I am a happy owner of the Z650RS for over a year now. Living in a city I think I made the right choice of getting a smaller bike for everyday commuting. Yesterday I took Z900RS on test ride the whole day and I started on country roads and a little bit of highway. There the 900RS feels much better than it's smaller brother. But the moment I got into the city (Warsaw- 2 mln people with quite heavy traffic) all the advantages of the 900RS went down the drain. It started to heat up like mad as the engine is running lean. Filtering was not so pleasant and easy as it was on the 650RS. Snotchy throttle was annoying and the overall mass and balance of the 900RS was on the downside in town. It feels much better on the open roads where you can use it's potential. I guess it would be nice to have both. But if you are thinking about getting one of them for the simple city commuting purpose I honestly think getting a bigger bike would be unwise. It will tire you much more than the small brother. On the other side if you want to travel a bit out of town, the longer wheelbase, bigger mass and 4 cylinder smoother engine will be a better choice.
I got the 650. It is perfect for this 5'8" body. Sure, bigger is always thought of as better. I think to myself, how fast do I need to get to the speed limit?
I have a 2012 kawasaki er-6n and have been thinking about converting it to a neo-classic for a long time. The fact that Kawasaki released a neo-classic based on the z650 (descendant of the er-6n) I think is a great idea! Also the reduced weight is a very big advantage! But what I would definitely change is the front suspension. It's too primitive. It's almost non-existent. I would also add reinforced brake hoses (I did on mine) and a metal guard on the exhaust pipes. It would be the perfect first bike for everyday riding. And its narrow dimensions and low-end traction would make it a great bike for the city!
I could buy any bike i wanted but being frugal as i usually am couldnt justify more than a used z650 i got for under 4000dls. Its a dream to Ride and power wise similar to my old sv650 but more torq at lower revs and better reprises at 6th gear. Its really compact, light and fast enough even for experienced riders like me that don't go over 100mph and prefer good acceleration and reprises. Sure at iddle don't sound as good as and in line 4 but its a blast to push the engine limits and its so light that you feel is a 250. More is not always better unless you are racing or a speed freak. There are a lot more aspects on a bike you should looks for and not only hp numbers
Yeah, 4 is better than 2. Have a '22 blue 900. This thing is a blast. 900 made in Japan, 650 made in Thailand. 111hp vs 68hp. More $, but worth it! Just talked to a guy at Burger King that rode up on a new 650 RS. He said it was ok, but vibrated a lot and he wished he'd bought the big one. Smooooth.....
I am a happy owner of the Z650RS for over a year now. Living in a city I think I made the right choice of getting a smaller bike for everyday commuting. Yesterday I took Z900RS on test ride the whole day and I started on country roads and a little bit of highway. There the 900RS feels much better than it's smaller brother. But the moment I got into the city (Warsaw- 2 mln people with quite heavy traffic) all the advantages of the 900RS went down the drain. It started to heat up like mad as the engine is running lean. Filtering was not so pleasant and easy as it was on the 650RS. Snotchy throttle was annoying and the overall mass and balance of the 900RS was on the downside in town. It feels much better on the open roads where you can use it's potential. I guess it would be nice to have both. But if you are thinking about getting one of them for the simple city commuting purpose I honestly think getting a bigger bike would be unwise. It will tire you much more than the small brother. On the other side if you want to travel a bit out of town, the longer wheelbase, bigger mass and 4 cylinder smoother engine will be a better choice.
That's a cool review! I would add that if the z650rs had a front fork like the z900rs, it would be the perfect bike for the city!
I got the 650. It is perfect for this 5'8" body. Sure, bigger is always thought of as better. I think to myself, how fast do I need to get to the speed limit?
I have a 2012 kawasaki er-6n and have been thinking about converting it to a neo-classic for a long time. The fact that Kawasaki released a neo-classic based on the z650 (descendant of the er-6n) I think is a great idea! Also the reduced weight is a very big advantage! But what I would definitely change is the front suspension. It's too primitive. It's almost non-existent. I would also add reinforced brake hoses (I did on mine) and a metal guard on the exhaust pipes. It would be the perfect first bike for everyday riding. And its narrow dimensions and low-end traction would make it a great bike for the city!
I could buy any bike i wanted but being frugal as i usually am couldnt justify more than a used z650 i got for under 4000dls. Its a dream to Ride and power wise similar to my old sv650 but more torq at lower revs and better reprises at 6th gear. Its really compact, light and fast enough even for experienced riders like me that don't go over 100mph and prefer good acceleration and reprises. Sure at iddle don't sound as good as and in line 4 but its a blast to push the engine limits and its so light that you feel is a 250. More is not always better unless you are racing or a speed freak. There are a lot more aspects on a bike you should looks for and not only hp numbers
Z650rs good for beginners or as an everyday commuter, but the z900rs is a dream bike!
Yeah, 4 is better than 2. Have a '22 blue 900. This thing is a blast. 900 made in Japan, 650 made in Thailand. 111hp vs 68hp. More $, but worth it! Just talked to a guy at Burger King that rode up on a new 650 RS. He said it was ok, but vibrated a lot and he wished he'd bought the big one. Smooooth.....
@@Gtrywo55k NO it isn't. Thai my friend.
900 too big, to hot for asia