2016 EICMA Motorcycle Show: Kawasaki Z650 Revealed

The Kawasaki ER-6n is among the most practical and easy to ride performance bikes on sale in the Indian market. Despite being a useable motorcycle, the ER-6n hasn’t managed to garner good sales and that can be credited to its ugly styling, which has made buyers stay away from it. The Japanese bikemaker has taken stock of the situation and unveiled the new Kawasaki Z650 (ER-6n in India and few other markets) at the 2016 EICMA motorcycle show. The biggest talking about the new motorcycle is its sharper styling. The chiselled tank, which now gets similar mirror-paint finish like the Ninja H2, tank extensions, contrast colour on the frame and sharper looking headlight make the new Z650 a visually pleasing bike. 

The bike employs a new tubular chassis which debuted on the new Kawasaki Ninja 650. The new frame will endow the motorcycle with better handling dynamics and has also helped in weight reduction. Powering the new Kawasaki Z650 is a liquid-cooled parallel-twin motor churning out 68PS, which is a drop of 4PS in comparison to its predecessor, but the new mill is Euro 4 emission norms-compliant. 

Kawasaki engineers have also tuned the motor to offer better low and mid-range torque delivery, rather than a better top-end to suit urban usage more. While the new Kawasaki Z650 has lesser power than its predecessor, performance will be better as the new bike is a massive 19kg lighter. The new motorcycle also gets equipped with slipper clutch and the saddle height is now lower at 790mm. Braking responsibilities are handled by twin-disc brakes at the front and a single disc unit at the back, while ABS is standard. Official accessories include a rear seat cowl, 14-litre panniers, and a 30-litre top-box. We can expect Kawasaki to launch the new Z650 in India by late 2017.