Kawasaki Ninja 650R, 2012, launched in India

09 August, 2012

Ninja 650R of Kawasaki was launched in Pune, and is likely to set a landmark for Indian sports bikes market, with its conventional looks but advanced and powerful engine - and will not doubt be the next upgrade for bike lovers in the country.

INDIANS HAVE come to be known as voracious consumers of information related to bikes and cars, and equally, buyers of the latest motorbikes. In recent years there has been a boom in the craze for high-end and sporty bikes. Catering to this demand, Japanese automaker Kawasaki has now launched a new Ninja 650R in the Indian market. After the huge success of Ninja 650R, Kawasaki has unveiled the 2012 version of the same with added features.

As for now Kawasaki is launching this version in limited number of models and that too only in green colour, and it will be sold by Kawasaki Ninja through its ProBiking dealerships in country.

The Ninja 650R is expected to create a heavy buzz among bike lovers in the country. Even with its conventional looks, the bike will be a darling because of its special features such as speed, power and comfort.

The Ninja 650R does not have conventional sitting style which we find in most of the sports bikes. The rider does not have to bend too much on it and can ride by sitting straight, which is more comfortable for long-distance rides. This feature also helps to ride in Indian conditions i.e. riding through traffic jams, narrow roads and streets is not tough on the Ninja 650R. But having a large turning radius makes it difficult for a rider to turn in sudden turns and at slow speed.

The seat is on the firmer side. It's quite long and can easily accommodate both the rider and the pillion, which we find very less in other sports bikes. So you can have a good ride with your better half for a long journey. Lower seating frame with a height of 790 mm makes the ride more comfortable. The bike has a ground clearance of 145 mm, which is quite good for Indian roads and speed breakers.

As compared to the earlier model, the new Ninja 650R gets a new, wider front fairing though with redesigned headlights and air vents on the side, new fuel tank, seat and an edgier rear end that does not look attractive - is what we can expect from Kawasaki.

If we talk about power then it will be ahead of the earlier model as its four stroke DOCH 8 valve Parallel twin 649CC engine takes only about 4 seconds to reach 0-100 KPH. Its 72 PS @8500 rpm adds to its power. Rear mono-suspension is also a unique feature which makes the ride more comfortable on Indian roads. Kawasaki has launched the Ninja 650R 2012 in Delhi at at Rs. 4.57 lakhs (Ex-showroom New Delhi) and Rs. 4.62 lakhs (On-Road Mumbai) and booking amount is Rs 50,000.

Even with some shortcomings like no ABS (Anti Braking System) option and high turning radius and limited colour and models, the Ninja 650R will put an impact on Indian bike market and open a way to more advanced and good sports bikes.

We conceived Bajaj Probiking 6 years ago with the objective of making it the default destination for motorbike enthusiasts looking for looking for premium and performance bikes. The Ninja 650R is the next step in realizing that objective.” He added, “The Kawasaki Ninja 250R has been a success with 1500 of these speed machines sold to date. It is now joined by its larger sibling to rule the roads,” Mr. Rajiv Bajaj, MD, Bajaj Auto, told the website automaxabout. Bike and car lover Yogesh Bhatia also expressed his views to this citizen journalist . "Great bike with good looks and good driving dynamics," said Yogesh.