After giving the competition a run for its money last year with the Kawasaki Ninja 650R, the Japanese motor giant has rolled out the latest generation of the model in India—a country which has a growing appetite for fast bikes. The 2012 edition comes with a complete makeover in terms of style and aggression which will definitely make heads turn and force the competition go weak in its knees. Ammar Alvi checks the bike out.
The all-new Kawasaki Ninja 650R has got a new bodywork and design cues from its flagship bike ZX-14R. There is new instrument cluster with a digital speedometer, 20mm wider handle bars for better ride control, new aerodynamics which makes the ride better than the earlier model besides several other features like redesigned twin-pipe perimeter frame, twin-pipe swingarm assembly, redesigned exhaust system that features a new connector pipe, easier-pull clutch cable design for reduced fatigue and enhanced control, revised suspension settings, improved brake pads offer better braking performance and control to name a few. While the new Ninja 650R carries a completely new look, it retains the same 649cc engine, DOHC, 8-valve parallel-twin engine, that churns a maximum power of 72PS @ 8500rpm and 66Nm of torque @ 7000rpm.
According to managing director of Bajaj Auto, Rajiv Bajaj, “KTM and Kawasaki are our global business partners and along with them we aim to build on our already dominant position in the sports motorcycle segment in India with the Pulsar. There are a number of initiatives in the pipeline on all these three brands that would be introduced over the next 18 months.”
All these updates will cost the buyer `40,000 more than the earlier model and the new bike will be retailing for `5,00,000 (ex-showroom Delhi) and will be available in more than 50 KTM/Kawasaki showrooms across the country. The company also communicated its clear intention about its expansion plans and hopes to bring in more premium products from Kawasaki and KTM stable.