2020 Kawasaki Z650 Launch review

Sponsored by McCams, getting you back on two wheels when it wasn't your fault. Welcome to northern Spain, we're here with Kawasaki to test their new Z650. In 2017 this model received a major upgrade with a new chassis and upgraded power. For 2020 Kawasaki have cleaned the bike to make it Euro 5 friendly. But while they were cleaning up the engine with a slightly different exhaust and airbox, we've added TFT quads with Bluetooth connectivity, we've got sportier rubber and we've got unique styling and slightly more comfort for the pillion with a thicker padding. We've got 130km to do over two days here in northern Spain and we're going to let you know our review later on. Yesterday we were baking in sunshine down at the harbour in northern Spain, it was delightful. Today we've just finished our second day of riding. Thankfully Kawasaki gave us 130km yesterday and another 100km today to test their entry level Z650 which is new for 2020. In 2017 this bike had a massive overhaul, it went from the ER6N which was kind of like an average slightly dull commuter to something really sporty, something eye catching and something really fun. I thought it was a massive step back in 2017 from the ER6 to the now Z650. The chassis was much lighter, the swinging arm was much lighter, the weight saving was huge, the power was about the same but it made a massive transformation. And now for 2020 Kawasaki have already got that brilliant recipe and they've just made it Euro 5 and just made it more on par with the competition. To do that they've added TFT clocks which really give it a quality feel. At £6,649 in the UK this bike doesn't feel like an entry level or a budget bike, it feels really really quality that Kawasaki get really well on every model that they produce. The clocks give it that quality feel and all the bodywork and all the new styling, the new headlight make it feel quality. As I said we did two days of riding and normally on a bike with under 70bhp for an experienced rider like myself you're starting to nitpick and find faults and you're like I just kind of want to get back now, it's getting a little bit dull, a little bit boring but not with the Z650. The engine is really punchy, the parallel twin really delivers. You can ride it around town without using any throttle, it'll pull away a doddle, it's entry level, it's easy to ride. But for somebody who's a little bit more experienced you can wind it on, get it past 10,000rpm, really make it scream, bounce it off the rev limiter and it's great, great fun. The exhaust note for 2020 has changed slightly, it's got a bit of blast to it, it's got a bit of character which is quite surprising for a Euro 5 bike. Even though the engine is Euro 5 it's not lost any peak power and it's really good fun. The chassis is compliant, it's not budget suspension, it controls itself, it's only when you start to ask the bike to do things that it's not designed to do is when you find complications. For example the tyres have been improved, these are the newer Dunlops but they're still not massively confidence inspiring when you're really going from peg down to peg down to lean angle. However how many people who are buying this bike are going to do that? How many people are going to take this bike on track? My friends who have just passed their test would love this bike, they would not find any faults with the tyres, they would not find any fault with the bike. The only issue the Kawasaki has got, it is up against some really, really strong competition in this kind of middleweight entry class. You've got Honda and you have Yamaha in this really competitive class. This is priced competitively, at PCP it's just over £100 on PCP when you put down an £1,100 deposit. It's going to be interesting to see how these bike compares when we get it against competition. You've got V-twins, you've got inline fours, but the parallel twin Z650 is a big hit. Kawasaki have just put the cherry on top of an already good cake.