I’ve always been a sucker for middleweight nakeds. They hit that sweet spot between approachability and excitement with enough power to keep you grinning, but never so much that you’re scared to open the throttle. Over the years I’ve gone through three Yamaha MT-07s, a Triumph Street Triple, a CFMoto 650NK, and even a Kawasaki Ninja 650.
Out of all of them, the Ninja 650 was the smoothest and most refined. Some riders call it clinical, maybe even soulless, but I don’t see it that way. What Kawasaki did was focus on the fundamentals: linear throttle response, predictable power delivery, and bulletproof reliability.
