Kawasaki 2009 : Is Honda watching ?

[uconnapharm]

I am 1/2 asleep this morning as I do the weekly routine of checking
the manufacturer's sites.
I get to Kawasaki and I almost go into shock !
Casual count shows 6 items in the 2009 street lineup that were not in the
2008 lineup.
3 new 1700 Vulcans
a 250 super moto style
the ERGN from Europe
and the return of the Super Sherpa
Now that's a line-up change to be proud of !

Maybe all of us that have lost faith in Honda USA , kind find some hope ,
in what Kawasaki has done for the upcoming year ????????

[beechum1]

i haven't even THOUGHT about buying new for years, but that little 250SM looks like way too much fun.

[Towjam]

The Honda press embargo is lifted Oct. 7th. we'll know then if '09 brings bold new bike or just bold new colors.

[evildeadmike]

christ...looks like they raised the prices 100-500 bucks per bike

ninja 250r is now 4000 bucks? ouch! 2 years ago wasn't it like 3000 dollars?

might have to rethink the purchase (mine is on order)

[El Guero]

Originally Posted by evildeadmike

christ...looks like they raised the prices 100-500 bucks per bike

ninja 250r is now 4000 bucks? ouch! 2 years ago wasn't it like 3000 dollars?

might have to rethink the purchase (mine is on order)

I think it used to be like $3499-$3599. It is getting to be a good chunk of cash for a 250, but I can't blame them. I think they can sell as many of them as they can build.

Also, good on Kawasaki this year. I think they are really starting to produce a lot of good bikes that people want. They did big redesigns on three of their big bikes last year (KLR, Ninja 250, C-14), and also released the Versys. Every one of those seems to have been a hit. I'm hoping this emboldens them some more to do some more interesting designs.

[MK96xj]

I don't understand the Sherpa and the 250S. Seems like a great overlap to me. Why go with a Sherpa other then the 0.5 gal larger tank and the fact that if you dragged it down the road a few meters you would never notice

GOWD its ugly. Looks like the stock guy found some dusty 20 year old parts

[tslewisz]

Kinda like the new ZX-14 colours...

[sportmotogear]

Originally Posted by MK96xj

I don't understand the Sherpa and the 250S. Seems like a great overlap to me. Why go with a Sherpa other then the 0.5 gal larger tank and the fact that if you dragged it down the road a few meters you would never notice

GOWD its ugly. Looks like the stock guy found some dusty 20 year old parts

It is basically a 20 year old design. Still solid daily transportation.

[DogBoy]

I'm glad to see the ER-6N (Naked Ninja 650R) come over from Europe. Its a great looking bike. Both models get updates for '09.




Sure there is overlap between this bike, the fully-faired Ninja 650 and Versys but all are great, reasonably priced bikes. I'm tempted but its hard to choose which 650.

[Skippii]

Kawasaki Ninja 250R was 2999 in from 2000-2007, then 3499 in 2008, and 4,000 for 2009.

That Super Sherpa looks really nice. Not sure if they really need 3 250 dualsports, though.

Then again, they've always liked releasing many types of nearly identical bikes.... Ninja 650, ER650, Versys, EX500, ZZR600...and don't even get me started on the ZX-6R and ZX-6RR pair they used to have.

[Skippii]

I like the ER6N, but I think they would have done much better to bring back the ZR7S with a better engine.

[El Guero]

Originally Posted by Skippii

I like the ER6N, but I think they would have done much better to bring back the ZR7S with a better engine.

I really want to ride one of the 650 twins. The parallel twin seems to be making a comeback... The ZR7S was a cool looking bike (maybe a little plain but meh), but I think these twins are kind of exciting.

[Skippii]

Originally Posted by El Guero

I really want to ride one of the 650 twins. The parallel twin seems to be making a comeback... The ZR7S was a cool looking bike (maybe a little plain but meh), but I think these twins are kind of exciting.

My first two bikes were parallel twins (XS650 and EX250). Now I have a V-twin. It's all about chassis design, really.

The ZR7S was a great looking bike, IMHO. If they'd only used a decent engine and some better suspension, it would have kicked ass. Maybe not as well as the SV650S, but with a good I4 engine, it could definately have been a lot more powerful than the SV.

[El Guero]

Originally Posted by Skippii

My first two bikes were parallel twins (XS650 and EX250). Now I have a V-twin. It's all about chassis design, really.

The ZR7S was a great looking bike, IMHO. If they'd only used a decent engine and some better suspension, it would have kicked ass. Maybe not as well as the SV650S, but with a good I4 engine, it could definately have been a lot more powerful than the SV.

Your comment about power is interesting to me, because I am interested to see where the 'power trend' is going to go with motorcycles. I've got my KLR which is certainly no bruiser, but my 1100 Magna has more power than is really sane for a day to day basis Something in the middle like one of those 650s, with lots of usable power, is going to be attractive for a lot of people. Sure, there is always going to be a place for screaming 4-cylinder bikes, but I think that practical bikes with practical power are gaining steam. Kawasaki seems to see this and I'm glad they are taking off with it (although that C-14 is definitely excessive still )

[dillon]

Originally Posted by El Guero

I really want to ride one of the 650 twins. The parallel twin seems to be making a comeback... The ZR7S was a cool looking bike (maybe a little plain but meh), but I think these twins are kind of exciting.

The 650 Twin makes 48lb ft of torque at what 6K rpm. It seems like a great bike for twisties because of the high torque low down...