worth spending more for it IMO.

[Venkatesh]

Kawasaki Z650 BS6 review by Sagar Sheldekar

https://youtu.be/Ahu4Pv2nOho