Beginner bikes have been steadily getting better and better, the 650cc platform that Kawasaki have is a good example and now has a brand-new bike out based on this popular middleweight.
Over the past few years, the retro motorcycle market has just exploded, with every manufacturer scrambling to get a piece of the action. Kawasaki already have the Z900RS out, but that is no beginner friendly machine, the 650, on the other hand, most certainly is by far and away more approachable and altogether more marketable.
Big enough to not be boring and small enough for first time riders, it is the perfect compromise, but how does it stack up to its rivals in what has become a fairly saturated market?
10 Retro Sport
The RS on these bikes stands for Retro Sport, something of a new class within the retro motorcycle class that is also seemingly growing all the time.
It certainly isn’t alone and is competing with several other capable bikes that have already been on the market for quite some time, but one thing we have to say is that Kawasaki got the design right. Both the Candy Emerald Green and Metallic Moondust Gray/Ebony color choices also look great.
9 More Comfortable Ergonomics
This is significantly more upright than the Z650 and Ninja 650 (which have a very similar rider triangle).
Although both those bikes are already more comfort oriented, the RS takes it another step further with wider, flatter bars that are positioned closer to the rider.
8 New Rider Friendly
Although the displacement might seem deceptively large, this is no high performance machine, it has sufficient power without being intimidating.
This is not a bad thing at all, it is a platform which now gives every type of rider an entry point into motorcycling without carrying the “boring” beginner bike tag.
7 Versatile Parallel Twin
With the 650 lump making just a shade under 70 horsepower, much like the Yamaha CP2 engine (above), they have now stuck it in almost every type of motorcycle.
So no matter what your preferred flavor, they have got you covered. If you are looking for Adventure; Versys 650, if you are looking for something sporty; Ninja 650, something conventional; Z650, something retro; the new Z650RS.
6 Improved Mid-range
The fact that they are able to put the engine in so many different platforms now is largely thanks to one key improvement; a much better torque curve through the mid-range.
At this particular end of the market, all of these bikes can do highway speeds comfortably, but the way they make their power makes all the difference. We would argue that it is indeed the least at home in the sportbike which would certainly benefit from a higher revving engine, but for the rest the punchy parallel twin does a great job.
5 Retro Suspension
Unfortunately the biggest let down for the RS is the suspension, it is clearly an area where they decided to keep costs down knowing full well prospective buyers won’t necessarily be all that keen on track days.
It is still a disappointment, with conventional non-adjustable 41mm telescopic forks up front and a horizontal back-link shock that only has preload adjustment.
4 Modern Safety Equipment
You won’t find any advanced safety features or electronics package on the Z650RS, but you will get exactly what you need; a high quality Bosch ABS system.
Modern bikes with lean angle sensing computers are great, but you can still crash no matter what. What every new rider needs is ABS, it is arguably the most important safety innovation for motorcycles since the full face helmet.
3 Better Looking Middleweight
Design wise, even if you don’t care for retro themed bikes, this one is still pretty hard to fault. It gets its beauty from its simplicity, and as much as they could have done better with the suspension, most of the other components they use on the bike are top notch.
Every middleweight bike has its positives and negatives, but for the latest retro Kawa, the design is a big positive, and they might well attract a fair few new bikers to team green with this one purely thanks to how it looks.
2 Affordable Retro Machine
At just under the $9,000 mark, this is a very affordable motorcycle and should provide retro enthusiasts a great entry point.
It is still just an entry point and although it should be a bike worth keeping, there are several competitors on the market that are worth looking at before you commit.
1 Flooded Market
Honda recently launched the CB650, which they call a “Neo Café Racer” but we would just call it a pretty cool middleweight that actually has an inline-4.
Yamaha has had the XSR700 on the market for quite some time, and we would argue that it has the Kawa beat in every respect, except maybe looks. Then there is the slightly more expensive Aprilia Tuono 660 which is just so good it becomes impossible to ignore even though it isn’t even a retro bike!