Coming soon, the retro looking Z650RS is likely to borrow its powertrain from the fully-faired Ninja 650
Recently, Kawasaki launched the teaser video of an unknown motorcycle but going by the glimpse, we expect the motorcycle to be a 650cc variant of the famous retro-looking Kawasaki Z950RS. In the video, the motorcycle was not showcased. However, the riders were shown wearing café-racer styled helmets. Also, a retro-looking motorcycle was displayed but in a hazy manner in the background. Not to overlook, apart from the video; a leaked document was also found on the web according to which, the company is working on a new 650cc motorcycle.
Therefore, by clubbing all the hints available at the moment; our bet is on a new 650cc motorcycle which is likely to be a downtrodden version of the already accessible Z950RS. Since nothing else is known about the upcoming motorcycle at the moment, let us take you through the engine configuration of the Z900RS.
The Kawasaki Z900RS is powered by a 948cc, liquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder engine which is tuned to produce a peak power of 111hp at 8,500rpm and a torque figure of 98Nm mated to a six-speed transmission. In India, the Z900RS is brought from Japan via the completely built unit route and therefore, it retails at a hefty price-tag of INR 15.7 lakh. However, the story is unlikely to get repeated with the younger Z650RS
Moving on to the Ninja 650 which is likely to power the upcoming the Z650RS, the Ninja is powered by a 649cc, parallel-twin engine which generates a maximum power figure of 68hp and a peak torque of 64Nm. Therefore, we expect the Z650RS to produce the same power figures. After all, the Z650 and the Vulcan does not offer a power figure which is very far from the Ninja 650.
In the hardware department, the upcoming neo-retro motorcycle is likely to derive TFT screen, disc brakes, wheels and suspension setups from the Ninja 650. However, the tuning could be different on the Z650RS because of the differences in ergonomics and power figures.
The upcoming motorcycle is likely to carry a diminished price-tag compared to the Ninja 650’s INR 6.61 lakh because a huge amount of money will be saved because of the lack of the fairing kit. Last but not least, we expect the motorcycle to sit between the Ninja 650 and the Kawasaki Z650.
