2024 Kawasaki Ninja 650 – DM Review | Test Ride

The Ninja 650 is a great motorcycle if you don't know what kind of rider you want to be, but you think sport bikes look cool. But there are better motorcycles for most types of riding.

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#motorcycle #ninja650 #kawasakininja #kawasaki

[Denali_Rebel]

Who would want to get a 650. Well someone that has some respect for laws, wants sport bike appearances and handling, wants a very comfortable riding position, and wants a cheaper bike.

[xDRAGOSLAVx]

Supersport riders are 99% posers, and 1% genuine badasses. Easy to tell them apart. The posers are on message boards bragging about their litre bikes, and putting down other people’s rides, the REAL dudes out there never say a word. TRUTH!! I have a 2024 Ninja 650. The perfect street bike IMO. Not a track bike, but Damn this thing is awesome for the street. There’s a YouTube video where a guy did 0-60 mph in 3.23 seconds on this thing. That’s damn respectable. Awesome low end torque in city traffic, usually ride around 175-180kph on the highway without breaking a sweat, cheap insurance, super comfortable for long rides. Talked to a guy on a gsxr1000 last summer gasing up and asked how he liked it. Told me he had the bike for 2 years and never had it above 4th gear. Literally does what I do on my 650 but for 3 times the price. He laughed and said it looks good on Facebook though. My buddy used to sell bikes at a dealership and the sales manager told him that 99% of guys who buy litre bikes are posers, and to exploit their insecurities to sell an image. The Ninja 650 is perfect for me. Banging through ALL the gears, light, great in the twisties. Just checks every box.

[pjclancy]

I love how real this review is. Everything you say is so true, no bias just realistic thoughts! No ego in there whatsoever 😂 I’ve mine ready to be delivered next week and can’t wait. Will be my first bike after passing my test on the Z650.

[toddphillips]

I have raced motocross for over 20 yrs, been on street bikes for over that. I absolutely love my 2012 ninja 650...in every way..flawless all around from beginners to well seasoned such as myself..its light, nimble, etc....

[lukewhitaker]

I’ve been riding the 2022 and I’m LOVE IT! It’s my first bike and I sit at 5’3 (not very tall) but I can comfortably ride this thing. I don’t plan on getting a liter bike simply because I don’t need to go over 130mph. That’s plenty of room to have fun and rip the corners:)

[jwats]

I just got the 2025 ninja 650 and love it

[Katkat-yg]

It's a beginner sport touring bike. Want to go to the track: 500 want to go on weekend trips: 650. It is not that complicated. I want to be a 1000SX kind of rider but I am a beginner that is why I'm looking at the 650 for the next couple of years before jumping up.

[TamNgo]

Thanks for taking the time to make the video. I've owned my 2024 650 for a year now. It's my third bike as well. Granted, I'm not a huge guy, but I wouldn't recommend a Ninja 650 as a beginner bike, unless the rider is 150 lbs+ and/or quite tall. The smaller cc bikes definitely are cramped and people will grow tired of them if they have difficulty keeping up with cars on the highway. I'm a commuter and occassionally a trip up to the mountains kind of guy so I wanted a comfy ergo bike, with sport bike styling and a middle weight cc. Needless to say, there's not actually a lot of bikes that fit those needs and being sub $10k. Everything else in that range is naked. You'll have to move up to something like the Suzuki GSX1000GT, which to be honest, quite a step up from this, and then there's the Ducati SuperSport which has exactly the same concept, only more premium. Those two are closer to $20k. So, when you say the Ninja 650 is for someone who doesn't know what they want to ride, I feel is quite disingenuous as it fits a specific niche that basically doesn't exist for the sub $10k market. There's plenty of people who'll buy the Ninja 650 without thinking much about anything but it's looks, and sell it for what they really wanted, but there's plenty of us that really want a comfortable, sporty, 600cc class bike that's affordable. This is about the only thing I've found that fits that bill.

[ericgoldblatt]

I just got a 2024 Ninja 650, and though Im 52 and probably not as crazy or agile as others, I must say this bike is awesome! Very comfortable and always has power to move no matter what gear you're in :). Love it!!

[Risible]

Thanks for another great review. I was stationed at El Toro and rode Santiago Canyon, Ortega Hwy and other roads on my 79 RD400. So much has changed but it's nice to see the area again. My current bike is a '24 MT-09.

[brianward]

GREAT, *comprehensive* review, DM. Have not checked out your reviews before, but very glad I checked this one. You do a much more relevant blend of street/sport use than many of your competitors.

Just to keep this in context: I've been riding since '79. Started on a Honda CM185T Twinstar and since then have been all up and down the scale from an XS 400 back in the day up through middleweight sport tourers, a modern day Gold Wing, Nomad 1500FI, three HDs, and lighter bikes like the first-gen Ninja 650R, a Versys 650, and a current V7 850 Guzzi.

Recently I stepped down from a 12-yr-old BMW F800GT to a new '25 Ninja 650. Like a homecoming, but the new version of the 650 is even so much better than the earlier versions! I just want to add a couple QUICK thoughts to your comments about the Ninja 500 vs the 650. Both great bikes, of course.

Reasons I went for the 650 in my recent buy, mainly having to do with sport-tour advantages while still checking off the sport boxes;

1. Dual discs up front (vs the 500's single) offer way more swept area, though I admit I have not measured actual stopping distances.
2. The 650 offers interstate cruising speeds (60-90+mph) at much lower RPM--great for longer high-speed trips.
3. Bigger gas tank, greater range.
4. Always more torque and hp per rpm all the way up to the 650's redline. Higher top speed.
5. 40 lbs heavier than the 500 means it's probably a bit more resistant to tractor-trailer turbulence, which touring folks know is a big deal on sportbikes because they tend to be lighter.
6. Back in '08 I rode an '07 Ninja 650R from Chicago's northern suburbs down through the Ozarks to Little Rock, AR, and back, in '15 to Tail of the Dragon and back--bungee cord plus soft bags, nothing else. Not luxurious but EASILY doable even at my age. Never a sore butt, never any kind of issue. Side note about touring: As long as you have some wind protection, you're aces! :)

Again, thanks for a GREAT analysis here.

[PopsRacer]

-That was an excellent review of the Ninja! I've had mine since 2018 and refuse to get rid of it. It's fun & flickable, frugal on gas, low insurance, quicker than 95% of most cars out there except super cars and it's been paid for since day 1. I also own a 2023 CBR 650 and you see & feel the difference between the 2 when riding one of them. Both are excellent bikes, and well built & reliable🤔

[terrancemoody]

I've always liked the sound of the Kawasaki parallel twin on a 650s and the 400s. It all depends on what kind of exhaust you put on there. you just got to find that right exhaust to get that perfect sound out of it that your looking for. I have a 2019 Z400 as my around town bike and the exhaust i have on it sounds really good. I debadged the 400 off of it . People think I actually have a bigger motor than what I actually have 😆. Unless you know what to look for on bikes you wouldn't even know it was a 400. I must admit though people dont give Kawasaki 400's enough credit. Ninja400 or Z400 are some really good perfect city bikes fun and plenty of power around the city. Unless you have to get on the Interstate alot or something to that type of travel then i wouldn't recommend a 400 for that but They are good at cruisinh 75 80 with no problems without getting close to redlining it in my opinion. they are real smooth riding sounding bikes for the city and back roads.I love it✌🏽

P.S. I apologize for the paragraph. Lol

[Maki-zbib]

I still have my 2021. It is really a very good all around bike. Loving the power, torque and fuel efficiency for a 650cc bike. And yes, the sound is not so appealing even with full system exhaust but if you don't mind about it then it's great. I was about to let go of it but then I changed my mind. Buuut if you're planning to swap into inline 4 then that's a different story and I would say go for it.

[xavolion]

I have sat on a 500 and on a 650, and for me the 500 feels to small for my Body, whereas the 650 feels just right.

[cweber]

So I’m eyeballing this to turn it into a sport touring motorcycle. I’m used to riding cruisers like Harley Davidsons and Honda Shadows. How different of ride will this bike be compared to a cruiser? I’ve never ridden a sport bike before, but I’m really liking the reviews I am seeing about how comfortable the Ninja 650 is. Cruisers hurt my back and my tailbone.

[GoonRider]

ninja 650 is a great first big bike, not much power and comfortable, good handling .. i jump on my mates every now and they and for round town it would be perfect

[aluisious]

The new MT07 is a tough competitor for this or the SV650. No fairing, obviously, but same capacity, useful for the same stuff. Now it has USD forks, a touch more sporty ergos, radially mounted calipers, flow formed wheels, the more pleasing 270 degree crankshaft...it's got so much going for it on paper.

[HiltsyAdventure]

I like the seating position, im going to pick up a used 650 I think. Im 42 and have my clas A and don't want to be doing 180 anyway lol. I kinda want a cafe racer as well lol

[korazonspinado]

Seems like a nice bike but its a bit pricey. The sv650 is a bit cheaper and a bit more powerful. The Ninja 650 has the fairing though.