Comparison with 2012+ Ninja 650?

[fzob1]

Has anyone here owned or rode a newer standard Ninja 650? I came across the bike and the added wind protection and ABS look good. Any thoughts?
 

[yamahazaki]

I had a buddy who rode a 2013. Well, I couldn't ride it side by side (he now rides a Suzuki gxr6 or whatever its called) but it has some decent torque in the low and midrange. I still feel it didn't have the same grunt as a fz07 but I could be wrong since its been a few years and the difference in time between both models was maybe a year. So yeah, take that with a grain of salt. But I'm fairly certain the 650 is more comfortable in general to ride.
 
I will add though is Kawasaki parts are **** expensive. One piece of small fairing with shipping will run you close to 300 dollars compared to the fz which will be around 80 for a comparable size. My buddy had his right side fairing scraped up for as long as he owned it. But if you are an experienced rider not intending to drop their bike then maybe that isn't a big deal.

[xeon]

The most common complaint I heard about the latest generation Ninja 650 is the ergonomics, mainly how tucked the foot pegs are for taller riders. The FZ07 doesn't have that problem at all.

[yamahazaki]

The most common complaint I heard about the latest generation Ninja 650 is the ergonomics, mainly how tucked the foot pegs are for taller riders. The FZ07 doesn't have that problem at all.

Oh yes, I didn't factor height in.  I'm short lol. 

[fzob1]

Thank you for the inputs. I am a shorty too.

[Guest ChicagoAJ]

Has anyone here owned or rode a newer standard Ninja 650? I came across the bike and the added wind protection and ABS look good. Any thoughts?

I've ridden a 2013 without ABS. It's definitely torquey and a lot of fun. They run almost an identical quarter mile time as the FZ-07. FZ-07 is 12.1x and the 650 is a 12.2x. It's meant to be a "sport" bike but the handlebars give it away and make it look goofy (in my opinion). It also has a narrower rear tire at 160 instead of the beefy 180 the FZ-07 has. FZ-07 is much lighter too which makes it much more flickable and enjoyable to ride. If you want wind protection, the 650 is a nice full fairing bike, but they get HORRIBLE gas mileage. The one I rode barely got high 30's and that was pretty tame riding. 

[fzob1]

 but they get HORRIBLE gas mileage. The one I rode barely got high 30's and that was pretty tame riding. 

Glad you mentioned that. I read that in some reviews and was wondering about the gas mileage. Could not believe it was very low compared to FZ07.  

[Guest ChicagoAJ]

 but they get HORRIBLE gas mileage. The one I rode barely got high 30's and that was pretty tame riding. 

Glad you mentioned that. I read that in some reviews and was wondering about the gas mileage. Could not believe it was very low compared to FZ07.

Makes no sense when thinking about it. It's a twin cylinder bike just like the FZ. The gas mileage and goofy looks is what steered me more towards the FZ, the 650 was on my maybe list for a while - along with the Honda CBR650F. I still love everything about that bike but ultimately went with the FZ because it's easier to work on and cheaper to maintain.