Kawasaki Unveils the New for 2022 Z650RS

Boo and I were beating through the woods down some old trails that he was showing me. They were very overgrown and snarled with deadfalls. I think it must have been a while since Boo was on them because otherwise he wouldn’t have taken me.

What on Earth am I talking about? And what does this have to do with the all-new 2022 Kawasaki Z650RS?

Simple.

Boo was riding a Kawasaki KZ400 (yes, through the dense brush - street tires, low pipes, and all), and this new bike reminds me of it, right down to the Candy Emerald Green paint job. (It’s also available in Metallic Moondust Gray/Ebony as well.)

I was a kid on my old Honda XL100, and even I was having a tough time. For him, it must have bordered on torture.

Anyway, back to the new bike.

The liquid-cooled 649cc twin is fuel-injected with two 36mm throttle bodies and a six-speed transmission with a slipper clutch. It’s claimed to produce 48.5 lb-ft of torque at 6,500.

The 17-inch wheels move through 4.9 inches of travel from the front fork and 5.1 in the rear. The ABS-equipped machine has dual 300mm petal-style discs on the front with a lone 220mm petal-style disc at the back. Seat height is 31.5 inches, wet weight of 412 pounds, and a four-gallon fuel capacity. You can make the most of your gas by paying close attention to the economical riding indicator on the riding display.

The wide bars, flat seat, narrow waist, and adjustable clutch and brake levers should make it a comfortable ride for you and a passenger.

This retro-styled machine can be yours for the MSRP of $8,999.

Kawasaki doesn’t say how it will handle while blasting along some single-track. I’ll have to ask Boo.