| 2010 Yamaha FZ6R vs 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 650R | May 4, 2010 | AUTORIVALS.NET |
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| The shape of the sport bike world
has shifted slightly. You could blame the economy, or it could
be that Yamaha has finally come to its senses and realized that
the sub-super sport demographic is dominated by Suzuki and
Yamaha and decided to create the FZ6R. Sport bikes such as the
new FZ6R and the Kawasaki Ninja 650R give riders the perfect
compromise between speed and economy. With base prices thousands
of dollars less than super sport bikes and fantastic fuel
economy, the FZ6R and the 650R are a bargain. When you consider
their everyday usability and comfortable ergonomics, they seem to
even be the smarter choice compared to each companies' faster
models. While they don't offer the same blindingly fast
capabilities, they're hardly what you would call slow. With
acceleration times that would embarrass some sports cars, these
two bikes offer the speed and looks to satisfy nearly all
riders. |
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| 2010 Yamaha FZ6R | vs | 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 650R |
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| The FZ6R is new to the sport bike
world although it's essentially a FZ6. Introduced in 2009, the
FZ6R has a full fairing which the FZ6 lacked (hence the R) and
now attracts more buyers with fast looks typically found in the
supersport category. The interesting part however, is what lies
underneath. The engine is actually a detuned 2003 Yamaha R6 that
gives the FZ6R more than enough street cred. Its design is
unique though with little to no resemblance to the R6 with a
large, single headlamp up flanked by two side air intakes. It
actually resembles the 2001-2007 Suzuki GSX-R600 a bit with its
large angular headlamp. The Ninja 650R was redesigned in various areas for the 2010 model year but the foundation remains the same. The updated looks are more in line with the Ninja family like the Ninja ZX-6R but the design is definitely unique. Large dual headlamps split by the V-shaped air duct give the 650R deceptively simple design compared to the transformer-esque FZ6R. |
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 Both the FZ6R and 650R feature some nice engineering thoughtfulness in their designs. The FZ6R for one, has an adjustable seat to accommodate a wide range of riders. Everything is ergonomically designed such as the mirrors which may be too high for my tastes but makes checking them easy. |
 Engineers focused on making the Ninja 650R more user-friendly for its redesign. The windscreen is larger than the FZ6R's and features a lip to deflect air away from the rider. The integrated turn signals are especially a nice touch which help give the 650R a sleeker appearance. |
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| Pick a color, any color, and I'm sure you'll be pleased. Every color choice offered by both Yamaha and Kawasaki are tasteful, classic, and/or sporty. | ||
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| The FZR6's profile has classic supersport proportions. The high tail and split seat of the FZ6R is what the 650R is missing. The 650R's single seat is reminiscent of older bikes like the old Ninja 500R. Aside from that, the 650R's design seems a tad more polished than the FZ6R with a simple but elegant two-tone color scheme and even a matching colored spring. The exhaust on the 650R especially shines even though it's hidden underneath the body. The FZ6R's exhaust is also hidden but lacks the panache of the 650R's. | ||
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PROS +Edgy styling +R6 engine +Super sport profile CONS -Mirrors are too high |
PROS +Sleek looks +Polished design +Integrated turn signals +Attractively hidden exhaust pipe CONS -Connected rear seat |
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| Video Source: Motorcycle.com via YouTube |
| 2010 Honda CBR600RR vs 2010 Suzuki GSX-R600 | ||||||
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