Introduction
August 9, 2012: I was riding motorcycles for fun, and had a lot less body fat but a little more body hair than today. The only reason why I vividly remember body hair as on that day is because it was a hair-raising day for me. Bajaj Auto, (India Kawasaki hadn't formed until then) had launched the Kawasaki Ninja 650R at Rs 4.99 lakh ( ex showroom Delhi). This was the first step into value for money larger capacity motorcycling for many enthusiasts. It was also the mark of an event that would lead Kawasaki’s attention towards India, and offer more premium motorcycles here in the days to come.
Now two years later, India Kawasaki Motors has added another mid-sized motorcycle, the ER6n, and as seems to be the case with all IKLM models, they have priced it pretty well. At Rs 4.78 lakh ex-showroom this becomes the third cheapest mid-sized motorcycle on sale in India after the DSK-Hyosung GT650N, and the Harley Davidson Street 750. The built quality on the ER6n though, is definitely multiple notches ahead of its competition. The ER6n is the naked or as some would like to call it, the streetfighter avatar of the current generation Ninja 650. While I am still riding motorcycles for fun, and have gained some body flab, this motorcycle has shed some and promises to be fun. How much? We find out.
Design & Styling
Cosmetically, the ER6n looks like its faired avatar from rear and rear–three-quarter. The big change is obviously the absence of the bulked up front. The ER6 n uses the more conventional, animalistic theme from the yesteryears street-fighters. No modern minimalistic, hard cutting lines on this one, instead the ER6n has the intimidating bulk of a big ape. With the compact headlight placed lower than the high riding fuel tank, and the tank shrouds that mimics the biceps of an ape, the bike will make its presence felt whether in motion, or parked.
The front fork tubes have a new cover that makes them look beefy, and at the same time they double up as intake ducts feeding in fresh cool air to the engine. The motorcycle is available only in a stealth black colour for now, but even then the exposed double-pipe perimeter frame with its the red single- sided shock absorber will catch the attention when viewed from the side profile. The bike has managed to shed 7kgs with the absence of fairing and other tweaks. While it might not seem much on paper for a road- going machine it changes a lot of things when you ride both the motorcycles back to back. The weight loss, and the lack of visual mass around the forks ensures that the ER6n feels a lot more city- commutes friendly than its faired sibling.
While I am a South Indian, and we are stereotyped to like visual mass, the edgy design theme of today as on the Z800 and the Super Duke seems to have caught my fancy. The ER6n is by no means a bad looking motorcycle, Except for this one the only eye sore : saree guard, and the way it eats up the grab rail. It is an afterthought and you won’t need to be an industrial designer to figure this out.
Instrument Cluster & Features
The instrument cluster has shrunk into a more compact form, and is backlit with a pleasing blue tone. The setup is part digital, part analogue. The revs are measured using the more traditional analogue gauge, whereas the digital screen houses other vital information like the fuel level, the speed and the time.
It also allows us to choose between displaying two trip meters, the current fuel efficiency, the average fuel efficiency or the tank range. Ride it with the sensibility of a priest and it will show an eco sign, signifying that with this style of riding you are bound to extract more “mileage” as we Indians like to call it. Surrounding this screen are the two buttons that are used to set, reset between the trip meter and fuel efficiency display. Apart from these there are the usual Engine Oil pressure indicator, the low/high beam indicator, and the turn indicator. The handlebar controls also feature the Hazard Switch just like the Ninja 650. The clutch and the front brake levers are also adjustable, which is a boon for riders of all shapes *cough* and size.
Performance & Gearbox
Thumb the starter, engage the clutch in, drop the cog and you are greeted with the sweet bassy tune of the 649cc parallel twin motor. One of the most compact, and the sweetest motors this sized. Frugal is the word that summarises this motor the best. This is the same motor from the Ninja 650, which is also sold as the ER6f in some markets. With 64Nm torque it can both putter at low speeds with low to minimal throttle inputs, and also surge ahead the moment there is an opportunity to overtake someone while on a busy street. When in doubt, more gas philosophy works the best with this motorcycle. I call this motorcycle the “First Step” for this very reason, its docile for new riders graduating to mid-sized motorcycles, yet fun enough to keep an experienced rider busy by throttling your way out of any trouble. Having said that, thanks to ER6n’s linear torque curve and then again the gracious dollops of it, a lazy rider can simply get away from the chore of shifting gears. The gear ratios are tweaked for aiding city riding conditions. The shifts are smooth and precise.
The peak torque for this motor is at 7000RPM, but there is a lot of torque to keep the bike at a steady-economic-compliant-speed of 80kmph on the sixth gear at a mere 4000-5000RPM range. Sadly that is about 30 per cent more than the prevalent Indian road legal limits. Ignore that, tuck in your chin to the tank, and in my case pull the paunch before you pull in the throttle and you will see a top speed in excess of 200kmph. That however is not going to be as comfortable as with the Ninja 650. The “Naked” avatar ensures you would be greeted with wind blast when in excess of 140kmph. I love my job, and so I shall stick to the comfortable 60kmph, at least for this write up.
Let's talk about fuel efficiency instead. Ride a bike like this, and you'd be tormented with the 'Kitna deti hai' question no matter which part of India you belong to. Ride it like there's no tomorrow, and the bike still returns a healthy 15Kmpl. Ride it with all the sensibilities, and you can get a wonderful 24Kmpl atleast. We were able to extract a healthy 30+ Kmpl, but then that isn't the way to ride this bike. Especially not we had to achieve this.
Ride & Handling
The biggest change for me as compared to the previous generation Ninja 650 is the fuelling. Kawasaki seems to have got it spot on for this bike. The throttle response is crisp and confidence-inspiring no matter if you are overtaking a long vehicle or gunning out of a corner. Even the braking on the ER6n has improved a fair bit from its predecessor. The brakes on the erstwhile 2011 Ninja 650R could at best be described as wooden, however these have improved at least by a few notches on the current generation ER6n. The front still lacks the feedback, there is very little initial bite and the stopping is slow. The rear brakes will work in the parking lot speeds, but tends to fade if you do spirited riding . There is a considerable improvement, but there is a definite scope for improvement that can happen here.
The suspension in its default setting is on the plusher side which makes the ride quality comfortable. The split seat setup has really helped this motorcycle. With the comfortable posture, long rides won’t torment your rear. “Super comfortable” is how my pillion described her seat as well. The 130mm of ground clearance on the ER6n is nothing to write home about, especially when riding with a pillion. If ridden correctly, you would avoid kissing India’s favourite road creature, the obnoxious speed hump. To give you a perspective, the Harley- Davidson Street 750 still has a healthy 15 more millimetres ground clearance, and that is supposed to be a level low slung cruiser!
The ER6n comes shod with Dunlop Sportmax RoadSmart II which is a sport touring tyre, and frankly they don’t disappoint considering that this is a street- going motorcycle. It is almost as quick to heat up as the other tyres in this segment, but it is reported to take some break-in before they inspire confidence. Thankfully the one’s I got had seen its share of abuse (read break- in) at the Kari Speedway from Sarge. They gripped mighty well. The only sour side of the daily riding experience on this motorcycle were the headlamps. At night, they don’t do much beyond just letting you know that they work. In our Indian low-, light riding conditions, the light spread will still be comfortable. However, the moment there is this-another-Indian-road-condition, which is oncoming glare, they will simply not do enough. Hopefully aftermarket accessories will fix this.
Verdict
The ER6n is definitely my recommended motorcycle for anyone graduating from a lower capacity motorcycle, or for someone who wants to buy a NOT so big motorcycle to live with. Having a 2011 650R as my daily commute I can vouch for this motor to be as reliable as it can get. It is easy, yet fun, and if you like your motorcycles naked, this is a definite entry- level mid-sized bike to consider.
At Rs 4.78 lakh, the bike is a good half a lakh cheaper than the Ninja 650, and easily the most potent “First Step” to big motorcycles. The more relevant gripe however is the lack of ABS, which is kind of a downer. Then again neither the GT650 nor the Street 750 comes equipped with it. All in all, the ER6n is a good first step, the day you want to push it harder, remember to upgrade to better tyres, some steel braided lines and while at it may be even rearsets.
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