2012 Kawasaki Street Models Updates

[The Spaceman]

Originally Posted by The_AirHawk

(not that there's anything wrong with a Parts Bin bike - Honda's been coasting-along, doin' that for about 25 years now)

And Harley for three-quarters of a century.

[The Spaceman]

Originally Posted by The_AirHawk

(not that there's anything wrong with a Parts Bin bike - Honda's been coasting-along, doin' that for about 25 years now)

And Harley for 75 years...

[sarnali2]

The Connie 1400 is always on my list of possibilities, an excellent bike IMO, definately room in the garage for one.

[czsummy]

that 650r looks great, the two piece seat makes it a wee more sporty, and with its fuel economy it is a great all around bike, i plan for this to be my next bike after my 500r. i only wish they offered in more than 3 colors.

[The Spaceman]

Originally Posted by sarnali2

The Connie 1400 is always on my list of possibilities, an excellent bike IMO, definately room in the garage for one.

My next bike fo sho. When I rode one in Daytona, it was like coming home...very quickly.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by The Spaceman

My next bike fo sho. When I rode one in Daytona, it was like coming home...very quickly.

Just make sure you fit a 190/55, not the stock 50 series. A world of difference.

[sarnali2]

Originally Posted by The Spaceman

My next bike fo sho. When I rode one in Daytona, it was like coming home...very quickly.

A buddy of mine is head over heels for his, He traded an FJR for it and rides the wheels off it. Even brand new they're dirt cheap for what you're getting and left-overs are the deal of the century.

[Duken4evr]

Curious if the Versys gets the new frame? I also like the Ninja 650s freshening. Wise of the big K to make it echo it's big brother.

With the incredibly sharp focus of the pure sport bikes, machines like the Ninja 650 and Versys, and of course the Z1000 / Ninja 1000 make more sense than ever. Kawasaki seems to "get it" better than the others. I see quite a few Versys (Versi?) around here. They are great on the cheap "explorer" bikes for Colorado's many graded dirt roads.

Wake up Yamaha, update your FZ1. Stick a cross plane in it and don't bother "retuning for torque". The personality abundant but not quite competetive with other supersports but still burly R1 motor is best used in a standard anyway

[trenttheuncatchable]

It just occurred to me that Kawasaki could have made the fuel-injected 250R available in the U.S. for 2012. After all, it already exists and is sold elsewhere. The only reason I can think of that they didn't is because they can't price it low enough to compete directly with the CBR250R. Which means there must be less of a profit margin on it than the Honda? That doesn't seem right either.

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by trenttheuncatchable

It just occurred to me that Kawasaki could have made the fuel-injected 250R available in the U.S. for 2012. After all, it already exists and is sold elsewhere. The only reason I can think of that they didn't is because they can't price it low enough to compete directly with the CBR250R. Which means there must be less of a profit margin on it than the Honda? That doesn't seem right either.

Yeah, I'm a little surprised Kawi USA didn't import the EFI model for 2012, as it would've deflected a bit of marketing advantage the CBR has. Kawi has said EFI would add $500 to the Ninjette's price, but since it already exists on the Euro version, I'm skeptical of that claim. The jetting on our Ninja is much too lean, so the EFI would make the bike much more enjoyable unless you like fitting a jet kit.

Honda builds the CBR in Thailand, saving some build costs. But since it's a brand-new platform, I'm guessing it's margin is far slimmer than the Kawi's.