2020 Kawasaki Ninja 650 Revealed

The bike has been comprehensively updated and is powered by a BS6-compliant engine

• New styling with an updated fairing, screen and twin LED headlights.
• Receives a 4.3-inch full-colour TFT display with Bluetooth connectivity.
• Engine output remains the same but exhaust rerouting indicates Euro5/BS6 compliance.

The Kawasaki Ninja 650, one of Kawasaki’s most popular performance bikes in India, is going to have a new look for next year. Kawasaki has comprehensively reworked the motorcycle, bringing it up to date and also giving it a fresh appearance.

To start off with, the fairing has been redesigned and now also houses twin LED headlights and a narrower, taller screen. The styling of the new bike is in sync with the current design language, which started with the Ninja 400, for most of Kawasaki’s fully-faired bikes. Behind this screen is an all-new 4.3-inch colour TFT display that also offers Bluetooth connectivity via Kawasaki’s Rideology app. Riders can log their rides, monitor the status of the vehicle, receive notifications and change the display settings using this app.

Moving further back, the rider’s seat gets a slightly taller ‘backrest’ portion, and pillion comfort has been improved with a thicker and wider seat. Another area that has been updated is tyres, with the new Ninja 650 using Dunlop Sportmax Roadsport 2 compared to the Dunlop Sportmax D214 tyres on the older bike. Tyre sizes remain identical with a 120/70-ZR17 front and 160/60-ZR-17 rear.

Also read: Kawasaki India Offers Massive Discounts On Its CKD And SKD Products

Another thing that remains identical is power output at 68PS. However, torque has reduced by 1.7Nm to 64Nm and is also delivered 200rpm higher than before. We’ve also noticed that the exhaust routing is slightly different to that on the old bike, which hints at an updated catalytic converter. These two factors inddicate to us that the bike has been updated to conform to Euro5/BS6 emission norms. Kawasaki hasn’t confirmed this though. 

Geometry and cycle parts also remain the same, meaning a 41mm conventional telescopic fork and preload-adjustable monoshock, with 300mm twin discs up front accompanied by a 220mm disc at the rear. Though ABS is optional abroad, the Ninja is sold in India with dual-channel ABS as standard. The current bike has a kerb weight of 193kgs and a seat height of 790mm, and these figures remain unchanged on the updated version too. This makes the Ninja a manageable and comfortable motorcycle to ride.

In addition to an updated bike, Kawasaki has also revealed a list of new accessories that will be made available for the Ninja 650. These include a taller screen, protection for the TFT display, a taller seat, tank pads, luggage and a DC charging port.

Despite all these additions, the price of the Ninja has remained the same overseas, with the standard variant starting at $7399 (Rs 5.25 lakh) and going up to $7999 (Rs 5.67 lakh) for the KRT Edition with ABS. It remains to be seen if the same trend will apply in India as well. Currently, the standard variant of the Ninja 650 retails for Rs 5.89 lakh while the KRT edition is priced at Rs 5.99 lakh (ex-showroom India).