Kawasaki Ninja 650R - Middleweight Bike, Heavyweight Fun

These days you can buy a bike for just about any purpose: off roading, racing, street racing, off roading AND street racing, touring, commuting, and anything else you can think of. Unlike years past, where manufacturers had relatively limited lineups, anyone can buy any bike to do anything they'd like. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why we have the glorious Kawasaki Ninja 650R as an option for motorcycle enthusiasts today.

It carries a potent 650cc engine that produces roughly 75 horsepower and 45ft-lbs of torque. Yes, that's roughly 50 horsepower less than today's 600cc super-sport bikes (such as the Kawasaki Ninja ZX6R or Yamaha R6), but that's exactly how Kawasaki, and the riders who adore this kind of motorcycle, want. Unlike the super-sports, the Kawasaki Ninja 650R's 650cc power plant is a v-twin (like the Suzuki SV650R), and v-twins love one thing above all else: torque.

You will not need to rev the Kawasaki Ninja 650R to 14,000 rpm to make power, nor will you find a twitchy and barely controllable power curve either. What you will find is a powerful and fast machine that loves to put down all of its power before 9,000 rpm, adores corners, and will take nearly every situation you throw at it will grace and civility. That is, until you mash the throttle, lean hard into corners, and ride this bike as hard as each cc will allow.

And, after that, you'll be left with a feeling of euphoria. It's the sensation that fans of the middleweight motorcycle are all too familiar with and it's something that every motorcycle rider, be they a cruiser fan or a crotch rocket fan, lusts after. Pure, utter euphoria- made possible by a wonderfully balanced motorcycle that caters to its riders tastes perfectly. Its suspension is stiff during hard riding, yet amazing compliant during cruising, and the engine can be a dormant house cat or a hell-bent tiger out for blood. How you ride it, and how you command it to be, is how the bike will please you.

Middleweight riders adore bikes like the Kawasaki Ninja 650R simply because it is so balanced: not too much engine, just enough suspension, and surprising economy to even it up. Quarter mile times in the mid-high 11 second range are the norm, and sub-four second 0-60 times are common. There aren't many sports cars that can match those times, and you can bet that the sports cars that can sure can't do it while averaging 45mpg and costing less than $9,000 brand new.

Yet the Ninja 650R, with it's sexy bodywork and comfortable riding position, can do all of those things. The riders of this bike, the lucky few who truly cherish it for what it is, know a joy that some people will spend their whole lives trying to attain.