Oh yes, the Z650 is back after its first appearance in the mid 70s, well sort of. I say that because we all know, or should, that the original Z650 sported an in-line, four-cylinder engine and, well, this one doesn’t. Actually it’s the rebirth of Kawasaki’s ER-6n, which was always a pleasant little fellow to play with and this one is even more so.
So yes, it is an ER-6n (n for naked) to the untrained eye, I suppose, but the similarity stops right there. It’s such a vast improvement over last year’s model, both visually and performance-wise, that it really does deserve a new/old name. So the Z650 is back and I like it.
Right then; let’s get straight into what’s new, for you, shall we? The most dominant change is the completely new frame, very similar to the one found on their H2/H2R supercharged thingies. The old double-pipe perimeter chassis is now at the bottom of the riverbed and replaced by this thinner, much lighter and stronger version. It’s now named a high tensile trellis affair saving an amazing 10kg over last year’s hefty framework. Not only that, the also new banana swing-arm saves another 3kg and other changes all over the bike equate to a 17kg drop, which you most certainly notice within a few minutes of riding.
The DOHC, liquid-cooled, parallel twin has also received similar, but not so drastic, attention. Believe it or not the Kawasaki Z650 has lost horsepower this year in exchange for more mid-range, much better for everyday entertainment. The engine used to have 71hp now for 2017 it’s ‘only’ 67 with 67Nm of torquey stuff at a lazy 6,500rpm. Kawasaki achieved this by smaller throttle bodies (38mm to 36mm), revised cylinder head porting, new exhaust and new camshafts. All in the quest for a much bigger spread of torque throughout the mid-range, which is where most of the riding is done on a bike of this nature anyway.
Except for the Isle of Man TT races. What, you ask? Well in their Lightweight class a lot of teams use last year’s ER-6 motor extracting 90hp+ from the little unit, very impressive. Let’s see how the new engine adapts for this year. Also AMA Flat-track racing, against Harleys and the like, are sometimes won by Kawasaki with a 750 conversion. Will the new engine continue with racing success in’17, only time and tortured engine internals will tell.
Something that’s most certainly not torture is the riding experience provided by the Z650. It’s light, nimble and a whole bag of fun. If you enjoy pulling a big wheelie the Z650 will gladly do so, helped by the light action of the new clutch, which also now has a slipper assist function. Carving through traffic is a simple action and one does tend to get carried away on the Z650 with hooligan style riding whilst ‘irritating’ much bigger capacity motorcycles. You see the new power delivery and lightened chassis makes the Z650 quite a naughty little thing when the mood takes you and it did, often.
It looks naughty as well when you walk up to it, or maybe cheeky, either way it’s a very pretty little motorbike with the metallic green frame and silky white paint shimmering away in the sunlight. If you compare it to last year’s bike, the old one looks rather horrid and cheap, while the latest Z650 is superbly built and detailed, maybe to encourage new, fresh and young riders into the saddle for the first time? The new looks certainly work for me, what about you?
To further encourage the wild side of the Z650 Kawasaki has fiddled with the suspension. The forks are 41mm KYB and perfectly damped for the 187kg they carry. The rear shock that used to sit on the side is now in a central position and a little soft for my liking when pushed hard. Apparently the pre-load can be adjusted but you have to remove the shock from the bike to do so, not so good that.
The riding position is really good though. You sit in the bike, which I prefer, and the handlebar position sweeps back into your hands in a friendly manner making you part of the bike as you glance at the new instrument pod. The new clocks have a rev-counter that you can program for different actions and the normal trip and stuff. Thankfully the Z650 has no fancy electronics to speak of, besides ABS, so just get on and ride, that’s all you have to do.
You really don’t need them on a bike of this nature though and Gareth Davidson and I had such a laugh on the morning of these images, chasing and racin’. So we invented our own Gauteng launch scenario in the spirit of things.
In South Africa though ‘people’ do seem to have become obsessed with ‘I’m the first to ride this bike’ launch/test, first ride, scoop garbage and I care as much about that as what aftershave Donald Trump uses. But if ‘they’ want to go up that path then we are the first people in Africa to have two identical 2017 Z650s at the same time – so there. Gareth Davidson enjoyed the Z650 so much he wrote a comprehensive second opinion: ‘It’s uncanny; my bike felt exactly the same as Bill’s!’ Er, thanks mate.
Anyway, bitchy bitchiness aside I think Kawasaki has ridden up the right path with their new Z650. It brings the fun aspect back into motorcycling with a capital ‘F’ and for R115,000 it’s not a bad price either.
Go to www.fourwaysmotorcycles.co.za to book a test ride today.
