The Kawasaki Z650RS is one of the newest players in the middleweight neo-retro naked bike segment. The bike joins the likes of the Yamaha XSR700, Honda CB650R, and now discontinued SV650 in the middleweight segment. That said, the bike is loved by many specifically thanks to its barebones construction, charming retro styling, and approachable performance.
As technology in the motorcycle industry advances, more and more safety features are being thrown into more entry-level offerings. Such is the case with the Z650RS, which is expected to get traction control for the 2024 model-year. Kawasaki Traction Control, or KTRC, is nothing new, and has long featured in Team Green's premium models. Chances are that the Z650RS is receiving this update in compliance to safety regulations concerning motorcycles – in a similar vane as to why nearly all bikes now come standard with ABS.
In the case of the Kawasaki Z650RS, the KTRC system featured here will likely be a wheel speed sensor-based system, and not a fancy IMU-powered setup like that in the Z H2, Versys 1000, and other higher-end machines. Apart from the addition of traction control, the bike is also expected to get a revised instrument cluster, albeit one that still retains the classic styling that has come to make this model, as well as its bigger sibling, the Z900RS, so popular.
As is usually the case for new model-year releases, the 2024 Kawasaki Z650RS is expected to roll out with new color schemes in the coming year. Other than that, it's expected to be mechanically identical to the current version. In terms of performance, the bike is rocking Kawasaki's tried and tested 649cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, parallel-twin engine – the same engine found in the Ninja 650, Versys 650, and Vulcan S. With 67 horsepower on tap, the Z650RS is closely related to Yamaha's XSR700, with the latter now being the only model to feature no electronic rider aids other than ABS.
