Kawasaki ER-6n

[ThatGuyWithTheDRZSM]

Apparently Europe has been getting these for awhile, but this is new to the US for 2009. I had been planning on my next bike being a naked SV650 but I think the SV just took second seat to this thing.

http://www.kawasaki.com/Products/Detail.aspx?id=373

Another Ninja 650R derivative (other is the Versys)...basically a 650R but naked and with regular bars instead of clipons. Similar power and weight to the SV650 but IMO a more updated, badass look that I would feel less inclined to mod the shit out of as soon as I got it home. I've been digging the Versys for awhile, but the ugly ass headlight was a deal breaker and sitting on it feels like a liter class sportbike with motocross suspension. I don't mind the height of the 300lb DRZ, but on something nearing 400lbs I like a lower center of gravity.


I really hate the idea of buying another brand new bike...but if I sit on one and it feels right I could decide to sell my DRZ and get this. The alternative would have been to buy a used SV650 for $3k or so and put full dirt trim on the DRZ. I can't justify having two brand new street bikes at a time so if I sprung for the ER6n I'd probably pick up a used WR250 or something for dirt.

Went to the Kawasaki dealer today to see if they had any but they didn't. First guy I asked didn't even know what I was talking about but the guy he asked said he'd ordered 2 or 3 and they'd be in around the end of the month or beginning of next.

[D]

Kawasaki's been coming up with great bikes lately.


Is it just me, or are all the new naked bikes starting to look the same?

[ThatGuyWithTheDRZSM]

Originally Posted by D

Kawasaki's been coming up with great bikes lately.


Is it just me, or are all the new naked bikes starting to look the same?

They are. I'm not sold on their new supermoto since it's only 250cc. I just don't see a 250cc single cylinder being able to comfortably keep up with modern day 80mph highway traffic, especially with the tall aerodynamic cross section of a dirt bike. My 400 is pushing it. A street bike with an engine that small just needs more revs and more high end than a thumper can provide.

What I'm astonished about is that more companies haven't jumped onto the lightweight 250cc sportbike market. The 250 Ninja has been Kawasaki's best selling model for many years.

I'm really glad manufacturers are coming back to the "standard" segment. For the last decade or so it seems like there's been nothing but supersports and cruisers.

I can see what you mean on all looking the same...there are two distinct groups I'm seeing though.

A lot of the ones like this one and Kawasaki's others, and the offerings from Yamaha and Triumph as well share a lot of styling cues.

Then there is the Ducati Monster inspired group that includes the Suzuki SV and Gladius, usually drawing attention to a big flashy trellis frame design, a little more traditional looking with a simple round headlight and classic looks, though now even the classic round headlight is giving way to more modular looking composite designs.

I'm more a fan of the first group really, the more modern, edgy look. Had I bought an SV650 I had planned on getting a bellypan and radiator covers for it, and go figure, the ER-6n already has them, so there's a few hundred dollars I'd be saving by buying a bike that I'm already really happy with the looks of.

I REALLY dig that under-frame exhaust too. The exhaust on the SV always looked like an afterthought to me.

[Jeremy]

I know what you're saying about modding the SV's, some of the guys on SVR have some really killer looking bikes that are almost a complete 180 from stock.

I also I like the edgy look of this new Kawi (except for the gage pod atop the headlamp...that looks a bit off to me). I also like the integration of the rear suspension into the frame, very hot!

Are there any reviews out yet?

[ThatGuyWithTheDRZSM]

Originally Posted by Jeremy

I know what you're saying about modding the SV's, some of the guys on SVR have some really killer looking bikes that are almost a complete 180 from stock.

I also I like the edgy look of this new Kawi (except for the gage pod atop the headlamp...that looks a bit off to me). I also like the integration of the rear suspension into the frame, very hot!

Are there any reviews out yet?

I haven't seen any on this side of the pond specifically for the ER-6n, but I have seen them for the Ninja 650R, which is called the ER-6f overseas...from what I've been reading they are identical except for one being faired and one being naked. So any review for the Ninja 650R could be applied to the ER-6n in the performance department...just disregard anything that would be related to the presence of a fairing.

These two SV's are a good representation of the possible directions I'd be going with it, and if was gonna change the headlight on the SV I could do it on the kawi, too. I dont think I dislike it quite enough to change it though.

This one's got the stock round headlight, just dropped down a couple inches and the stock bars swapped for clipons. To me it looks almost like a modernized cafe bike.


this one's got the bellypan, the radiator shrouds, and the headlight and mini-fairing setup from a Buell XB12s and what looks to be GSXR forks. Apply this to a second gen SV and make it black and that'd be what I was imagining mine to be, if I had one.


Performance wise the ER-6n should be pretty close to the SV. They're within 15 pounds in weight and within 3hp of eachother, so in many confrontations it would come down to rider. My 155lb body would help in the weight department too, lol. At first I was worried about lack of aftermarket availability but once I found out that the ER-6n is just a naked ninja 650, which has been out for a couple years I'm not real worried. I have heard they vibrate a little more than the SV due to the parallel twin vs V twin engine, but its got to be an improvement over my single cylinder 400 lol

[D]

i see red x's...

[ThatGuyWithTheDRZSM]

hmmm...I see them just fine. I linked them from svrider.com, I guess it's possible you can't see the images if you're not a member.

Here are pics:



and

[D-VO]

That second bike is hot... wow.

[D]

Originally Posted by D-VO

That second bike is hot... wow.

agreed - i'd pimp that!

[ThatGuyWithTheDRZSM]

well crap.

I looked some more into some reviews of the Ninja 650R, which is basically the same bike, and now I'm not sure I'm going to be satisfied with the power. All this time I'd been reading 72hp for both it and the SV, but it looks like that's at the wheel on the SV and at the crank on the ER-6n, so its really about 9-10hp shy of the SV. Majorly disappointing.

So now I'm back in a spot where I could pick up a used SV for $3-4k...or spring the $8k for a Triumph Street Triple....

[D]

i generally go for more power, especially if it will cost me less and the package is comparible.

[ThatGuyWithTheDRZSM]

Originally Posted by D

i generally go for more power, especially if it will cost me less and the package is comparible.

yeah...if the difference was more like 3hp I could still have sprung for the Kawi due to a visual styling advantage (IMO). But 10hp is a little more than I can stomach...and the styling advantage was already being used up to make up for a technologically handicapped all-steel one piece frame (no detachable subframe) and steel swingarm.

So...a $3500 used SV over the winter or early spring is the most likely scenario now. My boss has done a lot of hinting toward big raises for our department though so if it's REALLY big I could seriously consider dropping the coin on a Street Triple. I'm expecting about a $2k bonus for the 4th quarter too so that could provide nearly the total on the SV or a healthy down payment on the Triumph.

I'm a big fan of the Aprilia Shiver 750 too, but despite being 12hp short it costs more than the Triumph, which has basically been my dream bike for quite a while...so it's not really in the running here.

[D]

16% difference will be noticeable at that power range. I have heard good things about the street tripple (no personal experience) so if you can test drive one and swing it, i would probably head that way personally.

[D-VO]

I expect a full review of the Street Triple, I've been lusting over that one for a while now too, it's like a semi-exotic... if Ducati = Ferrari, that bike = Lotus.