In this day and age, Kawasaki enjoys a well-deserved legacy of manufacturing decent motorcycles that usually feature aggressive styling coupled with solid performance. With a roster of bikes spread across just about every imaginable category of motorcycles, from cruisers to hypernakeds, Kawasaki is a brand that people have taken to quite heartily, not just in the U.S. but in other parts of the world too.
One among the company’s stellar offerings is the middleweight naked bike, the Kawasaki Z650. Introduced to the public via the EICMA motorcycle trade show in Milan back in 2016, the Z650 was initially billed as a more affordable alternative to the larger-displacement Kawasaki Z900 with the same design elements and visual appeal. Since that eventful announcement, successive iterations of the bike have featured many new additions as well as needed improvements. Today, we count down the best things that we love about the Kawasaki in 2023.
1 Improvements And Updates
Since its market release, successive iterations of the Kawasaki Z650 have gone through a host of changes and enhancements to render it as a much-improved version of the original bike. At EICMA 2019, the first set of major updates bought about a new seat, redesigned instruments, and LED lights to replace the existing halogen offerings. Just about a year later in 2020, there were a couple of minor updates including sharper styling, a new TFT dash, a redesinged passenger seat, and Dunlop Sportmax Roadsport 2 tires included as stock.
In 2023, the Kawasaki Z650 received the much-appreciated traction control that we have talked about in more detail later in this article. Alongside this welcome addition, the bike also gained a new LED lighting system, a new ignition lock, and a few never-seen-before color options. These improvements have come at a good pace for the Z650, and have indeed gone a long way in making it a worthy middleweight contender as the years have rolled on.
2 Signature ‘Sugomi’ Styling
You might have come across the term ‘Sugomi’ while perusing the company website or other marketing material involving the Kawasaki Z650, but what exactly does it mean? Well, in a nutshell, ‘Sugomi’ design can be aptly summarized as an aggressive sense of design language that embodies “the look and feel of a crouching predator making ready to pounce”, according to the manufacturer itself.
The physical manifestation of this ‘Sugomi’ design language can be experienced on the Kawasaki Z650 with its aggressive body lines, a low stance, and strong performance that facilitates dynamic handling. Kawasaki further adds that distinct components on the bike, like the “sharp, compact cowl and muscular radiator shrouds” further add to the bike’s strong ‘Sugomi’ presence. What all of this really means is that the Z650 is an aggressively-styled, powerful bike ready to pounce at every opportunity to outclass its rivals, may that be in the looks department or in terms of the bike’s performance.
3 Functional Power
The 649cc liquid-cooled, parallel-twin DOHC engine on the Kawasaki Z650 makes for a thrilling riding experience. With an output of 48.5 pound-feet of torque, the engine offers solid performance with precise throttle control. There’s sufficient usable torque in the low and mid-range, making the Z650 a capable performer that can work as a daily commuter on busy weekdays just as well as it can work as a sporty racer on playful weekends.
Although the engine is specifically tuned for strong mid-range acceleration, the bike also features a pretty broad powerband that enables riders to stay on the throttle just that little bit longer when the situation demands it. Changes to the bike’s air intake and exhaust system also means that the latest Z650 offers cleaner emissions in line with EURO5+ regulations while still featuring the same power output levels as previous-year models.
4 Amazing Traction Control
As mentioned earlier, the Kawasaki Z650 managed to gain even more traction (pun intended) with enthusiasts last year with the addition of traction control. This new traction control system, labeled as ‘Kawasaki Traction Control (KRTC)’ by the manufacturer features a couple of modes that allow riders to adjust the bike’s settings on the fly to better suit conditions or personal riding preferences.
Essentially, KRTC makes use of sensors to monitor and manipulate front and rear wheel speed on the bike. When excessive wheel spin is detected, one of the two modes can be kicked in to help regain wheel grip. ‘Mode 1’ is meant for mild road conditions that require minor wheelspin mitigation, while ‘Mode 2’ causes the traction control to kick in much earlier and is suitable for more demanding conditions such as wet surfaces or gravel. Of course, the traction control can be switched off too if the rider chooses to control wheelspin without the need of any electronic assistance.
5 Comfortable Rider-Friendly Ergonomics
One reason why we especially like the Kawasaki Z650 is that it comes across as a rather un-intimidating, beginner-friendly bike from a purely ergonomic point of view. The compact Z650, weighing in at about 414 pounds dry, features a low sweat height of 790mm which makes it a manageable machine for most regular-sized folks who will be able to sit flat-footed on the bike. The seat also provides an upright, confidence-inspiring riding position for the rider.
The well-positioned footpegs on the Z650 allow the rider to bend their knees in a relaxed manner, further simplifying and enhancing the bike’s comfortable riding experience. Lastly, a wide handlebar facilitates easier maneuvering at low speeds while simultaneously offering better leverage at higher speeds, especially when cornering at pace.
6 Stellar Suspension
In terms of handling, the Kawasaki Z650 performs exceptionally well thanks to its superb chassis and suspension. The bike’s lightweight trellis frame features a low center of gravity that facilitates good handling across the bike’s rev range. A preload-adjustable horizontal back-link rear suspension coupled with a 41mm front telescopic fork aims to offer an ideal balance of performance for both aggressive, sporty, riding as well as comfortable city cruising.
On the latest model of the Kawasaki Z650, a redesigned swingarm provides space for an under-engine exhaust to further lower the bike’s center of gravity and consequently improve the bike’s handling even more. Ultimately, it all comes together to make the Z650 a capable handler that will glide over small potholes, rocks, and other minor obstacles on the road without troubling the rider too much.
7 Great Build Quality
Despite being a relatively wallet-friendly offering in its class of naked motorcycles, the Kawasaki Z650 doesn’t cut any corners when it comes to the bike’s build quality. In fact, the Z650 is an exceptionally well-built bike that feels premium top to bottom. The bike’s minimal bodywork around its lightweight, exposed steel trellis frame, features high-quality plastic and fiber parts.
The Z650’s commendable build quality has been further given the ‘stamp of authority’ by owners who seem to have no major complaints with the bike’s overall reliability with respect to body components. The overbearing consensus seemed to be shared by owners is that the Kawasaki Z650 features better build quality than rivals such as the Yamaha MT-07 and the Honda CB650R.
8 Assist And Slipper Clutch
The ‘Assist and Slipper’ clutch present on the Kawasaki Z650 comes as a true boon, especially for beginner riders. Working as intended by the manufacturer, it helps impart a lighter feel at the lever for riders, and more importantly, prevents rear-wheel slip and hop thanks to the integration of a back-torque limiting function.
In essence, the ‘Assist’ function (assist cam) helps lighten clutch pull to make for easier engagement with the lever, while the ‘Slipper’ function (slipper cam) manipulates the clutch hub and operating plate in case of excessive engine braking as a result of accidental or botched downshifts. This helps relieve pressure on the clutch plates thereby preventing the rear tire from skidding. Obviously, this helps inexperienced or accidentally-wayward riders by a tremendous margin, making the bike even more beginner-friendly.
9 TFT Dash
The new, fully digital TFT color instrumentation marks a Kawasaki first-in-class in their 600-650cc class of bikes. Besides imparting bragging rights to the owner and enhancing the visual appeal of the bike’s cockpit, the new panel also displays all the information a rider would need in a clear, contrasty screen that can be read with ease.
Important riding stats and information like the speedometer, tachometer, odometer and gear indicator are displayed crisply on the screen at all times. The fuel bar on the lower left side of the screen features an ‘ECO’ light that indicates whether the bike is being ridden in the most optimally fuel-efficient manner. The instrument panel also supports Bluetooth connectivity, enabling riders to make the best of the famed Kawasaki ‘RIDEOLOGY’ app.
10 Approachable Price Point
Lastly, one final thing we like about the Kawasaki Z650 is that it has managed to remain a relatively affordable offering in the ever-growing and progressively inexpensive naked bike market of today. Add to this the overall reliability and low maintenance costs that Japanese bikes are usually known for, and it is hard to find any complaints for the asking price that the Z650 demands.
Ultimately, retailing at an MSRP of $7,749 for the non-ABS version, and $8,249 for the ABS variant, the Kawasaki Z650 comes at an approachable price point in 2023. For the money spent, you get an agile, stylish, powerful, and formidable bike that will feel just as fun, engaging and wholesome in the hands of a beginner as it will under the control of an experienced rider even if they are generally used to riding bigger, more powerful bikes.