In October 2008, Kawasaki started selling big bikes in Thailand. Does anyone have feedback, good or bad, on any of these machines? I'm particularly interested in the Ninja 250 and the ER6n. I'm told that this coming October Kawasaki will be introducing the ER6f with ABS for not more than 280,000 baht - sounds good!
So please all you veteran Kawa riders out there, let me know what they are really like. A quick test drive around a car park doesn't really show a bike's true capabilities.

Kawasaki Thailand also sells the Kawasaki D-Tracker 250 and Kawasaki KLX250R, both good motorcycles.

Quote by: Joe

Kawasaki Thailand also sells the Kawasaki D-Tracker 250 and Kawasaki KLX250R, both good motorcycles.

Thank you, i'm aware of this. They also sell the Vulcan 900(Custom, and Classic), and of course the ZX-10R. I'm simply asking for the impressions of riders who have bought these machines because i intend to purchase one in the near future.3

I was told that Kawasaki had underestimated the demand for the big bikes in Thailand. You need to understand that a Kawasaki ER6N hold much better value then a 600cc Honda bike. The Kawasaki is sold by a network of official distributors, with no zig-zag in the paper work, Honda and Suzuki have still not made the big bike intentions public. And all Honda's and Suzuki's are sold by grey market of dealers and importers who not shy to skip some regulations to get more profit.

Yamaha sell both the YZF-R6 and FZ6 which are both higher in purchase cost.

I belief the Kawasaki ER6N is a remarkable machine and the perfect balance between real value and purchase price.

Quote by: Will

I was told that Kawasaki had underestimated the demand for the big bikes in Thailand. You need to understand that a Kawasaki ER6N hold much better value then a 600cc Honda bike. The Kawasaki is sold by a network of official distributors, with no zig-zag in the paper work, Honda and Suzuki have still not made the big bike intentions public. And all Honda's and Suzuki's are sold by grey market of dealers and importers who not shy to skip some regulations to get more profit.

Yamaha sell both the YZF-R6 and FZ6 which are both higher in purchase cost.

I belief the Kawasaki ER6N is a remarkable machine and the perfect balance between real value and purchase price.

Thank you for the information but you are missing the point.
Let me state more clearly...I am asking the owners of Kawasaki big bikes to feed back their impressions of the bikes they currently ride, or have ridden since last October... be they good or bad impressions. So unless you own a Kawasaki big bike and are prepared to say what you think of it, all other information whilst it may be correct, is irrelevant.

The Kawasaki ER6N is a good quality bike, made in Thailand and exported around the world. In Thailand it is hard to compare the Kawasaki against competitors, true Yamaha also sells 600cc motorcycles in Thailand. And to be honest the Yamaha FZ6 is the better bike if we compare them.

But we need to compare apples with apples, and then we find ourselves with nothing to compare the Kawasaki ER6N with.

The Kawasaki 650cc parallel-twin engine is less powerful then the Yamaha 4-cylinder FZ6 powerplant, the road handling of the Kawasaki ER6N is also less then the Yamaha offerings. The Kawasaki suspension can be experienced as stiff and uncontrollable... If we look at the “problems” the current Kawasaki ER6N they are easily corrected. I replaced the rear suspension to Ohlins rear shock/spring which fixed all problems, went for a set of Pirreli tires which stick to the tarmac as never before.

The Kawasaki ER6N give me about 20.4 km/l on average riding, on long touring trips with relative low average speed I got even more kilometers out of a liter.

So yes, the Yamaha is likely the better bike, but is it twice as good? The Yamaha FZ6 costs twice the price of a Kawasaki ER6N. And with things I have seen on the Thai road it is better not to have the fastest machine.

To my idea the ER6N is a funky looking parallel twin roadster from Kawasaki. Light controls, easy-going 72 horses, 649cc engine and forgiving chassis make it ideal for the learners, but it can cope with more experienced riders too.

Equally at home in the city or on the open road, it's about as versatile as a middleweight gets. Styling doesn't suit everyone, but there are some neat touches like the wavy discs, side-mounted rear shock, mass centralized exhaust and a plethora of bolt-on goodies.

It is funny that some riders experience the suspension as “hard”, personal I would not call it that. But maybe if you had a Honda Goldwing or another touring bus the ER6N suspension could be described as hard.

If I was you Paul I would request a test ride, the suspension settings is a really personal thing and everybody has its own feel with it.

Quote by: Nun

The Kawasaki ER6N is a good quality bike, made in Thailand and exported around the world. In Thailand it is hard to compare the Kawasaki against competitors, true Yamaha also sells 600cc motorcycles in Thailand. And to be honest the Yamaha FZ6 is the better bike if we compare them.

But we need to compare apples with apples, and then we find ourselves with nothing to compare the Kawasaki ER6N with.

The Kawasaki 650cc parallel-twin engine is less powerful then the Yamaha 4-cylinder FZ6 powerplant, the road handling of the Kawasaki ER6N is also less then the Yamaha offerings. The Kawasaki suspension can be experienced as stiff and uncontrollable... If we look at the “problems” the current Kawasaki ER6N they are easily corrected. I replaced the rear suspension to Ohlins rear shock/spring which fixed all problems, went for a set of Pirreli tires which stick to the tarmac as never before.

The Kawasaki ER6N give me about 20.4 km/l on average riding, on long touring trips with relative low average speed I got even more kilometers out of a liter.

So yes, the Yamaha is likely the better bike, but is it twice as good? The Yamaha FZ6 costs twice the price of a Kawasaki ER6N. And with things I have seen on the Thai road it is better not to have the fastest machine.

Thanks Nun. That's the kind of informative comment i was looking for.

In brief, I really enjoy my ER-6n. It's a little tiring at speed due to the lack of wind protection, and if you want to take it for a blast round the track, it's not as smooth to gently control the throttle through the corners, but its great to ride in town and for a longer trip is fine if you take a few breaks. Handling is great, comes with good tyres and its a good comfortable riding position. It's an all-rounder and at the price you can't really ask for a lot more from it. Styling is striking and even now still gets a lot of attention at the lights. It's a bit thirsty in town but you can get around 250km on a tank with sensible out of town riding. And it takes 91 gasohol so there won't be a future problem with filling the tank. Should you wait for an ER-6f...I have never ridden a bike with ABS. I think the looks of the naked bike are more striking. In a few words I'm very happy with mine. The Ninja 250 is also very sweet but would lack the guts for any distance. Both are top rate though.

Quote by: Chris

In brief, I really enjoy my ER-6n. It's a little tiring at speed due to the lack of wind protection, and if you want to take it for a blast round the track, it's not as smooth to gently control the throttle through the corners, but its great to ride in town and for a longer trip is fine if you take a few breaks. Handling is great, comes with good tyres and its a good comfortable riding position. It's an all-rounder and at the price you can't really ask for a lot more from it. Styling is striking and even now still gets a lot of attention at the lights. It's a bit thirsty in town but you can get around 250km on a tank with sensible out of town riding. And it takes 91 gasohol so there won't be a future problem with filling the tank. Should you wait for an ER-6f...I have never ridden a bike with ABS. I think the looks of the naked bike are more striking. In a few words I'm very happy with mine. The Ninja 250 is also very sweet but would lack the guts for any distance. Both are top rate though.

Thank you Chris, really useful information. Brief and to the point - exactly what i wanted.

Paul,
I have had my ER6n for about 3 months now and I agree with Chris but I do find the suspension a bit hard maybe it's just me but I am having fun riding it.
John

Thanks for your reply John. I'll keep in mind your comment about the firm suspension. Glad you are enjoying the bike overall.