Kawasaki Z650RS unveiled, India launch in 6 months

The Kawasaki Z650RS neo retro motorcycle, which was unveiled yesterday, will be launched in India within the next six months.

• 68hp, 64Nm parallel-twin from Z650

• Delicious retro look

• Expected price: Rs 7 lakh (ex-showroom)

The latest to jump on the already well-populated neo-retro bandwagon is the 2022 Kawasaki Z650RS, largely based on the Z650 middleweight naked that’s already on sale in India. And we can tell you that the RS will also be launched here within the next six months. If pricing in India mimics the international pricing, the Z650RS could sit around the Rs 7 lakh mark (ex-showroom) when it arrives. However, that would put it dangerously close to the much more powerful Triumph Trident 660 (Rs 6.95 lakh, ex-showroom), and Kawasaki would do well to price the RS a little more competitively. 

Kawasaki Z650RS: mechanicals

It shares its 649cc parallel-twin engine with the standard Z650, and though Kawasaki claims it has tuned the engine for better low- and mid-range response, output figures remain absolutely identical- 68hp at 8,000rpm and 64Nm at 6,700rpm. Much of the chassis is also identical, with a trellis frame suspended on a 41mm telescopic fork and preload-adjustable monoshock, with twin 300mm discs up front and a single 220mm disc at the rear.

Kawasaki Z650RS: design

The major changes lie in the design department, where Kawasaki’s industrial artisans have done a rather good job. This bike borrows design cues from its bigger sibling, the Z900RS, and sports a fairly similar look, complete with a smart-looking round LED headlight crowned by twin-pod instrumentation. The engine doesn’t get faux cooling fins like on the Z900RS, and is instead washed in matte black to make it as inconspicuous as possible. Your attention is drawn towards the new multi-spoke wheels which are quite gorgeous, especially when finished in golden on the ‘Candy Emerald Green’ colour option.

The pinstriped square-ish fuel tank looks bold and flows neatly into the side panels, and the tail of the bike is quite clean and tidy, save for the ugly number plate hanger finished in black plastic, which sticks out like a sore modern thumb on this otherwise delectable retro design.