2022 Kawasaki Z650RS First Look
Rennie Scaysbrook | October 5, 2021
The second edition of the retro Kawasaki Z range has been unveiled in the 2022 Kawasaki Z650RS. This nakedbike harks back to Kawasaki’s glory years in the early 1970s and partners the four-cylinder Z900RS.
Powered by the same 650 cc parallel-twin found in the Z650, Ninja 650, Versys 650 and Vulcan S, the Z650RS has a claimed 67 hp at 8000 rpm and 47 lb-ft of torque at 6700 rpm.
Old and new. The Z650RS channels the retro style of the original nicely.
The Z runs a steel trellis frame similar to the Z650 but with a different subframe for a flatter seat that stands at 31.5 inches tall, and the old-school gas tank is 0.8 gallons smaller than the Z at 3.2 gallons.
The suspension is taken care of by a non-adjustable 41mm fork and a preload-adjustable horizontal back-link rear shock, while the brakes are relatively small two-piston calipers and 320 mm discs up front and a single piston 300 mm disc at the rear.
Kawasaki has also revamped the instrument cluster to have a slightly more modern look compared to the Z900RS, with two analog dials for speed and revs and a digital center for fuel gauge and trip information.
The 2022 Z650RS model is available with ABS in Metallic Moondust Gray / Ebony and Candy Emerald Green color schemes with an MSRP of $8,999.
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