[mrphotoman]

I personal think they are ugly, sound crappy, and slow. With the Kat I get all the things I want in one. I rode with a guy for a while. He look goofy IMHO. But to each is his own. But look at me I have to stand up to go over speed bumps some say thats dumb. I thinks it GREAT.

they are faster than a katana 600 so what does that make your bike lol?

they are nice looking, lighter and faster than a kat and MUCH more comfortable.

[Rok_Stars_Bars]

they are faster than a katana 600 so what does that make your bike lol?

they are nice looking, lighter and faster than a kat and MUCH more comfortable.

Trust me, I dog the guy I rode with on his 650r. 12.4 sec in the 1/4 quarter mile according to Cycle World thats is slower then my kat by far which I have modded my kat a good bit I could run right with my friends GSXR 600 in a roll but in the low and mid he would get 1 or 2 lengths but once Im in the powerband im game. The problem people are confusing them they there fairingless sister which seem to be in the high 11's.

***Being lighter they still weigh dry 420lbs. It only 38lbs lighter then the Kat. So riders weight depending on which bike is overall lighter.

*** Looks is all in the eye of the beholder

*** Comfort, I could see that with the dirt bike riding position.

*** The Fuel Capacity is smaller on the Ninja by almost a Gallon. Thats 50 miles on my Katana

Cycle World "Six And The City" Budget bike comparo 08/'06

KAWASAKI NINJA 650R(has fairing)

$6299('07 is $6399)
Dry weight.....420lbs..............+Mountainous midrange
Wheelbase.....55.5"................+Sporty styling
Seat height....31.4"................+Priced right
Fuel mileage...44.8mpg..........+Jay Leno's pick out of the six
0-60mph........3.8sec.
1/4 mile.........12.44 sec.........-Cramped cockpit
Horsepower....63.7bhp...........-Front brakes could benefit from more bite
@8700rpm............................-Where's the naked version?
Torque...........44.5 ft.lbs @7200rpm

[mrphotoman]

Trust me, I dog the guy I rode with on his 650r. 12.4 sec in the 1/4 quarter mile according to Cycle World thats is slower then my kat by far which I have modded my kat a good bit I could run right with my friends GSXR 600 in a roll but in the low and mid he would get 1 or 2 lengths but once Im in the powerband im game. The problem people are confusing them they there fairingless sister which seem to be in the high 11's.

***Being lighter they still weigh dry 420lbs. It only 38lbs lighter then the Kat. So riders weight depending on which bike is overall lighter.

*** Looks is all in the eye of the beholder

*** Comfort, I could see that with the dirt bike riding position.

*** The Fuel Capacity is smaller on the Ninja by almost a Gallon. Thats 50 miles on my Katana

Cycle World "Six And The City" Budget bike comparo 08/'06

KAWASAKI NINJA 650R(has fairing)

$6299('07 is $6399)
Dry weight.....420lbs..............+Mountainous midrange
Wheelbase.....55.5"................+Sporty styling
Seat height....31.4"................+Priced right
Fuel mileage...44.8mpg..........+Jay Leno's pick out of the six
0-60mph........3.8sec.
1/4 mile.........12.44 sec.........-Cramped cockpit
Horsepower....63.7bhp...........-Front brakes could benefit from more bite
@8700rpm............................-Where's the naked version?
Torque...........44.5 ft.lbs @7200rpm

a few guys on here say the kawi is faster than their kats. i know my kat is pretty slow (doesn't the pre-98 have more power) even with the timing advance, full exhaust/header.

the 650 is way more comfy too.

[loudnlow7484]

The 650 and the kat I believe should run about dead even, stock vs stock. I just don't like Kawi in general (there are a few exceptions to this), so any further comments from me would be biased. By the numbers, though, they are pretty much even.

[Rothman]

My buddy had 2007 650. After riding my Kat (pre 600), he said that my bike not only felt a lot faster but was also much smoother on acceleration. I didn't get a chance to ride it but it seems like a nice bike. I personally wouldn't buy one for the fact that there are so many of the damned things around here. Kinda like Cavaliers and Sunfires, can't go a 5 miles without seeing at least 3 of the things.

[Kat66]

My girlfried has a '06 650R. I think it's an awesome ride and like others have said very light compared to my '98 Kat. To me it doesn't take wind very well, but I think I'm so used to the Kat that it just felt loose in the wind. We travel quite a bit on our bikes and she can do 500 miles or more with no problems. She's very please with it and recommends to anyone who asks.

[Rok_Stars_Bars]

The 650 and the kat I believe should run about dead even, stock vs stock. I just don't like Kawi in general (there are a few exceptions to this), so any further comments from me would be biased. By the numbers, though, they are pretty much even.

I agree, With the numbers they should run the same. Maybe different gearing???? Becuz everytime I ran with my buddy on his 650R I feather the throttle so I could stay behind him. I didn't even bend over ( Plus, I didn't trust him playing around like this) But then again. Its like you said the riders makes the different. So Im done with this which is better. It all Bull****. When theres no hard data to prove it. The sh** stops at the track.

[Signorelli]

Wooh! Something I can actually talk about!
Alright, as aforementioned, I am a 650 rider, but I am not bias towards (most) bikes, so I will give my honest input:

I have ridden my 650 for a few months now, and I have ridden my friend's 96 Kat 600, and I must say the bikes are relatively close in most aspects. The 650 is a little bit faster than the Kat, but not by much.
The riding position on both are amazingly comfortable, though the Kat's seat has a little more cushion in it.
Sound: I prefer the high whine of the Kat over my 650's deeper guttural noise, but it is merely noise. The Kat SOUNDS faster.
Handling: The 650 has to take the win here, it is thinner, lighter, and has more room to tuck in for tighter turns.
Interstate: Not sure about the Kat on the interstate, but the 650 handles great up there, very little wind and cross-breeze are felt on the 650. The only thing that's scary is the front-end wobble when behind a semi.
Brakes: Maybe it's just because it's an older model Kat, but the brakes on it kind of suck, the 650's brakes definitely stop you when you need it. Though both bikes are touchy on the rear brake, just a little too hard, and you will lock the brake and fish-tail some.

If you have any questions at all about the Kawi Ninja 650, by all means ask.

Signorelli

[Rok_Stars_Bars]

Wooh! Something I can actually talk about!
Alright, as aforementioned, I am a 650 rider, but I am not bias towards (most) bikes, so I will give my honest input:

I have ridden my 650 for a few months now, and I have ridden my friend's 96 Kat 600, and I must say the bikes are relatively close in most aspects. The 650 is a little bit faster than the Kat, but not by much.
The riding position on both are amazingly comfortable, though the Kat's seat has a little more cushion in it.
Sound: I prefer the high whine of the Kat over my 650's deeper guttural noise, but it is merely noise. The Kat SOUNDS faster.
Handling: The 650 has to take the win here, it is thinner, lighter, and has more room to tuck in for tighter turns.
Interstate: Not sure about the Kat on the interstate, but the 650 handles great up there, very little wind and cross-breeze are felt on the 650. The only thing that's scary is the front-end wobble when behind a semi.
Brakes: Maybe it's just because it's an older model Kat, but the brakes on it kind of suck, the 650's brakes definitely stop you when you need it. Though both bikes are touchy on the rear brake, just a little too hard, and you will lock the brake and fish-tail some.

If you have any questions at all about the Kawi Ninja 650, by all means ask.

Signorelli

UMMM, Well, Im really trying not to come out cocky here. But I alrdy posted stats and whateva on this like a year ago. And maybe you 96 kat was wear out. And... never mind.... Im not going there. There both Sport-touring bike. Just ride

[cameron]

i bet the 650 will dust the kat 600 anyday of the week. and it should be pretty nimble,nimble enough to leave the kat in curves.

[Rok_Stars_Bars]

i bet the 650 will dust the kat 600 anyday of the week. and it should be pretty nimble,nimble enough to leave the kat in curves.

Prove it....

[Daemontrym]

Damn Rock have a big enough of a chip on your shoulder?

I think for the price the bike is nice for an all rounder or a good first bike. When I sat on one out of curiosity I felt that the bike was comfortable and pretty well thought out on the ergo side. The seat would need a corbin replacement for long rides though. I also think that the bike feels much more balanced then the kat though. My first bike was an 04 Kat 750 and to me it was front heavy.

I recently bought a 95 Honda VFR 750 and fell in love with the V4. After riding the V4 and my dad's vstar 650 I don't think I could go back to an inline 4. These motors are so smooth and the V4 has such a better powerband then an inline 4 just not as great of a top end.

[Signorelli]

I can flat out tell you that the 650 won't "smoke" the Kat 600, but it should win, depending on the riders of course.
As for agility, the 650 is only slightly better in the turns and such than the Kat, I have to give the Kat credit, it's amazingly nimble for how bulky it is. The 650 is much sleaker and lighter, as well as easier to tuck into as aforementioned, which gives an innate advantage to the 650. (Smaller area)
But seriously, the bikes are pretty close, and both bikes are amazing bikes to ride.

[dweezel93]

Handling: The 650 has to take the win here, it is thinner, lighter, and has more room to tuck in for tighter turns.

???

[Signorelli]

The Kat (at least the pre-98 models) have no room to tuck under the windscreen or the ability to fully get down on the tank (and be able to see) to make very tight turns.