Kawasaki’s ER-6 / Ninja 650 is one of those bikes that kind of makes you go “eh.” With a parallel twin made from one half of a ZX-12R engine and cool features like the side-mounted shock, you just expect a more exciting ride than what it delivers. After all, its main competition, the Suzuki SV650 and Honda Hornet 600 are great motorcycles.
>We’ve always felt that there was potential hiding behind the Ninja
650’s ugly bodywork and grip-free tires, and it’s just taken a mild
tuning job to bring it out. LSL stripped the 650 of its bodywork,
fitted tires that work and the full accoutrement of obvious upgrades.
While we like the MT-03 headlight, we’re not fans at all of the tank-mounted instruments, which eliminates the ability to carry a tank bag,
surely a necessity on a practical, basic bike like this.