The 2023 Kawasaki Z650 is a GREAT motorcycle! - Complete In-Depth Review 

That's a great question about the performance not he highway. I want to be clear to anyone who's reading this and who, maybe, hasn't ridden these bikes. This is a GREAT engine for street use, and I think it's PLENTY powerful to be enjoyable. What I will say is that I think this bike accelerates very well in that 0-100 km/h area. That's actually not an area that I care as much about personally as the 80 to 120 km/h range. Beyond 120 km/h this engine does slow its rate of acceleration. I ended up moving from the Versys 650 to the Z900RS, and the reason I'm looking forward to the Z900RS is that it just NEVER runs out of power for street use. It has STRONG acceleration at any practical, on-the-road riding. So yeah, on the highway, beyond 120km/h it isn't unbelievably strong... but I can tell you that people say this bike goes to 200 or so, and I've (allegedly 😉) had my Versys up to the mid to upper 100's so it's not like it can't get there. (if law enforcement asks, that last part was completely made up to impress my friends!!) Thanks for following me here from the other channel!

I love these bikes... much more than I expected to! You may or may not know that ended up buying the Z900RS. A bike that shares a lot of components with this Z900. Thanks for watching!

Awesome!! You're going to love it!!

Haha! Yeah, the last one wasn't my typical review, so I ended up with an extra today.

Awesome! You're going to love it!

Yeah, these look great in person. I have the Z900RS SE, and I love that bike, but I agree, no one NEEDS more power, these are great! Both are fun!

I don't know that one is better than the other. It will depend on your preferences. Here's a video that I did that compares both of those bikes side by side. Maybe this will help? If not, feel free to continue to ask questions! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-gNdC4icBOb8.html

Not here in Canada. They all have ABS and Traction Control for 2023

Thanks for sharing!

It's 180 on the parallel twin 650's in the Kawasaki line-up right now.

I'd love to do that comparison! Maybe in the future!

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

Yeah, these are great bikes, with good power that are still easy to manage! I'm a fan!

@@PeterLoweOne Yes I had the first Er- 6n, just same as this. Was my first bike and so easy to ride, give me happiness

Which one do you like? It's very difficult for me to decide for other people. I try to point out as much as I can about each bike in these videos, in order to equip people to make the best decision for themselves. One piece of advice that I will give to you is to NEVER buy a bike because someone else tells you it's the better bike. Also, don't purely buy based on a spec sheet. Motorcycles are about a passion, buy the one that you love, and you'll be happiest with that. Both the bikes you mention will bring a big smile to your face, and that's what it's all about.

I think you're measuring bikes from a spec sheet. Specifications don't tell the whole story with motorcycles. These aren't laptop computers. If you like those other two bikes, I get it. But I guarantee that you wouldn't be able to tell the difference from the saddle between these forks and upside down forks on another bike. Until you begin using very high end components, some of those arguments are purely about style rather than substance.

@@PeterLoweOne Dont get me wrong its not just specs. Its about what I want in a bike. I love mt 07 even its the cheapest and not really hi-tech. And I was thinking about getting the Z650 becuz Im moving to South Asia. If I could I would choose KTM 790 or 890, but they are not available as the big Yamaha's MTs. I rode the preview version of Z650 in 2021, it wasnt full led yet but as a MT lover I missed the engine sound and I know MT is more agreessive, more fun. Z is kind of begginer friendly, its more secure. I dont know the new hornet yet, but it has the 270 degrees twin cylinders, so I guess I will like the sound. And Honda makes secure bikes. They are also investing in good technology on the bikes, so, I guess it will be a sharp bike, but lets see. The upside down fork is more for the looks indeed, but Z900 has it, they are just saving bucks.

I didn't find the mirrors too bad, but yes 240 does put you at the upper end of what this bike can handle. You could consider a suspension upgrade, or the Versys 650 comes with fully adjustable suspension to adapt to extra weight. I was able to take passengers with me on that bike when I owned it, and could quickly adjust the suspension to handle it.

@@PeterLoweOne thinking about going with the zx6r... in your experience can it handle my weight and what about 2 up?

Lose about 50 lbs! It's good for you and the bike! Just teasin you! Peace!

I assume it's about value. I'd argue that the average buyer of this bike wouldn't be able to tell the difference if you drove back to back identical bikes with only the front forks being the different style. They do give you upside down forks on the Z900RS. I would say that the Z650RS is more about being a very versatile bike, while the Z900RS is more performance focused.

I film in Canada with Canadian models.

@@PeterLoweOne awe no fair. Most definitely would’ve gotten that color if it was offered in the us

@@newbesocool99 Another great reason to move to Canada! 🙂🇨🇦

I hear you, but if you were able to ride this blindfolded and a competitor with upside-down forks, would you be able to tell? Probably not. Kawasaki is hitting a price point here, and I don't think the rider suffers in ride quality for the types of riding they'll do on these bikes. Having said that, you can get this engine in the Versys 650 and it does have USD forks that are adjustable if that's what you want.

@@PeterLoweOne Well, i don't compromise riding quality. But the z800 and z900 have a big bike look due to the usd fork, which is missing here. Maybe a big bike feel would have been available if the usd fork was also given.Can't agree with the exclusion of some things especially in the name of Japanese bikes cost cutting, because this bike is not that cheap among the 650 segment bikes.

You're wrong, I've owned a bike with this engine and it's great for street use.

@@PeterLoweOne most reviews online say that this engine is super boring. and that the whole bike is meh

@@deaczorz You aren't going to notice the 5lbft of tq difference between a 180 crank and a 270 crank lol. Most people just like the sound of p-twins with the 270 crank... so if you just want the sound then it makes sense. If you swap the stock exhaust for an aftermarket one, this bike can have character to put a smile on your face; most online reviewers are using bone stock bikes (and some people obviously have biases). Go test ride bikes yourself if you want to form your own opinion on it

@@UltraHossBoss thing is most ppl are bias towards the 270 crank engines. must be for a reason. never tried one myself . boxers and 4 cyl engines in my bikes

@@deaczorz The reason mostly being the sound, not performance lol. It has v-twin like character, which I can 100% say is music to the ears. I still miss my SV650S sometimes just for the sound of it, but mine also had an aftermarket exhaust. I've heard plenty of parallel twins that sound good with aftermarket pipes on them

Call Jim Gilbert's Wheels and Deals in Fredericton! We'll deliver! If you'd rather email, I let Zak Chandler know about your comment. Here's his email address. Zak.chandler@wheelsanddeals.ca