Say hello to the ER-6's replacement: the entry -level happy shopper that thinks it's a sportbike...
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Kawasaki’s ER-6 – love for its no frills, undiluted kicks on the road, and hate for getting a battering against its racing monopoly. The do-it-all happy-shopper middleweight has been a stalwart of the class for longer than Jimmy Savile got away with it, so the Big K has gone full Ninja for 2017 with a scrupulous replacement.
And, by Jove, does it look dapper. There’s a certain amount of substance needed to carry the Ninja crest with authority, something that Kawasaki’s puny 300 failed to provide. Aside from the sharp KRT graphics, some shrewd cosmetic tweaks (ZX-10R lookalike front and rear ends) and a smattering of clever design (to hide the sparrow-limbed components) ensure the Ninja 650 conveys near-authentic big-bike presence, until you’re sat on it, but we’ll get to that later on.
When a manufacturer claims more power, lighter weight and further gizmos to a new model, and sticks two fingers up to Euro4 complications in the process, you know you’re onto a winner. Kawasaki nearly managed to pull off this incredible feat, save for losing 3bhp at the top, but the Ninja 650 is a perfect example of why peak numbers mean nothing and compensates with supplementary midrange instead for 2017.
With rivals such as Yamaha’s MT-07/Tracer 700 and the new Suzuki SV650 romping away both in sales and the metaphoric sense, the Ninja needed more than a light dusting of refinement. It’s a whopping 18kg lighter than its predecessor, predominantly owing to a much lighter frame, snazzy five-spoke rims, and a newer swingarm that now looks far less Chinese Meccano and more British scaffolding. And, while on the chassis, other noteworthy news is a shock that now brags a progressive link, rather than the ER-6’s set-up mounted directly to the swingarm.
Bu hikaye Fast Bikes dergisinin April 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Fast Bikes dergisinin April 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Sensational Suzuki Live - Blending decades of motorcycles, racing legends, track time and a beer tent with a cracking band, Suzuki Live's formula proved a winner for the thousands there.
Blending decades of motorcycles, racing legends, track time and a beer tent with a cracking band, Suzuki Live’s formula proved a winner for the thousands there. As motorcycling events go, Suzuki Live's 2024 effort is surely set to take some topping. Held over two days at the iconic Cadwell Park circuit, the event played host to a list of two-wheeled legends and a mixed bag of iconic Suzuki machinery spanning five decades.
Steve Parrish
It's been a busy old month but so good being back in the thick of it. Despite the great British weather, it finally feels like summer is here, and I've been all over the place with some really great events since we spoke last month.
Christian Iddon
It's a long time since I had that feeling... 1057 days, to be precise, and if you were to ask if 'that day' was the day it would happen again, then I would have bet all my worldly belongings against it.
BOTH A CRIMINAL AND CIVIL CASE
There’s a time and place to lawyer up to the hills, and this is one them...
LONGTERMER KAWASAKI ZX-6R
Last month, I was gearing up to consign my ZX-6R to the back of my garage while I disappeared for the best part of three weeks to work at the TT with Batham's Racing.
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When you live a life of wheelies, burnouts and fast laps on race tracks, it's hard to spot a midlife crisis... but six months on in the saddle of Yamaha's Wabash e-bike, I daresay that's exactly where I'm at. I'll be honest, cycling isn't for everyone, and quite frankly, Lycra is even more polarising, but for me, life on two wheels, be it powered or pedalled, has formed my staple diet for as long as I can remember.
24 HOURS FLAT-OUT!
Ever fancied a crack at 24-hour endurance racing? You might think again after reading this...
PROJECT 37 A TEST OF TIME
Having got his head around the standard bike at Cadwell, Timmy heads to Powerslide Motorcycles with a wish list of improvements for the Suzuki GSX-8R...
'WHY WE GO RACING...5
Ever wondered why big brands spend big money and put in huge amounts of effort to go racing? Well, we did too, so we didn’t hesitate to ask the man who makes that call for Honda Racing UK...
9 BIKES WE WISH WERE STILL HERE...
No one’s worked out how to bring things back from the dead, but if we had our way, these are the bikes we’d oe see makingareturn.