Kawasaki Ninja 650R reviews

I have been riding nothing but bigger cruisers my whole life. I had an opportunity to get a Ninja 650R with 8 miles on it for 1,000 bucks. How do I pass that up? Riding this bike is a pleasure. Since I bought the bike I haven't been in my car since. I take it to work every day. If I had to say one bad thing about the bike. There is a slight vibration right between 58-60 miles per hour on the handle bars. But you can ride right through it. Overall, it's a great commuter and new rider bike. But if your looking for a speed demon, this is not the one for you. Show less

Its a fun bike to ride. It keeps up with bigger bikes and has plenty of power. The bike is really comfortable for long rides. I ride to San Diego often and it's a little over two hours and my back isn't killing me when I get there. It's my first bike and I have had it for 10 months now. Show less

This is my fourth bike. It's an excellent choice for a first bike, too. It's sporty and fast, comfortable (not leaning way over the tank) easy on my back. It has super lines on it. I love to be the girl riding an awesome sporty bike!!! Show less

I've had this bike for a week now and I'm completely impressed. It has plenty of power, and is very responsive. The seat gets a bit uncomfortable after being on the saddle awhile. It looks great, I even got compliments from my die-hard Harley friends. Show less

I'm still in the break in period so I have to give this bike a "5" on everything. I used to ride a GSXR 750, but hadn't ridden in a while until I got the 650R a couple of weeks ago. Ergos are perfect for me. It's been running smooth and flawless the few times I've been able to get out (still a little cold here). Overall it's a great bike I would recommend to anyone. Show less

I picked up this bike used with 6,800 miles on it, and it's probably the most fun I've ever had on the open road. There are definitely more powerful bikes out there, but this thing accelerates fast enough to get you in trouble in a heart beat, and when you're on the highway in top gear, it's not even turning half its RPM range. If you're looking to upgrade from a 250, or even if you're a responsible rider looking for a first bike, this one is predictable and easy to ride quick. Show less

I sold my EX500 Ninja and bought one of these. It looks better and it handles about the same. It has more power. To me, sport riding is all about handling, not about rocket-like acceleration. If you want a drag racer, get a V-Max. Oh yeah, it's comfortable too. I have ridden a GSXR750 and a ZX6R Ninja. In a straight line, they will blow this bike away. But they don't handle any better, if as well. I have ridden all day on this, about an hour was my max on a hardcore sportbike, and by that time I was hurting all over. This is a "real world" sportbike, not a roadracer with lights. Oh, and one more plus. The price and the insurance are a lot less than a hardcore sportbike. Unless you really are a roadracer and ride on the track, I don't see how you could possibly go wrong with this bike. Show less

This was my first street bike and I have no major complaints. There's plenty of power when needed enough to get into trouble. The color and performance add to the thrill of the ride. My only complaint is that the bike doesnt show you what gear you are in. Besides that, no regrets. I'm actually going in tomorrow to buy another street bike for the wife. Show less

Pros: Comfortable, reliable, great bang for the buck, economical, fast, this list could go on for a while. Cons: Exhaust sounds a bit like a Briggs and Stratton, Suspension is not adjustable. I bought this bike in 2007 simply to save money. I wanted a bike that was fuel injected and affordable. The "little" Ninja 650 fit my needs perfectly. I didn't have anything to compare it to but after riding just about everything out there I'm fairly certain that the clutch action on the 650 is about the smoothest in the industry. I knew that this bike wouldn't have "supersport" power but I was pleasantly surprised the first time I opened the throttle fully and about flattened my eyeballs. It moves. Yeah, a good rider on a CBR will beat it but he'll have to try pretty hard. It's fast enough to keep a rider of any skill level entertained but tame enough for a beginner. MPG is around 45-50 or so. Sometimes a little better, I saw 59 MPG once being really nice. Got as low as 39 on a tank whilst beating it like a rented mule. The reliability is amazing. I didn't do anything to it except for a couple of oil changes and maintaining the chain. It's a great bike, I cannot recommend it enough. I did eventually sell it and bought a 2007 CBR. While I love the CBR I do miss the Ninja from time to time. Show less

This bike had a Scorpio Alarm w/pager and Throttlemeister Cruise Control when I sold it. The photo shows the cruise control still on it. This bike has never had a bad day. No crashing, burnouts, stunts. It's a very good bike. I just got too old for it. MPG was mid 40's and the top speed...over 130. Show less