ZX Genes and a Pinch of Electronics

Some changes are necessary to stay up to date and Kawasaki have given the Ninja 650 a few timely ones

- Joshua Varghese

THE KAWASAKI NINJA 650 is a motorcycle that the Indian market has associated with value, usability, and friendliness over the past decade. In its latest iteration, Kawasaki have retained the formula that endowed the Ninja 650 with all those traits but have also thrown in a few updates to make it relevant for the modern customer.

The Ninja 650 has always been a bridge that leads to the ZX family of motorcycles and now the gap is narrower; at least, aesthetically. The re-designed fairing, a flush-fitting windscreen, and LED headlights carry over from the previous model while fresh graphics complete the evolution that has been evident over the past few models and now it resembles a ZX-6R more closely than ever. Of course, where the ZX's design is noticeably sharper and aggressive, the Ninja 650 is curvy and smooth. The rest of the motorcycle does not get such a drastic update and remains largely unchanged. As always, the sari-guard continues to be an eyesore and, given how any self-respecting motorcyclist would get rid of it immediately, it seems like a waste of metal, time, and effort.