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2012 Kawasaki Ninja 650 First Ride Photo Gallery

Every piece of the bodywork is new along with the headlights and taillight.

Check out photos of the 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 650 during our First Ride in Southern California. Read the full report: 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 650 First Ride.

Our initial ride was almost 130 miles of amazing roads southeast of San Diego, CA.

The new Dunlop Roadsmart II tires are a great match for the Ninja and we felt instantly comfortable on them. Both ends provide a nice level of feedback and solid grip.

The single lay-down rear shock is also a bit longer (2mm) with lower spring rate and updated settings. It can be adjusted for preload.

The 41mm conventional front fork gets an extra 5mm of stroke, revised damping settings and a softer spring rate. It is not adjustable.

Kawasaki swapped the single-piece seat for a two-piece which is wider as well as thicker. It provides a very comfortable platform and modernizes the look considerably.

Aside from the skinnier chassis, Kawasaki also bolted on 20mm-wider handlebars which provide more leverage over the 55.5-inch wheelbase.

Kawasaki revamped the Ninja 650 in order to make it a better sportbike for the street with increased looks and comfort.

The biggest change is an all-new double-pipe perimeter frame instead of the single-pipe.

The Ninja 650 is available in Candy Lime Green, Passion Red or Metallic Spark Black.

One item we’d address is the ECO indicator. Basically it just flashes when the throttle is less than 1/8th open, which is no surprise. That space on the dash would be perfect for a gear indicator or engine temperature gauge.

The Ninja also has 60mm of adjustability from the three-position windscreen.

The brakes could be improved with more initial bite at the front. There’s plenty of power available from the dual 300mm front discs and twin-piston calipers, but it takes a heavy squeeze at the lever to find it.

Kawasaki likes to stress that it isn’t just a beginner engine, though it’s certainly friendly enough with its power delivery to welcome new riders.

Stability is a high point for the Ninja with the 650 holding its mid-corner line on uneven pavement.

The unobtrusive 4.2-gallon fuel tank (previously 4.1 gallons) allows plenty of room to tuck completely underneath the wind.

We found the Ninja to have plenty of usable muscle with easy take-offs, a solid midrange and slight surge on the top end.

The 83 x 60mm bore/stroke engine has a reshaped piston to boost the compression ratio to 10.8:1. This helps generate more torque below 7000 rpm by a claimed five percent.

At around 7500 rpm, the Parallel Twin spools up and runs hard until the redline.

The engine uses a 180-degree crankshaft-drive counter balancer, but Kawasaki also rubber-mounted the seat and handlebars, and double-rubber-mounted the footpegs, which takes out the sting.

The red model gets a color-matched rear shock spring.

The Ninja uses a six-speed gearbox with a chain-driven rear wheel. Moving through the transmission is simple and clean.