Kawasaki Z650 Comprehensive Review (Detailed Breakdown)

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Best Beginner **Sport** Gear:

Best Beginner **Dual Sport/ADV** Gear:

Best Beginner **Retro/Classic** Gear:

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[luiz]

Does not matter what you YAMMIES say, I m in love with my Z650 2020.

[slowmotionradio]

I love my Z650 precisely because it's so well behaved. I commute on it daily with no surprises. It's not emotionally demanding to get on it at 5 am to go to work or 10 pm coming back from a late shift. It's always nice to me, and more importantly, to my wife, who is a new rider.

But it still has enough power to wake me up when I crack the throttle. It cruises at 80 mph all day, every day. Even with a passenger.

And for me personally, it is the most comfortable bike I've ridden... by a significant margin. I've ridden nearly every naked bike in the class, and the narrow seat the Z has feels really well settled. It's nimble and light as well, it really feels at home navigating traffic in town and on the freeway.

The Z650's greatest strength is that is predictable 24/7. It's the golden retriever of motorcycles, and that's just fine.

That said, yes, the throttle totally sucks.

[TheCandycanedp]

Heres the thing. often times If you talk to someone as experienced as Yammie about a beginner bike theyre going to have a lot of seemingly negative things to say. That isn't because the bike is actually inherently BAD or anything.... its just that a more versed rider notices the quirks on a bike far more easily, they've ridden enough bikes to know what they do and do not want.
I own a 2020 Ninja 650 KRT (the full fairings version, not naked) and it's my first bike minus dirt bikes as a kid.
I Watched tons of reviews on it before purchasing and I wasn't paying too much attention when people said "First gear is twitchy below 5k rpm" or "it just needs this... or that"
and thats because I knew every SINGLE bike i wanted would have some caveat. Talk to 20 peope and each of them will tell you something different that they did or did not like about the same bike. Because it all comes down to preference. Thats why I cant stand the "10 reasons i HATE my (insert bike here)". It shapes a specific bike in a bad light and its not fair to impressionable buyers.
Take EVERYTHING a reviewer says with a grain of salt.
Fact is, most bikes are awesome. The Ninja 650 is no different . Find what works for you, what you do and dont like and Fuck what the reviews say because at the end of the day its YOU purchasing it with YOUR likes and dislikes. So dont let any review tell you what is and is not a good bike.
Thats your choice to make.
Many riders tell a beginner you need to look for this... or that in a first motorcycle. Other than controllable power and reliability every single other characteristic about a beginner motorcycle is up to preference .
Don't be too picky on a first bike. Dont be stupid either. Do research.
I feel like in typing this i've probably said the same thing a couple different ways and thats because I cant stress these points enough.
Ride your ride. and remember : you look a lot cooler with skin. so wear your gear. ATGAT

[lilgee]

A bike actually being plain, efficient and nothing special. Reeeeally sounds good to me

[borisrz]

Coming from a 2007 R6 and 2020 MT03,
I really enjoy my 2020 Z650.
Butter smooth transmission.
Light and nimble on city roads.
Plenty of power for the highway.
Comfortable ergonomics for me.

[cfed]

Yammie now: The Z650 is fine. It's uninspiring.
Yammie 3 months ago: Shockingly good!

[fisiosaiter]

It’s a motorcycle that does it all. And the Jack of all trades will lack something here and there but on the other hand you have something that will always be useful. When you understand the concept this is an excellent bike.

[bethanydylan]

I absolutely LOVE my Z650 it is an amazing bike I’m a relatively beginner rider and I’m a 5’3 female it’s not that heavy and the seat height is not unreasonably tall

[peterwilson]

This video bothered me because the 650 class has always been a sweet spot for me, all the way back to the days of the 650 Bonneville. You get highway capability and way more than adequate performance in a lightweight, nimble, relatively inexpensive and comfortably upright package. So even if the Z650 is "worst in class", it's the worst of a group of motorcycles that for many riders are spot on - and that would have to include the air-cooled Enfield Interceptor.

[jdfpjdisddhlrudueieo]

I own my first bike 2023 z650 it’s been one year now I have learned a lot she’s really good on the back roads I love it 💚

[conradlobo]

Give me a z650 on the street with traffic and I will show you how much character it has and you can bring any bike however powerful it is and I will smoke you out because the z650 is damn easy to ride and control on the street. A very practical bike.

[cypher]

This video confirms that everyone has different opinions about certain bikes, I’m 5’11 and started off on a duke 390 and then went for a 2018 z650. I loved the z650 and would recommend it.
For those wondering I now ride an aprillia RSV4

[Alkocen]

I guess people are different and I'm glad that everybody has a choice on the matter. As a beginner, I bought myself 390 duke, mostly due to all the reviews. I've ridden it around 20km and I put it on sale. The bike just didn't click for me. But my bike school just got a new z650 and I absolutely love riding with that. It's lightweight, nimble and effortless to ride. I'm not looking for pushing donuts in a parking lot and to be honest riding a bike on it's own is already exciting enough for me.

[matthewsnook]

Still want one, I'm a sucker for that green

[HengkySuryadi]

Slap on "Triumph" logo and he'll tell a different story.

[TJP]

I had an Z650 for a year and half and it was an excelent bike! With an akrapovic was a blast! The bike was realy fun if you know how to ride it! Now i have an Z900 and some times i miss the little Z650!

[jesparon]

Yammie did a lot of vlogs about Z650 and had to bag it how bad and how good and how bad and how good it is. How many vlogs are there on the MT07, not many. Subconsciencely he loves the Z650.

[joshperotti]

I like my z650. TFT is great. I'm a short rider and it fits me great.

[mdfmdf]

Low seat height, great for short leg inseam riders. I did some riding on one of these, and whilst it may not stack up to you guys I found it a good experience. As I am only five foot four with a very short twenty six inch inseam, with its light weight and low seat height it inspired confidence in all areas of riding. It handled well, was a great commuter, frugal, cheap to insure, had enough grunt to get you out of trouble and cruised at 70mph all day....it did exactly what it said it would do on the tin... I would recommend any short rider to try one of these, if only to sharpen your slow speed skills where you can safely get both feet down in the event of a wobble, rather than having to pick up your taller bike because your ballerina tip too act was too unstable.

[marknolan]

Say what you want, at 66 years old, I love my 2017 Z650. Being retired, it's a fun bike for backroads & secondary highways. I have owned everything from 125's to 1100's, I enjoy this bike more than any I have owned. It's not the fastest, but it's not slow either. I'm short, the low seat height is a plus. Any other bike in its class has at least another inch of seat height. Not into cruisers.