2007 Kawasaki Ninja 650R

With a comfortable seating position and sportbike performance levels, the Ninja 650R is well-suited for freeway commutes, around town errands and weekend track days.

Look at Kawasaki Ninja 650R sportbike and the first impression is one of pure design appreciation. Look a little longer and many of the innovative engine and chassis elements begin to come into play. However, the entire package doesn’t truly project its intended engineering outcome until the motorcycle is viewed with a rider seemingly melded into its unique posture. Because the 650R was meant to have broad rider appeal, Kawasaki’s development team began its task with the rider – not the motorcycle.

After studying every kind of rider, and all types of riding, Kawasaki’s engineers focused on the human-machine interface. Different riding positions were examined to discover which instilled the most confidence. Narrowing the distance between the footpegs and striving for a lower seat height and low effort controls all played into the design effort.

The compact liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, DOHC, 8-valve 649cc parallel twin engine delivers a smooth responsiveness that is tuned for rider-friendly power characteristics – especially in the low and medium rpm ranges. It is a power delivery that will inspire confidence in new motorcyclists. Its excellent mid-range characteristics will make the 650R a natural in commuting environments, and slipping in and out of traffic will be a cinch thanks to its lightweight trellis frame and responsive steering.

The 650R’s engine may be tuned for manageable power delivery, but it also has outstanding roll-on response when making a highway pass and more than enough power to make it an entertaining trackday companion. Kawasaki engineers called on their vast experience building Ninja supersport machines to develop a motorcycle possessing performance characteristics that will be a match for anything currently available in the middleweight arena, including those with larger displacement. 

Ultimately, this exceptionally well-proportioned Ninja 650R represents a genre of motorcycle which is at home with both novice and experienced riders – and one that will be seen equally in daily midtown commuting situations as well as back-road-blasting on the weekends.

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Features

Unique features

• Aggressive Ninja styling
• Powerful parallel-twin engine
• Compact size and weight
• Low seat height

Engine
649cc twin-cylinder, DOHC engine
Parallel twin engine is the most compact in its category. The engine is considerably smaller than that of the Ninja 500 and helps reduce the dimension of the entire motorcycle 
Tuned to deliver smooth, responsive power in the low-to mid-rpm range with exceptional roll-on response for negotiating city traffic 
Triangular crank and transmission shaft layout makes the engine very short from front to back, a semi-dry sump oil system reduces overall engine height, while narrow pitch of the chrome composite plated aluminum cylinders helps reduce engine width
Muffler with 3-way catalyzer and bullet-tip opening is mounted below the engine to help lower the center of gravity and aid weight centralization 
180-degree crankshaft plus balancer shaft for extremely smooth engine operation 
Oil jets on the connecting rod big ends spray oil on the undersides of the pistons to aid cooling

Liquid Cooling
Maintains consistent engine temperatures for long engine life and sustained power during hard use 
Allows closer engine tolerances for more horsepower 
Coolant is routed through the engine cases to reduce external hoses

Digital Fuel Injection
38mm Keihin throttle bodies feature sub-throttle valves for optimum performance and rideability. The sub-throttles, located behind the main throttle valves, are controlled by the ECU so that the DFI system gives a more precise throttle response, similar to a constant-velocity carburetor
Precise fuel injection plus exhaust catalyzer significantly reduce emissions
Automatic fast idle system makes starting and warm-up easy 

Digital Capacitor Discharge Ignition (CDI) System
Microprocessor-controlled timing never needs adjustment and is ultra-responsive to engine needs
Spark plug mounted “stick” ignition coils are compact and help reduce weight

Six-Speed Transmission
Cassette-style transmission puts the transmission shafts and shifts into a compact layout that is easily removed as a single unit from the cases for easier maintenance 

Trellis Frame
High tensile steel trellis frame is small and light
Designed using 3-dimensional computer analysis to achieve the optimum stiffness balance for better handling
Narrow at the knees and feet for rider comfort and control 

Single-shock Rear Suspension
Braced swingarm and offset, laydown single rear and shock complement the frame design to create an integrated line flowing from the steering head to the rear hub 
Short, compact frame and engine design allows the swingarm to be longer, which helps improve overall handling

Triple Petal Design Brake Discs
Petal design rotors offer improved cooling and warp resistance
Same rotor design as found on the Ninja ZX™-6R and ZX-10R supersports machines 

Six-spoke wheels
With the same engineering as the Ninja ZX-6R and ZX-10R, the six-spoke design requires much less material between spokes so that the rim thickness is thinner and overall wheel weight is reduced

Confidence-Inspiring Cockpit
Low, narrow seat combined with the slim overall design allows riders to firmly plant both feet on the ground when stopped
Carefully designed ergonomics result in a natural, comfortable riding position
Textured seat cover helps keep the rider planted

Bodywork
Stylish full fairing with aerodynamic windscreen cuts through the wind and helps protect the rider
Integrated front turn signals with clear lenses enhance appearance

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SPECS

Engine: Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, four-valve per cylinder, parallel twin
Displacement: 649cc
Bore x stroke: 83.0 x 60.0mm
Compression ratio: 11.3:1
Maximum torque: 48.5 lb/ft @ 7,000 rpm
Cooling: Liquid
Fuel injection: Digital fuel injection with two 38mm Keihin throttle bodies
Ignition: Digital CDI
Transmission: Six-speed
Final drive: O-ring chain
Frame: Semi-double cradle, high-tensile steel
Rake / trail: 25 degrees / 4.2 in.
Wheelbase: 55.5 in.
Front suspension/wheel travel: 41mm hydraulic telescopic fork / 4.7 in.
Rear suspension/wheel travel: Single offset laydown shock with adjustable spring preload / 4.9 in.
Front tire: 120/70x17
Rear tire: 160/60x17
Front brake: Dual 300mm petal discs with two-piston caliper
Rear brake: Single 220mm petal disc with hydraulic caliper
Overall length: 82.9 in.
Overall width: 29.9 in.
Overall height: 50.0 in.
Seat height: 31.1 in.
Dry weight: 393 lbs.
Fuel capacity: 4.1 gal.
Color choices: Candy Plasma Blue, Passion Red
MSRP: TBD
Warranty: 12 months