Kawasaki Ninja 650 Review

Used Buyer Review

The Ninja 650 is about as sensible a used buy as you'll find in the middleweight segment, and I mean that as a genuine compliment. The parallel twin is genuinely unburstable — I've seen examples with 40,000 miles still running crisp with basic maintenance. The 2017+ generation in particular hit a sweet spot with better ergonomics and fuel injection that just works, no fussing around. Check the fairings for tip-over scars because new riders love these bikes, which also means some have been dropped in parking lots more than once. The motor rarely gives trouble, but inspect the chain and sprockets carefully — budget owners neglect them badly. Throttle bodies occasionally need syncing if it's hunting at idle. Suspension is soft from the factory and won't improve with age, so factor in a rear spring if you're over 180 pounds. Realistic asking prices for clean examples make it easy to absorb those small costs without crying.