2012 Ninja 650


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AngryAnt

New Member
Doesn't come in blue, so its empirically proven to be a slower machine.

:iconbeer:
 
D

dart1963

Super Moderator
Elite Member
What specific upgrades? I don't know what it has now that it didn't back then.

if they upgraded from a p-twin to an inline four, I might consider it... ;)
 
M

Marthy

World Most Bad A$$ 6R
Elite Member
One of the rider who was with us last weekend had a 650R. Not a bad machine. Look good. But he tried both (650R and 6R) according to him, the 6R ride much smoother.

In my book, if I was going to buy a twin... I'll buy a real one!
 
J

Jay S.

New Member
Keep in mind, prior to my 6R I was a pretty loyal Kawi guy. I agree about the smoothness of the 6R which was one of the reasons I bought it. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to convince myself to buy the Ninja and the vibes were a bit too much, I hated the digital tach (yes, that did factor in), and now that the 2012 has an adjustable windscreen, analog tach, reduced vibes (claimed), that might have sold me on it. I'm not saying the differences are anything COSMIC over the Fizzer, but they are some subtle things I would like.

Don't get me wrong, I've never been unhappy with my Fizzer, quite the opposite. I'm just a long time Kawasaki rider and owner. I have no problems with owning a twin (even in a parallel configuration Martin, hehe) vs an I-4.

The part that I find interesting is that this bike is a direct competitor to the 6R so it's interesting to me when it gets an upgrade. I'd like to see what's next for our bike and the GSX650F as well. Hell I'd even love it of Honda got in the mix with the 600's they sell in Europe. It's all good for competition.

Ant, it comes in Kawasaki Green...the only color known to break the sound barrier...

:iconbeer:
 
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Y

yfz6r

New Member
Took a few cues from the ninja 1000 in styling.

I don't like the 650's suspension and swing-arm set up at all.

A few things I do like are that guage cluster and the adjustable windscreen (assuming it is adjustable like the Ninja 1000 is). The rims are pretty sick looking too. Wondering what they would look like stripped and polished.

The 09 styling, while not much different from the 08, did not last long at all. I would be a little dissapointed because that will make parts harder to get as time goes by
 
J

Jay S.

New Member
yfz6r said:
Took a few cues from the ninja 1000 in styling.

I don't like the 650's suspension and swing-arm set up at all.

A few things I do like are that guage cluster and the adjustable windscreen (assuming it is adjustable like the Ninja 1000 is). The rims are pretty sick looking too. Wondering what they would look like stripped and polished.
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Yup the styling is awesome and I really like the instrument cluster. If the WS is like the 1000 then it will be great. Look at all the WS posts for our bike, wow! Plus I really love the Kawasaki green and black color livery.

However, I think the new tubular swing arm is a bit ugly. Then again it's all subjective...someone else likely loves it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
C

Chucker

Active Member
I'd be interested if it was a 4. I really like the look and the additions this year, but I really don't want a twin in a sportbike.
 
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AngryAnt

New Member
The way you guys talk about other bikes makes me wonder if I'm gonna be happy with anything after the 6R since its my first "real" bike. :)

I've been offered to drive other people's bikes, but I always decline, out of fear of trashing someone else's bike, or at minimum dropping it.
 
M

Marthy

World Most Bad A$$ 6R
Elite Member
AngryAnt said:
The way you guys talk about other bikes makes me wonder if I'm gonna be happy with anything after the 6R since its my first "real" bike. :)

I've been offered to drive other people's bikes, but I always decline, out of fear of trashing someone else's bike, or at minimum dropping it.
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I always turn down an offer to try someone else bike. Not that im afraid to drop it... Im just afraid that he drop mine. That all change last weekend. Just couldnt resist the almost brand new Ducati Diavel Carbon. I kept it under 30 mph (sucks...lol) but its an amasing and comfy machine.
 
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ajskillz13

New Member
At first I was digging the new Kawi, but after looking at it for a bit, I think the only thing I like better than ours is the exhaust. That exhaust blacked out on my bike would be prime.
 
S

Spunky99

New Member
That thing is a SakaDuci.
650 twin thumper.
 
S

Superzoom

New Member
Marthy said:
I always turn down an offer to try someone else bike. Not that im afraid to drop it... Im just afraid that he drop mine. That all change last weekend. Just couldnt resist the almost brand new Ducati Diavel Carbon. I kept it under 30 mph (sucks...lol) but its an amasing and comfy machine.
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Marthy, I can't believe you got to ride a Diavel and all you talk about it comfort... What about the ACCELERATION!?!!
 
M

Marthy

World Most Bad A$$ 6R
Elite Member
Superzoom said:
Marthy, I can't believe you got to ride a Diavel and all you talk about it comfort... What about the ACCELERATION!?!!
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I drove it in a quite neighborhood... he has one of those bad a$$ pipe on it... Just couldn't open it without pi$$ing the neighbor... I might have a chance again later on... all my wife said when I got off the bike was NO! At 25K... can't argue...
 
J

jocampo

New Member
Jay S. said:
Not to sound blasphemous, but if the Ninja 650 had all the 2012 upgrades last year, I would be riding one of them instead of a the Fizzer. It almost seems like they were building this bike with mid-size sport touring in mind.

:eek:

2012 Ninja® 650 Sport - Kawasaki.com
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I honestly was not was not aware of this bike until yesterday or Friday. As some of you may know, I am planning to sell my beloved fz6r and get a Street Triple, or a Monster 696.

My 1st bike was a Ninja 250. Good entry bike and I missed it. But it vibrated a lot and of course had no power at all. But this new Ninja 650 looks really nice. I believe has better gas mileage than ours an the instruments are nice. It looks sportier too.

Seriously guys, what do you think about this new 2012 Ninja 650? ...
 
R

RandiZ

New Member
Ninja v FZ6R

IMHO the 2012 Ninja 650 is more comfortable to sit on in the showroom floor than the FZ6R. And some of the new Ninja features are....cute. If I had to compare today, I think the smoothness of an I-4 would still win me over. It is what stopped me from getting a ZZR when I got Baby Z. I'm still a Kawi fan. But I love this bike more.

If the 2012 Kawi 1000 came two inches shorter, had ABS, and insurance was the same I might have that beauty. Ok, as long as I'm dreaming, I'd also like a Speed Triple and a Vulcan cruiser. And a Can Am spider for camping with my spouse.
 

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