2012 Ninja 650R- First Look!

[karlos]

I felt some what disappointed with Kawasaki when viewing their 2012 Ninja 650 today

Tony has covered most points but i'm going to reaffirm mine

1. I noticed some sagging in the paint on the bike's left hand side (Lets hope this is the reason why they used this one as a display model, as they don't intend to sell it anytime soon) but at the same time it doesn't exactly showcase their craftsmanship skills does it?
2. The Thai model comes with grab handles, which is fine for those that need them but it looks like it'll take 4 plastic pieces of trim to bung the holes should you wish to remove them. I did see and posted earlier in the thread a photo of a Ninja 650 with a redesigned tail section with no grab handles from the factory, it looks alot cleaner and reveals the green paint work at the back of the bike more.
3. Obviously the one piece exhaust is going to cause a delay in the aftermarket parts supply for the bike (maybe this is the EU's new legislation as modified exhausts are now banned in Europe)
4. The black trim that runs under the riders seat has huge panel gaps when viewing from the back of the bike, it really does look odd....
5. As Tony mentioned i was shocked to see the seams of the tank exposed, not a pretty sight.
6. The pillion rear sets were too loose, i know they are rubber mounted BUT i could jiggle them all over the place, and the bolts were tighten down firmly!
7. The back half of the bike has far too much black for my taste. I had a ZX6R 636 C1H before which had a fair amount of black in the middle of it, but this 650 has a little too much i think

Things i do like.

1. I like the new tacho and it's features
2. the new tyres are supposed to be better than the last ones supplied from the factory, still not the best but perfectly good enough for road use
3. obviously the split seat, although not the prettiest design conceived by kawasaki but it'll enable me to fit a real single seat cowl.
4. The look of the new frame, marginally more aesthetically pleasing
5. The fact the rear mudguard and it's subframe simply unbolts with minamal fuss (first thing to do!)

Ummmmmmm, i have made more negative points about the bike than i have good, am i still going to collect my 650 in green when it arrives next week.....Hell yeah but i might reconsider the colour i booked, I might go for the black bike, as the rear half of the bike is colour-coded by coincidence

[karlos]

Here's some photos just to highlight that 'no grab handle tail unit' i spoke of in the post above

And an idea i Photoshopped for splashing a little colour on the back half of the bike

As you can see this tail uses completely different sides to the model with the grab handles.

Once the rear grab handles are removed the little green that's to be found at the back of the bike now becomes visible, so i might just paint the rear huger and leave the trim under the rider's seat black

[BigBikeBKK]

Here's some photos just to highlight that 'no grab handle tail unit' i spoke of in the post above

And an idea i Photoshopped for splashing a little colour on the back half of the bike

As you can see this tail uses completely different sides to the model with the grab handles.

Once the rear grab handles are removed the little green that's to be found at the back of the bike now becomes visible, so i might just paint the rear huger and leave the trim under the rider's seat black

Yeah, the North American Ninja 650 gets the clean tail and no grab bars.

Personally I've always found the grab bars useful for strapping down a pillion bag and also for giving me something solid to grab when moving the bike around, but yeah, from a purely aesthetic point of view I have to agree that the bike looks better without them.

I think the 2nd Gen grab bars look better than the new ones...

vs

[karlos]

It's amazing how great minds think alike, once again i agree with you, the older grab rails do look better.

I'm sure i could arrange a tail unit from an American 650, the American tail units are made here in Thailand right?

Edited November 22, 2011 by karlos

[katabeachbum]

It's amazing how great minds think alike, once again i agree with you, the older grab rails do look better.

I'm sure i could arrange a tail unit from an American 650, the American tail units are made here in Thailand right?

the us market covers for the 2009-2011 are TH made and less than 500 baht/pair, but they dont come in all colors. white pearl was not available a year ago so i had those sprayed, kwaker green was available couple weeks ago

the older grabs look better, but still IMHO fugly, and not reliable to fasten anything to as it can slide backwards and then off. I find it better to just strap all around seat/bag/underneath

the 2012 grabs look like the ones used above the bath tub in retirement homes , hopefully covers are avialable at bike purchase

[karlos]

It's amazing how great minds think alike, once again i agree with you, the older grab rails do look better.

I'm sure i could arrange a tail unit from an American 650, the American tail units are made here in Thailand right?

the 2012 grabs look like the ones used above the bath tub in retirement homes , hopefully covers are avialable at bike purchase

LMAO!! I will insist that they throw them in for free when i go to pick her up, there's no way i am riding around on a retirement home! Date of collection.... hopefully next weekend

[BigBikeBKK]

It's amazing how great minds think alike, once again i agree with you, the older grab rails do look better.

I'm sure i could arrange a tail unit from an American 650, the American tail units are made here in Thailand right?

the 2012 grabs look like the ones used above the bath tub in retirement homes

LOLZ!!! So true!!!

[nikster]

Form follows function hence the similarity to ergonomically designed grab handles everywhere.

I think the new ones look just fine. More solid, actually. In black its nicer than the old silver... I wish the versys had similar ones, as the current ones place looks before utility, and they feel flimsy being made from soft plastic....

Agree on the tank and the other little niggles

[BigBikeBKK]

Form follows function hence the similarity to ergonomically designed grab handles everywhere.

I think the new ones look just fine. More solid, actually. In black its nicer than the old silver... I wish the versys had similar ones, as the current ones place looks before utility, and they feel flimsy being made from soft plastic....

Agree on the tank and the other little niggles

FWIW the grab bars on 2nd gen 650R and ER6n come in Silver and Black, depending on the color of the bike

Yes, the Versys grab bars are plastic, but they're pretty darn strong.

Grab bars don't have to be ugly to be functional

Ride On!

Tony

[katabeachbum]

Form follows function hence the similarity to ergonomically designed grab handles everywhere.

I think the new ones look just fine. More solid, actually. In black its nicer than the old silver... I wish the versys had similar ones, as the current ones place looks before utility, and they feel flimsy being made from soft plastic....

Agree on the tank and the other little niggles

FWIW the grab bars on 2nd gen 650R and ER6n come in Silver and Black, depending on the color of the bike

Yes, the Versys grab bars are plastic, but they're pretty darn strong.

Grab bars don't have to be ugly to be functional

Ride On!

Tony

didnt all colors 2009-2011 Ninja650 come with black?

only seen silver on er6n

[BigBikeBKK]

Form follows function hence the similarity to ergonomically designed grab handles everywhere.

I think the new ones look just fine. More solid, actually. In black its nicer than the old silver... I wish the versys had similar ones, as the current ones place looks before utility, and they feel flimsy being made from soft plastic....

Agree on the tank and the other little niggles

FWIW the grab bars on 2nd gen 650R and ER6n come in Silver and Black, depending on the color of the bike

Yes, the Versys grab bars are plastic, but they're pretty darn strong.

Grab bars don't have to be ugly to be functional

Ride On!

Tony

didnt all colors 2009-2011 Ninja650 come with black?

only seen silver on er6n

The Diablo Black 650R came with Silver grab bars-

(Of course, this color was never sold in Thailand)

[dollarman]

The fuel tank lock on my 650R was impossible to open after the bike had been parked outdoors for 3 weeks due to corrugation. Does anyone here know if it is possible to replace the lock with another type made of different material?

Also, the rivets on my two brother exhaust pipe are falling out again, for the 3. time. I have pretty big rivets on now and I think I need bigger, hence a place with a rivets machine would be preferable since the last place I barely was able to put the rivets on with a manual tool(I actually had to help the guy last time). Does any places in Phuket, Pattaya or Bangkok have these machines?

Thanks

[karlos]

The fuel tank lock on my 650R was impossible to open after the bike had been parked outdoors for 3 weeks due to corrugation. Does anyone here know if it is possible to replace the lock with another type made of different material?

Also, the rivets on my two brother exhaust pipe are falling out again, for the 3. time. I have pretty big rivets on now and I think I need bigger, hence a place with a rivets machine would be preferable since the last place I barely was able to put the rivets on with a manual tool(I actually had to help the guy last time). Does any places in Phuket, Pattaya or Bangkok have these machines?

Thanks

The fuel lock can be replaced for another unit but what will fit is anyone's guess really. your best bet is to buy another one from Kawasaki and spray some good quality grease, Teflon or at least some oil down the key hole every 2 weeks or so.

I never had a problem with my zx6r i had back home in the UK and that was left outside in the rain and snow with no lube at all down it's key hole.

Your Two Brothers exhaust, is a carbon one? If so the rivets aren't your problem it's actual material the exhaust is made of (carbon fiber) the holes drilled to make way for the pop rivets will in time wear and get larger, making the rivets 'fall out', there's not to much you can do other than buy the titanium or alloy version of the same exhaust, these parallel twins create larger exhaust pulses that can rip carbon exhausts apart...

P.S. This is a thread about the about to be released 2012 Ninja 650

Edited November 29, 2011 by karlos

[dollarman]

The fuel tank lock on my 650R was impossible to open after the bike had been parked outdoors for 3 weeks due to corrugation. Does anyone here know if it is possible to replace the lock with another type made of different material?

Also, the rivets on my two brother exhaust pipe are falling out again, for the 3. time. I have pretty big rivets on now and I think I need bigger, hence a place with a rivets machine would be preferable since the last place I barely was able to put the rivets on with a manual tool(I actually had to help the guy last time). Does any places in Phuket, Pattaya or Bangkok have these machines?

Thanks

The fuel lock can be replaced for another unit but what will fit is anyone's guess really. your best bet is to buy another one from Kawasaki and spray some good quality grease, Teflon or at least some oil down the key hole every 2 weeks or so.

I never had a problem with my zx6r i had back home in the UK and that was left outside in the rain and snow with no lube at all down it's key hole.

Your Two Brothers exhaust, is a carbon one? If so the rivets aren't your problem it's actual material the exhaust is made of (carbon fiber) the holes drilled to make way for the pop rivets will in time wear and get larger, making the rivets 'fall out', there's not to much you can do other than buy the titanium or alloy version of the same exhaust, these parallel twins create larger exhaust pulses that can rip carbon exhausts apart...

P.S. This is a thread about the about to be released 2012 Ninja 650

My exhaust pipe is the cheapest one, I guess that is aluminum..

[BigBikeBKK]

The fuel tank lock on my 650R was impossible to open after the bike had been parked outdoors for 3 weeks due to corrugation. Does anyone here know if it is possible to replace the lock with another type made of different material?

Also, the rivets on my two brother exhaust pipe are falling out again, for the 3. time. I have pretty big rivets on now and I think I need bigger, hence a place with a rivets machine would be preferable since the last place I barely was able to put the rivets on with a manual tool(I actually had to help the guy last time). Does any places in Phuket, Pattaya or Bangkok have these machines?

Thanks

The fuel lock can be replaced for another unit but what will fit is anyone's guess really. your best bet is to buy another one from Kawasaki and spray some good quality grease, Teflon or at least some oil down the key hole every 2 weeks or so.

I never had a problem with my zx6r i had back home in the UK and that was left outside in the rain and snow with no lube at all down it's key hole.

Your Two Brothers exhaust, is a carbon one? If so the rivets aren't your problem it's actual material the exhaust is made of (carbon fiber) the holes drilled to make way for the pop rivets will in time wear and get larger, making the rivets 'fall out', there's not to much you can do other than buy the titanium or alloy version of the same exhaust, these parallel twins create larger exhaust pulses that can rip carbon exhausts apart...

P.S. This is a thread about the about to be released 2012 Ninja 650

My exhaust pipe is the cheapest one, I guess that is aluminum..

I enjoyed 18 thousand trouble free km on my old ER6n with Aluminum TWO BROS and am running another Aluminum TWO BROS on my ER6n track bike. Never had any problems... TWO BROS quality has been discussed on many forums- the general consensus seems to be that most problems arise due to shoddy installation...

Ride On!

Tony

[katabeachbum]

I v got a 2 Bros on my 2010 in polished aluminum, and its about 15k km on it. No hassles. They are very light, and thus the can itself vibrates singing the hooligan loud 2Bros tune. My 2011 with Akropovic is more deep rumble, still loud without dB killer, can more heavy and much more solid. Same goes for Leo Vince. Still a huge 2 Bros fan

But as this is dollars second 2 Bros falling apart, I guess its time for larger rivets asap.

one of my previous owned 2010 Ninja650 had similar fuelcap key hole issue, In Hua Hin out of fuel and no kwaker dealer around, but by lubing it and knocking a screwdriver into it, key fit again Not happend on any of my other 3 Ninja650, so must have been a bad production run fuel caps

as for 2012, Guess most have to ride in silence for a while, or do some exhaust welding

[dollarman]

Well, there is only 1 way to install the exhaust pipe, so I don't know what you mean by shoddy installation.

[BigBikeBKK]

Well, there is only 1 way to install the exhaust pipe, so I don't know what you mean by shoddy installation.

You mean there's only one RIGHT way to install the pipe. And plenty of ways to install it wrong...

[karlos]

Just a little update, i will have pictures of the 2012 ninja 650 on my drive way next week, i can't say what day it will be on my driveway, nor can i say what day i'll collect it, if i do my contact might get a kick up the ass as his manager trolls these forums. Although i don't understand why it's all so super secret?

Looks like the Christmas trip to Rayong or Krabi is on I'll just have to get her run in and the oil changed before i head off, which shouldn't be too much of a problem, one weekday afternoon should see that done!

Edited December 12, 2011 by karlos

[karlos]

I found this pic over on a Thai forum, not sure what to make of it but it's a fair effort

I'd like to know how well the belly pan holds up with the exhaust in such a position

I'd also like to see how those clip-ons are fitted

Edited December 17, 2011 by karlos

[karlos]

Yep it's another post from me lol

But i guess over time as more people buy the 2012 Ninja 650 this thread will continue to grow, so for those that have one or are thinking about buying one here's a nice little review about the bike

http://www.cycleworld.com/2011/12/20/2012-kawasaki-ninja-650-first-ride/

[karlos]

I'm not to sure if this was the norm for the previous generation but don't trust the bike's range meter, mine jumped from 77km (having just fell down to the last notch) when after just 3km of ridding, and passing a gas station the fuel gauge registered zero and started flashing at me, i knew i had a few more liters in the tank so i continued to the next gas station and the bike took 12L to fill up.

**Any one with a Ninja or ER6 beware, as soon as you hit the last notch / section on your fuel gauge you only have 3L of petrol / gas left!!!**

Sorry this is a double post (posted in the ER forum too) But the post applies to both models and new owners should be aware of this

[karlos]

I just had my oil changed tonight (992km), afterwards i took her out for a spin around the airport's ring road, The bike managed to hit 208kmh but that took a fair bit of effort to be honest, i think the bike will respond well to a slip-on, most Ninjas with a slip-on and a long enough road seem to beable to crack the 220kmh mark, something to be done only once really as the bike spends such a long time near it's redline to get to this magical mark that the novelty wears off quickly.

On a non-boyracer note, the bike seems happy cruising between 140 - 160kmh, not the safest speeds to be 'cruising' at (in Thailand) but it's capable of doing so under the right conditions and roads

Even cruising at 160kmh the bike is still eager and pulls effortlessly to around the 180-185 mark, it's the last 15kmh, or in my case tonight, the last 23kmh that takes a long time.

The first 1000km have been a happy affair and although i haven't been on any long trips during this run-in period i can report that the bike has very little flaws other than a light buzz through the handle bars and the fuel tank which has left my man vegetables with pins and needles several times now, maybe i just need to shift back on the seat a little more

The only other issue i've noticed so far was the calculated fuel range, DON'T trust it, just beware that you only have 3L of fuel when the fuel gauge ticks down to it's final bar, although at this point the reading will state 80 - 90km, within 5km the reserve will start flashing at you, so does that mean that the last bar is the reserve or would there be more fuel in reserve if i was to ride past the estimated 80-90km range..... I'll leave that to you to find out

Ok, so i just mentioned a couple of negative points about the bike, but that's really it, just a couple so far

I will be taking the bike down to Jomtien and Rayong this New Year weekend, so it'll give me a chance to really judge the bikes abilities and it's pillion friendliness.

Happy New Year to all, Karl

[NormanW]

Dunlop Roadsmarts for sale if anyone would like to make me an offer.

17 kms is all they have turned

May 2012 be your best yet.

Keep those good times rolling.

NormanW

[karlos]

This evening i decide to take the re mudguard off, i've been wanting to do it for a long time but it's always been to late to do something about it by the time i returned home.

I have utilized the stock indicators as i still can't find any aftermarket items that i like the look of here in Thailand, so at some point later i'll have some smaller units or if possible i'll try to incorporate an indicator system into the rear cluster, i'm thinking about changing 3 LED's both side of the rear brake cluster to flash orange. I'll post more as soon as i order a spare light cluster to rip apart

[Kwasaki]

Yep it's another post from me lol

But i guess over time as more people buy the 2012 Ninja 650 this thread will continue to grow, so for those that have one or are thinking about buying one here's a nice little review about the bike

http://www.cycleworl...650-first-ride/

Yeah !! for sure a great little bike and something I want to get next year about August time but secondhand 2010 will be what I'm looking for ABS is not important to me so anyone wanting to sell bear me in mind thanks. K.

Edited December 30, 2011 by Kwasaki

[BigBikeBKK]

Yep it's another post from me lol

But i guess over time as more people buy the 2012 Ninja 650 this thread will continue to grow, so for those that have one or are thinking about buying one here's a nice little review about the bike

http://www.cycleworl...650-first-ride/

Yeah !! for sure a great little bike and something I want to get next year about August time but secondhand 2010 will be what I'm looking for ABS is not important to me so anyone wanting to sell bear me in mind thanks. K.

Only model sold in Thailand without ABS was the 2009. You can sometimes find them pretty cheap these days.

[skybluestu]

Ninja650 as a racebike http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?lnk=rss&article=46878

[Kwasaki]

Yeah !! for sure a great little bike and something I want to get next year about August time but secondhand 2010 will be what I'm looking for, ABS is not important to me so anyone wanting to sell bear me in mind thanks. K.

Only model sold in Thailand without ABS was the 2009. You can sometimes find them pretty cheap these days.

Ok thanks !! thought there was always a choice of either, still 2009 still looks good. Edited December 31, 2011 by Kwasaki

[NormanW]

Ninja650 as a racebike http://www.roadracin...s&article=46878

Lovely!

Leo Vince and Ohlins - oh yes!!!