2023 Kawasaki Ninja 650 And Z650 Get Traction Control Like The New Versys 650

Sadly, the Z650 RS misses out on the promotion

After the 2022 Versys 650, the other two bread winners of the Kawasaki India family - Ninja 650 and Z650 - will finally get traction control for 2023. It’s a small yet necessary update, which should give these long-serving models of Kawasaki another gust of tailwind.

The two middle-weights will now feature a three-stage traction control system. The KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control) system will allow two levels of intervention and can be turned off in the third setting. It misses out on an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) module; hence, it will not be a lean-sensitive system.

Both bikes will continue to be powered by the same 649cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin motor, and the underpinnings go unchanged too. Instrumentation on both motorcycles is a TFT, the same unit as on the new Versys 650 with Bluetooth compatibility.

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The Kawasaki 650 lineup has helped the Japanese marque to amass a huge fan base and clientele in India. With all three models - Versys 650, Ninja 650 and Z650 - now evenly equipped, they just about scrape through to be future proof. That said, the retro-themed Z650 RS misses out on the update.

Like on the 2022 Versys 650, a price hike is expected for the new updates. The 2023 Ninja 650 and the Z650 retail in the UK at starting prices of GBP 7,649 (Rs 6.99 lakh) and 7,399 (Rs 6.76 lakh) respectively. That’s a premium of GBP 50 more than the 2022 models.

In India, however, the Ninja 650 and Z650 currently retail at Rs 6.95 lakh and Rs 6.43 lakh (ex showroom) respectively, and we expect a bump of Rs 15,000 over those prices.