Kawasaki Z650RS Unveiled – To Launch Soon
The Kawasaki Z650RS neo-retro motorbike was introduced yesterday and will be available in India within six months.
The 2022 Kawasaki Z650RS, which is based on the Z650 middleweight naked that is already on sale in India, is the latest to join the already crowded neo-retro bandwagon. We can also confirm that the RS will be available in the United States over the next six months. If Indian pricing follows international trends, the Z650RS might cost roughly Rs 7 lakh (ex-showroom) when it comes. However, it would put it uncomfortably close to the considerably more powerful Triumph Trident 660 (Rs 6.95 lakh, ex-showroom), and Kawasaki would be wise to price the RS lower.
It has the same 649cc parallel-twin engine as the original Z650, and while Kawasaki claims the engine has been modified for greater low- and mid-range performance, the power stats are identical: 68hp at 8,000rpm and 64Nm at 6,700rpm. With a trellis frame perched on a 41mm telescopic fork with preload-adjustable monoshock, twin 300mm discs up front, and a single 220mm disc at the rear, the chassis is nearly identical.
The most significant modifications have taken place in the design area, where Kawasaki‘s industrial artists have done an excellent job. This bike takes styling ideas from its bigger brother, the Z900RS, and has a comparable appearance, replete with a stylish round LED headlight and twin-pod instruments. Instead of having false cooling fins like the Z900RS, the engine is washed in matte black to make it as unobtrusive as possible. The new multi-spoke wheels, especially when finished in golden on the ‘Candy Emerald Green’ color option, catch your attention.
The bold pinstriped square-ish fuel tank flows cleanly into the side panels, and the bike’s tail is sleek and tidy, but for the hideous black plastic number plate hanger, which stands out like a sore modern thumb on this otherwise delectable throwback design.
