SINCE the first images of the new Kawasaki Z650RS landed, pretty much the entire Visordown office was a little bit in love with this sweet-looking retro. And this isn’t a case of style over substance either – as with the Kawasaki Z650 as its base, it promises to ride just as good as it looks.
KAWASAKI Z650RS (2022) Walk Around
The new bike is a homage to the original ‘Zed heads’ that started with the original Z750 of the mid-seventies. With classically styled badging, colours, and tank details and pinstripes, squint a bit and on a foggy day… you really would be hard pushed to tell it apart from an original machine.
Designed as a bike that is accessible to newer riders and more experienced pilots, the new machine is A2 compliant with the inclusion of a restrictor kit. In full power mode, the bike produces 67bhp and 47ft-lb of torque.
Like its Z650 and Ninja 650 bikes it shares much of its underpinnings with, the suspension is provided by 41mm forks and Kawasaki’s own horizontal link rear shock. The Kawasaki Z650RS features dual twin-piston front calipers biting down on 300mm round disc rotors. The front and rear brakes are governed by a two-channel Bosch advanced ABS unit.
Equipment-wise, there is a neat and nicely styled twin-clock layout with a small digital display nestled between the speedo and tacho, just like its bigger sibling the Z900RS and, more importantly, historically similar to that of the original Zeds from back in the day.
For more information on the new Z650RS, head to: www.kawasaki.co.uk
