Kawasaki Z650RS Revealed; Should You Wait Or Buy Kawasaki Z650?

The Kawasaki Z650RS is a neo-retro middle-weight motorcycle based on the Kawasaki Z650. The design takes a lot of design inspiration from the original Kawasaki Z650-B1 from the 1970s.

A glace at Kawasaki Z650RS is all it takes for a two-wheeler enthusiast to fall in love with it. The whole bike oozes with classic charm.

For starters, the upcoming Kawasaki Z650RS comes with gold alloy wheels, round headlights with thick chrome surround, a twin-pod analogue instrument console, and the slightly elongated tail section that give it a retro visual appeal.

However, there are few modern elements that improve the overall visual appeal if not add to the retro theme such as the slim and clear LED indicator stalks, under-belly exhaust, and the LED headlamp setup.

Underneath the retro skin of the Kawasaki Z650RS is a thoroughly modern bike and it shares almost everything with the Kawasaki Z650.

Like the Kawasaki Z650, the Kawasaki Z650RS also uses an identical suspension setup with 41mm telescopic forks up front and a horizontal link suspension at the rear that is adjustable for pre-load.

Adding to the list of similarities is the trellis frame chassis and the 650cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine. Though the Kawasaki Z650RS produces an identical 67 bhp and 64Nm of torque as the Kawasaki Z650, it is tuned to produce better low-end and mid-range performance.

However, instead of carrying over the dual-petal disc brake setup from the Kawasaki Z650, Kawasaki has opted to use standard rotors on the Kawasaki Z650RS.

Speaking of differences, the fully digital instrument console is replaced by a more traditional twin-pod analogue instrument console. However, Kawasaki has added a small LCD between the analogue speedometer and tachometer to display additional useful information.

Apart from this, Kawasaki Z650RS also misses out on Bluetooth connectivity and phone integration.

In the UK, the Kawasaki Z650RS is priced at £7,549 (Which roughly converts to Rs 7.59 lakh in India) for the all-black variant with black alloy wheels. However, the beautiful Candy Emerald Green Kawasaki Z650RS with gold alloy wheels will set you back £150 more at £7,699 (roughly converts to Rs 7.74 lakh in India)

So expect similar pricing when Kawasaki launches the Z650RS in India. However, at 5.94 lakh (ex-showroom, India), the Kawasaki Z650 becomes a bargain performance motorcycle.

However, if you are a fan of retro looks, there is nothing wrong with waiting for the launch of Kawasaki Z650RS in India. After all, when you are spending this much money on a motorcycle, you should buy what your heart desires.

Thoughts About Kawasaki Z650RS

While there are no doubts regarding the looks of the Kawasaki Z650RS, the pricing of the bike will play a crucial part in its success in India.

If Kawasaki could launch the Z650RS with a price tag close to the Kawasaki Z650, the bike would sell like hot cupcakes.