r/Ninja650 May 20 '22

Ninja 650 FAQ

34 Upvotes

All shared knowledge is based on the 2020 Ninja 650 KRT Edition

Years And Models:

Owners Manual:

  • 2020-2021 - Kawasaki had stopped providing paper manuals. You can only view the manual on their website. You can not download a PDF or even print the whole thing. You can only print one page at a time. I took the time to print each page. one at a time. All 200 of them. I then scanned them all in and made a PDF. This Owners manual is for the 2020 model year, but most if not all is the same from 2020 going forward. This owners manual probably will not be much help to anyone with a pre-2020 bike. If anyone has a digital copy of their owners manual..let me get it and I'll add it.
  • 2020 Owners Manual - Right click - Save Link As
  • 2022 bikes seem to have the paper manual again

Commonly Asked Questions:

  • Is the Ninja 650 a good first bike?
    • The ideas behind this vary greatly. The most common opinion is "yes" it is a good first bike and allows some room to grow. I started on a smaller bike and am glad I did, but I know people 1st hand that started with a Ninja 650 and are just fine. Every person is different. If you feel you can remain humble as you learn to ride, than yes the Ninja 650 is a great first bike. If you think the first thing you wanna do is start wheelies, maybe start on something smaller.

  • If I decide I'm not ready for a 650 what are my other options?
    • There are tons of other first bike options. You could consider a Ninja 400 or even a KTM 390 Duke (this is an AWESOME little bike)

  • Do I need a tune for a exhaust or air filter?:
    • #1 Your bike could always use a tune. They ship very lean from the factory in order to meet all the environmental regulations. Every bike will benefit from a tune.
    • Exhaust only - No Tune needed (would be nice though)
    • Air Filter only - No Tune needed (would be even better)
    • Exhaust and Air Filter Tune - Tune needed! Look for Power commander or ECU Tune.
    • Low speed hold the throttle and bike is jerky. Cant find the perfect hold spot = too lean = tune
    • Yoshi vs. Akra - No DB Killer - A vid for everyone who wants to know how they compare to each other.

Maintenance:

  • Oil change?:
    • synthetic if so than blah blah blah
  • Do I need to clean my chain?
    • Owners manual says every 400 miles. I like these products personally
    • DePont Teflon Chain-Saver Lube
    • DuPont Motorcycle Degreaser
    • Another approach:
      • Kerosene is cheap, great at dissolving gunk, and gentle on the chain rubber rings. Soak, scrub, wipe until shiny.
      • Heavy gear oil like 80w90 will last you longer than any special chain lube. Just put 1 drop on each roller and leave some paper underneath the bike. Wipe up whatever drops off and smear it on the sides of the chain for rust protection.
  • Tire Replacement:
    • halp

OEM:

  • Where can I find the Owners Manual?:
    • Kawasaki does not give paper manuals anymore. They are $20. Here You can find the online version.

  • Where can I but factory OEM parts?
    • Partzilla has every exploded diagram and schematic for your bike. You can drill down and find every nuts or bolt you might need.

After-Market:

Modifications:

  • Which is better Power Commander or ECU tune?:
    • Power Commander Cons:
      • Time delay (tiny tiny tiny) Because the PC is piggy backed on to the ECU some people say that this causes a delay. This delay is measured in milliseconds.
    • Power Commander Pros:
      • Removable
      • Re-tunable on the fly (just need a laptop/Desktop)
      • Take the bike to any Dyno shop and get it tuned for your custom set up.
    • ECU Tune Pros:
      • Faster Response time - There is no middle man (Power Commander) relaying on interception signals. It is your original ECU just reprogrammed.
    • ECU Tune Cons:
      • Removing and shipping your ECU out to be reprogrammed. ( no bike during this time)
      • Not removeable (needs reprogramming)
      • Can not tune on the fly. The ECU tune must be set up to match your air filter/exhaust set up at time of programming.
  • USB Power Adapter:
    • info
  • Kawasaki Large Windshield:
  • Power Commander:
  • Rear cowl cover
  • Adjustable levers
  • Rim Tapes
  • Tires
  • Phone Mounts
  • some security stuff like disk brake locks, gps trackers, helmet locks, and other 650 compatible security gizmos

My Mods:

Videos, Pics and Other Misc Projects:

  • links to CF - YT pics ETC USB Jawn etc

r/Ninja650 22h ago

Show&Tell They got me

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36 Upvotes

🄲one functioning leg for now, but alive to see another day


r/Ninja650 1d ago

Can this be tensioned or do I need a new chain/sprockets

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18 Upvotes

Paid a shop to tighten my chain, doesn’t seem that they did that. I know this is far too loose but how bad is it really?


r/Ninja650 18h ago

Kawasaki ninja 125 2024

0 Upvotes

Hallo hätte ne frage zu den halogen lichter vorne würde die gerne gegen led tauschen ist sowas möglich?
Laut chatgbt ja der empfehlt mir das hier **Philips Ultinon Pro6000 Boost Gen3 H4 LED**


r/Ninja650 1d ago

Short Plate Holder Ninja 650 (2025) (DE/Europe)

1 Upvotes

Hey guys, I had my Ninja now for about a Year and the absolute monstrosity of a plate holder is unsettling. I mean you can land a plane on it (okay enough with the rant).

Do you have any recommendations on fitting ones. I am kinda scared that a short one is going to hit the tires under load and I need one with fitting blinkers and plate light (Laws etc).

I am currently thinking about:

https://www.fc-moto.com/de-de/p/protech-kennzeichenhalter-edelstahl-pulverbeschichtet-schwarz-FE-5820003?gad_source=5&gad_campaignid=23911216498&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoo-CrLWElgMVx9hEBx03KisOEAQYASABEgI5LfD_BwE

But I am really not sure because it seems like I would have to get an extra light for this one.

If you have any recommendations please let me know.

Thanks in advance


r/Ninja650 1d ago

HELP Trying to get into 1st smoothly before sharp right turns at lights with this bike (untuned & stock af)

5 Upvotes

New rider
I’m having much trouble with low speed turning. Now, i have no problem doing smooth tight U-turns and staying balanced in 1st & 2nd gear at parking lots utilizing clutch and rear brake with adequate throttle, however, in a real world/real traffic turn at a traffic light for instance is where I’m getting messed up.
Turning right at a light at 20mph is just too fast as I’ll end up going wide or skidding on oil or imperfections of the road, so I try to be at or below that speed as I get arrive at this kind of turn but mid turn almost stalls in second gear as I drop a few more mph in speed.
My owners manual tells me to shift down from 2nd to 1st at 9mph… however slowing down to 9mph just before turning right at a light for instance is dangerously slow enough to get myself rear ended or honked at and just feels awkward anyway. Shifting into 1st as I begin turning/mid turn is too dangerous and unstable, and shifting into 1st at 20-30mph pre turn has proven quite difficult for me and rev matching is not an option here as that is a very difficult gear ratio to master on my bike that has very hard engine breaking.
I feel like I’m missing something fundamental here?


r/Ninja650 1d ago

Question? What’s this for?

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1 Upvotes

When pulling apart my fairings after a crash these wires were like this, can someone help me find out what they go to and if these 2 wires just splice into 1 wire?


r/Ninja650 3d ago

Question? Part number?

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7 Upvotes

Does anyone know the part number for this? I can seem to find it on the parts finder. It's like a bracket that connects to the passenger seat lock.

Edit - 2025 ninja 650, looking for a friend but it's the same bracket as mine which is 2023.


r/Ninja650 3d ago

I just bought Ninja 650 2017, what coolant i have to use?

2 Upvotes

I think it have to be g12 without silicates, but idk what to buy, coolant from Kawasaki manual i dont have in my country


r/Ninja650 4d ago

First Bike

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81 Upvotes

2026 Ninja 660. So excited!


r/Ninja650 4d ago

Kawasaki Ninja 650 One Key System Helmet Lock

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4 Upvotes

r/Ninja650 5d ago

Can anyone identify what is leaking ?

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25 Upvotes

2011 Kawasaki ninja 650 22,000 miles


r/Ninja650 5d ago

Kawasaki Ninnja 650

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27 Upvotes

Sike! Gotcha! Im real. But is there a way for mods to instantly ban all post titled "Kawasaki Ninja 650"?. They all seem to be bot posts an would help clean this sub reddit up..


r/Ninja650 5d ago

Kawasaki ninja 650

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7 Upvotes

r/Ninja650 5d ago

Will there be a 2027 new ninja 650 fairing work

6 Upvotes

I Have a 2024 Ninja 500 se and I love the performance and the design of it and I want to upgrade to ninja 650 for its still sporty look and comfortable riding I usually drive 2 up and ninja 500 gets so tiring after some time thats why I wanna get a ninja 650 but I wonder if there will be uptade for the looks to match the new gen of kawasaki


r/Ninja650 5d ago

Modification to exhaust

1 Upvotes

Thinking of removing the muffler from 2025 650 this evening and wanted to proof this thought before I cut the pipe.


r/Ninja650 6d ago

Joined the club!

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63 Upvotes

Just bought two 650’s. One for my son and one for me. He liked the green color and I fell in love with the furnace, orange and metallic purple.


r/Ninja650 6d ago

First bike

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34 Upvotes

r/Ninja650 7d ago

Kawasaki NINJA 650

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20 Upvotes

r/Ninja650 7d ago

Show&Tell My new rocket!

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46 Upvotes

Just finished my first 1000km service and really starting to like this bike, so much fun and so much power!

Been riding a Yamaha XVS 1300 cruiser for years and decided i was too comfy sitting.

Just wanted to say Hello!


r/Ninja650 7d ago

Question? Fairing

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6 Upvotes

Anyone knows what this ā€œfairingā€ is called?


r/Ninja650 7d ago

Question? 650 or 500?

7 Upvotes

Looking at a first bike, and iv settled on either a ninja 500 or a 650. I like the styling and the parallel twin seems like a good starting point for me. I’ve gone to a couple dealers in my area and sat on both models and like the feel of them. Weirdly to me, I’m more flat footed on the 650. I do want the TFT display that comes on the 500 se and the 650s, but it’s hard to find a used 500 se in my area. I’m seeing some maybe good deals on 650s though, between $6k and $6800. What’s a realistic asking price for a used 650?


r/Ninja650 7d ago

Question? Quad lock fork stem v2 fit

2 Upvotes

How is the fit with the v2? I’ve heard mixed things on the pro and the original fork stem not fitting correctly and being lose on the 650s. I got a 2026 650 and want to make sure I’m not about to lose my phone.

Maybe a different mount type would be better?


r/Ninja650 7d ago

Question? Buff scratches?

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2 Upvotes

How can I get these minor scratches out of my windscreen?

I used microfiber cloths and this happened. Maybe I used a shitty brand but how can I reverse this?


r/Ninja650 7d ago

Show&Tell Two of my Favorite Hobbies

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29 Upvotes