ROAD TEST – 2020 KAWASAKI Z650L - JUST BIKES

ROAD TEST – 2020 Kawasaki Z650L

Words and Photos: Zane Dobie

Kawasaki are back with their LAMS-approved Z650 - a favourite amongst learner and provisional riders in Australia. New tech, like Bluetooth connectivity, has been added to the line-up for 2020 in order to keep up with the millennial audience. It’s features like this that make the Kawasaki Z650L one of the best value for money bikes on the market right now.

ROAD TEST – 2020 Kawasaki Z650L — 2020 Kawasaki Z650L

All New Dash

Kawasaki have finally removed one of my biggest dislikes on LAMS market bikes - the black and white dash (which remains on the majority of other machines in this market). The Z650L has a Bluetooth compatible TFT colour dash. Considering how long this technology has been around, I’m really surprised that more manufacturers aren’t using it right now.

The manufacturer’s marketing blurb states: “A Bluetooth chip built into the instrument panel enables riders to connect to their motorcycle wirelessly. Using the smartphone application ‘RIDEOLOGY THE APP,’ a number of instrument functions can be accessed, contributing to an enhanced motorcycling experience”.

The Rideology app is the same app that’s used across Kawasaki’s current range with Bluetooth connectivity. It features a number of different capabilities, including vehicle information that will show the odometer, time spent riding, fuel gauge, service reminders and pretty much everything that’s normally on the dash. But the coolest part of the app is receiving riding logs on your mobile phone to review, as well as GPS information and vehicle running info that can be selected to record. The latter offers a full run down of vehicle speed, rpm, gear position, throttle position, front brake fluid pressure, acceleration/deceleration and coolant temperature to assess your performance on the track or just after a spirited ride. This allows you to get the maximum performance from the Z650L and ensure it stays maintained, as well as keeping you focused on the road, without needing to stop to check messages - when a phone is connected via Bluetooth, the instrument cluster shows a notification when receiving a call or a text.

Still Great to Ride

One of my favourite things about the Z650L is its rideability. A lot of learner-approved 650s feel like they have the ability to get away from a novice rider with ease, but not the Z650L. The way the power comes on is completely different to competitors, like the Yamaha MT-07 and the Triumph Street Triple 660. That’s because the Kawasaki Z650L has a modest torque application for its parallel-twin powerplant.

Let’s face it, when you’re learning to ride, there’s a chance you’ll panic in a hairy situation and use too much throttle, which can result in landing on the ground and the bike spearing off into the distance.

The Z650L has a lot of confidence in its handling: this comes down to Kawasaki’s well-designed trellis frame, which was all-new for the 2019 model and carries over unchanged for this year.

Weighing in at just 15kg, the high-tensile steel chassis makes the Z650L easy to guide into corners, with the confidence that the bike will straighten up just as easily on exit, too. Kawasaki have claimed that “components of the high-tensile steel trellis frame follow the ‘ideal pipe line’. The lines of the frame were made as straight as possible, and when bends were necessary, their angles were made as small as possible, resulting in a design that disperses stress extremely well”.

For what is a frequently overlooked piece of a motorcycle, you can really feel – and appreciate - the difference that Kawasaki’s attention to the frame has made.

If you’re moving from an older second-hand bike onto a Z650L, you will understand why it is so important to have a simple lightweight frame, as well as one that has been made with as few bends as possible and one that doesn't allow the motorcycle to flex under stress. Usually, with more bracing comes more weight, but thankfully Kawasaki has managed to keep the weight down and come up with a very impressive platform that almost feels overdeveloped for the motor.

Perfect Parallel

Not many changes have been made on the Z650L’s parallel twin for 2020, although Kawasaki have kept up with the strict Euro4 emissions tests by making changes to the intake and exhaust system. In terms of the latter, adding a large catalytic converter has resulted in an even cleaner-running motor than last year.

Despite the emissions gear, the Z650L has actually become zippier in the mid-range area compared to earlier models – a nice surprise and one that adds to the rideability of the bike in general.

The 649cc parallel twin has a dual overhead cam arrangement, with eight valves and the usual EFI gear. This allows outputs of 37.8kW at 8,000rpm and 59.0Nm at 6,500rpm from the LAMS restricted setup. But, just by twisting the throttle while the bike is turned off, you can feel it has a lot more potential in it. I’m not sure if it was supposed to have less movement in the throttle range due to the restrictors, but I feel it could do with a bit more “twistability” to allow you to regulate the throttle a touch better.

Kawasaki have paired the engine with a six-speed transmission, the gearing of which is just right to be able to utilise that low-down grunt. Flicking it into sixth gear on the freeway adds a comfortable touch, allowing you to glide along at low revs sitting on 110km/h, which in turn means it has a lot more to give if you were planning on taking it to the track.

Clutch Heaven

Kawasaki has added their great slip/assist clutch to the Z650L, making it a bike that’s extremely easy to shift gears on. They describe their slipper clutch as “under normal operation, the assist cam functions as a self-servo mechanism, pulling the clutch hub and operating plate together to compress the clutch plates”. Translating that to English means the total clutch spring load is reduced, resulting in lighter clutch lever feel when shifting up and down the gears. It may not sound like much, but if a lot of your riding involves urban commuting with endless stops and starts for lights and general traffic, you’ll come to truly appreciate the ease of use the slipper clutch offers.

The slipper clutch works when excessive engine braking occurs, too. If you downshift quickly, or accidentally, the slipper cam comes into play to compensate, forcing the clutch hub and operating plate apart. This relieves pressure on the clutch plates to reduce back-torque and helps prevent the rear tyre from hopping or skidding.

This not only eliminates stress on the bike’s running gear, but also stress on the amateur rider, helping to eliminate the impact of errors while discovering the limits of the bike. When understanding how to rev match (ie. the correct engine rpm at which to up- or down-shift), it is often difficult to work out the right amount of revs to give the bike in-between shifts. Too little revs could see the motorcycle become unsettled at the rear, causing it to slide sideways, but on the Z650L, I had no issues when riding hard, as the bike felt stable. Another plus with the assist part of the clutch for learner riders is, once you get used to it, it’s very hard to actually stall the motorcycle unless you completely drop the clutch. That makes it handy for a learner rider doing their provisional licence test; your hand won’t get tired from balancing the clutch when riding around the test course at low speeds.

No Rough Ride

A common issue with LAMS motorcycles is knowing the manufacturers may have cut costs on suspension development in an effort to keep the bike under a certain price. Rider discomfort is often the result of this cost-cutting.

Living well over an hour outside the city, I feel well qualified to comment on the comfort levels of this bike and am pleased to say the Z650L is really comfortable on the commute. Comparing the seat and suspension to its biggest competitor, the MT-07, the Kawasaki definitely wins the comfort award.

This comes down to the back-link type rear suspension that Kawasaki uses, instead of a link-less setup. This provides the sort of rear-end travel needed for a comfortable ride in most road and riding conditions, but its position away from the exhaust means the shock unit doesn’t heat up too quickly (compromising its performance) whilst riding the bike vigorously. Keeping the shock mass centralised means the bike feels well balanced, but not too aggressive on bumpy roads.

The Z560L’s front end has the usual 41mm telescopic fork, which unfortunately is not an upside-down setup and is non-adjustable. On the track, it would be a real boost to the performance of this motorcycle if a higher end USD front shock was added - it would have unbeatable handling over its competitors in my opinion. Perhaps Kawasaki may add some development into the front end for future models?

Stops on the Spot

The Z650L is adorned with massive front brakes, that nearly cover the entire wheel. Twin 300mm discs are complemented by dual piston calipers, which makes for some face-melting stopping power! The rear is a single 220mm petal disc with a single piston caliper, which does the job of regulating speed and slow speed riding fairly well, despite the single piston setup.

The ABS (standard and non-switchable) kicks in perfectly at the front and the back. So perfect, in fact, that the motorcycle didn’t lock up at any point; in the rain, the dry, or even when it had a pair of brand-new tyres on.

Speaking of tyres, the test bike sported a pair of Dunlop Sportmax Roadsport 2 tyres, which are new for 2020 and comprise a 120/70ZR17 on the front and a 160/60ZR17 on the rear. Given it is a sport tyre for warm weather, the grip of the Dunlops was exceptional in the various road and weather conditions I encountered on test. For a more experienced rider like me, they’re great tyres, but for novice riders, the Roadsport 2 could prove a little tricky in the wet. That said, these tyres should provide no issues when riding within the ability of the bike and the conditions.

Styled Not Just for Looks

Amongst the new parts on the Z650L for 2020 are the LED headlights. Not only do they bring the Z650L into this decade’s technology and styling cues, the new headlights make the motorcycle look more like its larger capacity sibling, the Z900.

A more comfortable pillion seat has been added, too, not that you would be taking any passengers on your learner licence, but it’s a nice touch to think that Kawasaki are upgrading all aspects of the bike and anticipating that riders will be using this motorcycle after the restrictions of their L and P period. If you’re not going to use the pillion seat, you can always buy a seat cowl from Kawasaki’s genuine accessories range for about $255. Appearance of the bike hasn’t changed much. As the naked companion to the Ninja 650L, the Z650L is still a very “angry looking” street machine, with the angular look of the headlights and bodywork echoed in elements like the LED indicators and mirrors. The headlight and radiator shrouds have been slightly redesigned for 2020, with nice design touches including the “Z” pattern tail light and lime green frame, which is standard whether you choose the Metallic Spark Black or Pearl Blizzard White colour scheme.

An underappreciated design feature is the neat dip in the rider’s seat that ensures shorter riders don’t need to stand on tippy toes.

L, P and Beyond

At the end of the day, the Z650L is a very impressive bike considering its $10,499 price tag (plus on road costs). Although it feels like it lacks a bit of power compared to some of its competitors, it has changed my mind on the suitability of bikes over 600cc for novice riders. The ease of use and “forgivability” of the parallel twin motor, combined with the new dash, slipper clutch and great brakes, makes the Z650L feel like the sort of bike you could keep, even when the day comes to rip off your P’s.

As the Z650L is the type of bike that develops with you across your riding progression, I hardly see a reason to upgrade once you’re on your full licence.