12-23-2016, 02:52 AM
I just purchased this bike yesterday. As I'll mention in another thread, the CB1100 was traded for it. There's not much reason to review the Z650 in any detail, but just a few fast facts (thanks to Arthur Coldwells for coining this term):
1. The motorcycle is built in Thailand; many Triumph motorcycles, among them the Street Cup, are made there also.
2. The build quality is superb, and I state that without hesitation. All the details of manufacture are admirable, the components of excellent quality, the design first-rate. The bike has adjustable levers, an eminently readable display with all the requisite trip computers and extras, and an exceptionally good ergonomic design with a generous seat and passenger seat, a real toolkit with the tools you actually need, and a large under-seat storage area. The swingarm is aluminium, with threaded bosses welded in place to accept spools for a paddock stand, a pretty clear nod to the track day and club racing contingent. Nothing has been left out, really.
3. The engine is superb, the cornerstone of this machine. It pulls cleanly and strongly right off the bottom, with generous midrange torque peaking around 5000 RPM. Unlike the HT 900 Bonneville engine, the Z650's mill keeps pulling hard to redline, peaking at 10 HP more than the Triumph. But the High-Torque 900 feels just about as fast, because it makes a lot more torque at only 3250 RPM. The bikes are very similar in overall intent but the sporting capabilities of the Z650 are clearly much higher. The Z650 is genuinely fast for its class, it's very lively and willing to rev, pulling strong and clean everywhere.
4. Driveline lash is what one might expect at this price point. A smooth hand on the throttle is needed, but it's perfectly manageable; I compare this bike here to the superb, CV-carb-like fueling on the Street Cup, with its ride-by-wire system, the best fueling I've experienced on any fuel-injected bike thus far. Contrasted with other bikes it its class, the fueling is good and needs nothing more than a smooth hand, typical of almost any EFI bike these days. The engine will make this bike very competitive with Yamaha's FZ07, which makes a few more horsepower and is a few pounds lighter.
5. Kawasaki seems to have played a little trick on us with the seat height. I observed the bike to handle very, very quickly, more so than I would have expected for the weight, wheelbase, and rake and trail numbers. It was really almost nervous, but not quite; 100 mph on the freeway for a brief moment proved it quite stable as delivered. But I noted the forks were raised in the triple-clamps by about 1/4". I believe Kawasaki figured out what the bike could stand and still be stable, in order to get that seat height below the all-important 31" number. It comes in at 30.9". I moved the fork tubes to where the cap is flush with the upper triple and will work with the handling to get it where it is optimal. A further clue pointing to this tactic was that even after lower the shock to the minimum preload setting, the bike still felt nose-heavy and overly quick-steering. All of this is great news for those wanting to track this bike or tune it for sport riding, because Kawasaki obviously built in a lot of adjustability to the chassis. The shock is connected with a "back-link" system very similar to what is used on the ZX-10R, and can be easily replaced with something better for those interested. The brakes are quite powerful, even with the twin-piston calipers, and have pretty good feel, but could be improved as with any machine by different pads and stainless steel lines.
6. The design strategy, as I interpret it, for both the new Triumph line and this new Z650, is to use computers from the clean-sheet stage. Both of these machines, though one is of British design and the other of Japanese origin, exhibit a very efficient and effective "density" of purpose, an extreme degree of mass centralization, and a very high quality of build for each and every individual part. That's one reason why some riders begin to rotate the stable a bit after three or four years; particularly now, when computers are obviously being used to great advantage for both performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
1. The motorcycle is built in Thailand; many Triumph motorcycles, among them the Street Cup, are made there also.
2. The build quality is superb, and I state that without hesitation. All the details of manufacture are admirable, the components of excellent quality, the design first-rate. The bike has adjustable levers, an eminently readable display with all the requisite trip computers and extras, and an exceptionally good ergonomic design with a generous seat and passenger seat, a real toolkit with the tools you actually need, and a large under-seat storage area. The swingarm is aluminium, with threaded bosses welded in place to accept spools for a paddock stand, a pretty clear nod to the track day and club racing contingent. Nothing has been left out, really.
3. The engine is superb, the cornerstone of this machine. It pulls cleanly and strongly right off the bottom, with generous midrange torque peaking around 5000 RPM. Unlike the HT 900 Bonneville engine, the Z650's mill keeps pulling hard to redline, peaking at 10 HP more than the Triumph. But the High-Torque 900 feels just about as fast, because it makes a lot more torque at only 3250 RPM. The bikes are very similar in overall intent but the sporting capabilities of the Z650 are clearly much higher. The Z650 is genuinely fast for its class, it's very lively and willing to rev, pulling strong and clean everywhere.
4. Driveline lash is what one might expect at this price point. A smooth hand on the throttle is needed, but it's perfectly manageable; I compare this bike here to the superb, CV-carb-like fueling on the Street Cup, with its ride-by-wire system, the best fueling I've experienced on any fuel-injected bike thus far. Contrasted with other bikes it its class, the fueling is good and needs nothing more than a smooth hand, typical of almost any EFI bike these days. The engine will make this bike very competitive with Yamaha's FZ07, which makes a few more horsepower and is a few pounds lighter.
5. Kawasaki seems to have played a little trick on us with the seat height. I observed the bike to handle very, very quickly, more so than I would have expected for the weight, wheelbase, and rake and trail numbers. It was really almost nervous, but not quite; 100 mph on the freeway for a brief moment proved it quite stable as delivered. But I noted the forks were raised in the triple-clamps by about 1/4". I believe Kawasaki figured out what the bike could stand and still be stable, in order to get that seat height below the all-important 31" number. It comes in at 30.9". I moved the fork tubes to where the cap is flush with the upper triple and will work with the handling to get it where it is optimal. A further clue pointing to this tactic was that even after lower the shock to the minimum preload setting, the bike still felt nose-heavy and overly quick-steering. All of this is great news for those wanting to track this bike or tune it for sport riding, because Kawasaki obviously built in a lot of adjustability to the chassis. The shock is connected with a "back-link" system very similar to what is used on the ZX-10R, and can be easily replaced with something better for those interested. The brakes are quite powerful, even with the twin-piston calipers, and have pretty good feel, but could be improved as with any machine by different pads and stainless steel lines.
6. The design strategy, as I interpret it, for both the new Triumph line and this new Z650, is to use computers from the clean-sheet stage. Both of these machines, though one is of British design and the other of Japanese origin, exhibit a very efficient and effective "density" of purpose, an extreme degree of mass centralization, and a very high quality of build for each and every individual part. That's one reason why some riders begin to rotate the stable a bit after three or four years; particularly now, when computers are obviously being used to great advantage for both performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.