Road test of KawasakiER-6n 650 2009 The purpose of style.

beneath its friendly roadster exterior, the Kawasaki ER-6n actually hides a fear... for the competition. It arrived in 2006, and this little youngster is taking the liberty of pushing the Bandit onto its own turf: the city and the market's top-seller.

Redesigning for 2009, retaining its leadership position and optimizing its momentum: these are the broad outlines of the imperatives set for the project leader of the new ER-6n. The stakes are high, given the imp's strategic position and sales. If he misses the mark, he'll get a slap in the face from all sides, management and market alike - the poor guy must have had a few sleepless nights.

step 1: optimize the mechanics and eliminate the defects. I'll give you a technical report over the weekend. Step 2: keep the design to preserve the ER-6 identity, while making the bike more compact, more muscular, more aggressive, more mature... In short, to create a more dynamic, enhanced image without altering the original idea. And it's succeeded. With an even more expressive mini forkhead, sharper radiator scoops and less clumsy footpegs, the new ER-6n is more assertive.
Keen to ensure their machine's reputation, Kawa has also entrusted the mechanical staff with an envelope and objectives. The aim: more flexibility at low revs, more responsiveness at mid revs.

Underneath the design, Kawasaki is also making efforts on the finish. Plastics fit better, and small wires and hoses are increasingly hidden from view. The plastic on the dashboard looks well-made and pleasing to the eye. We're a little more skeptical about the paintwork on the frame and footpegs. To be verified over time. I lift the saddle to stow the route map (in case the GPS breaks down) and notice that... Ah! Ah, there's still not much room under there. Enough for a tool kit, a U (Kawa specific) and a toothbrush.

Apart from the bubble of technical information, the desire to (re)acquaint oneself with this evolution of the ER-6n itches more than reason. Just enough time to don the battle gear, sober up with a cup of coffee and fire up the GPS, and we're off on the roads of Mallorca.

we've been on the road for 3 minutes and we're already turning in all directions. It's a banana for everyone under the helmet. Curves galore and a Kawa we're already riding with the greatest of ease. Handy and light, the ER-6 plays the road with ease. It swings into the bend with a flick of the wrist, and all it needs is a twinkling eye in return.

The roads of the Costa del Mallorca have what it takes to answer our questions. And now that the introductions have been made, let's be more directive: hot engine, let the horses loose! PPbbrrooaalllpppp! And off we go. The twisty track doesn't skimp on revs and gear changes. In this game, the parallel twin is always present, pulling from 3,500 rpm and getting stronger from 7,000 to 10,000 rpm. It's here that the Kawa identity is at its best, with a little taste of rage in the pistons as you push it into the revs. Its light character may not have the charm of a V-twin (well, that's a matter of opinion), but it doesn't care. It, too, wants to show that it lives. With 72 horsepower, it's got just what you need to have fun without getting scared, to open up generously without getting caught out, and it's more than enough for city riding as well as good-natured escapades. There's no denying it, the little Kawa twin is really a good little boiler. Sometimes, once you've built up a certain amount of experience, you'd like a bit more potato for a bit more fun. But let's not complain too much: the 2-cylinders put their heart and soul into getting up to speed, with greater difficulty from 10,000 rpm. It's better to slam into a higher gear than really look for the cutoff; the remaining 1,000 rpm are more willing than spirited.

We leave the coast behind us to tackle a few passes, discover the island in greater depth and catch up (well, try to) with the duo of Guillaume & Axel. To do so, we either take an aerial shortcut or step on the gas. With the surface proving to be a little slippery, Julien and my apple managed the sauce with gusto but caution. Just what's needed to restrain the machine a little without putting ourselves in danger. The ER-6 is no slouch on the road. The rider has fun, and so does she. But when the pace picks up a notch, the party gets a little less merry. Now, I'm talking about more typical Kawa Coupe use than standard. You push it a little, you force the chassis with some gusto, you open up, you try to go a little faster... The Kawa is already a little less in the mood for fun. The front drivetrain shows its lack of enthusiasm with small steering movements. Clearly, when you attack, it moves; but you're already in a much sportier gear than originally intended. Not dangerous, just a little annoying if you want to chase friends with bikes in a higher category. But then, we're looking for trouble...

the other advantage of this kind of pursuit is that the brakes are more insistent than usual. Very adequate for standard use, the use and availability of the 3 discs are just right. On the ABS version, it even seems to have a little more bite, which compensates for the fact that the anti-lock system is triggered early at the rear. In the sport category, the limits and performance of the jaws are more clearly defined. When entering corners hard, you need to squeeze the handlebars energetically to get the most out of them. And to trigger the front ABS, you really have to pinch like a pig. The hardcore riders will grumble about the lack of bite, but this can prevent the beginner from wrecking himself on wet roads because of a too frank attack. Just to provoke him a little, we wondered how the electronic control unit reacted on unfamiliar terrain. Insisting on braking on a dirt track sprinkled with gravel, the ABS panicked a little, but managed to cope. On pure gravel, it fails.

The chase continues. On the freeway (German, of course), you can open the door without worrying. The machine holds its own in the sweeping curves swallowed up in pursuit of Michael. Maybe that's where the speedometer gets stuck, as you overtake, head in the speedometer, shoulders tucked in and torso tucked behind the tank. Oh, by the way, when it comes to driving, the speedometer cheats a little: at 50 km/h, you're driving at 45 km/h, at 110 km/h, it's actually 100 km/h, and at 150 km/h, you lose 1 point because you're driving at 135 km/h. Above that, well, it's forbidden! Ah, what's that flashing light?
Phew, false alarm. You can see a bit better in the new mirrors, which are more design-oriented and derived from the Z series - the mirrors add style to their usefulness.

No need to go too fast. The license won't like it, and the protection encourages you to drive more sensibly. A little shower, or rather a good rinse on the way home allowed me to judge the protection offered. it goes from... nothing... to a little if your nose kisses the speedometer. Hey, it's a Naked; what did you expect?
The great thing about the GPS from Machin is that it likes to lose you. This allowed us to visit the charming town of trucmuche in Mallorca. The machine felt perfectly at home there, cruising between the cars with remarkable ease. The ER-6n is capable of making a U-turn on a village road. Gears are easy to shift, with a supple clutch, but it still lacks a touch of smoothness. Nothing nasty. it doesn't stick, it shifts by itself, it's just that the first gears leave a metallic smell in the boot; you'd need to add a knob of butter. On narrow streets, you're on a gentle trickle of throttle, barely above idle, in second gear; I'd advise you not to do it in 3rd gear. As soon as the going gets a bit rough, you can roll into the higher gears without revving up, the suppleness doing the rest.
Leaving town. A glance to the right, a wink to the left. Let's take advantage of these moments of respite to compare the melodies of the company of twins. It's at low revs that the exhaust offers up its vocals... to be enjoyed by all. The under-chassis muffler is always visually discreet, but its prose is not very motorcycle-like. Yet Kawa has redesigned it. Hearing doesn't agree, and it sometimes sounds as if a butterfly with metal wings has got stuck in the exhaust. By the end of the day, I wasn't even paying attention.

where I was more careful was with the feel of the engine. Admittedly, it seems smoother at low revs, perhaps a little more gnarly, but the differences are subtle. You don't lose out; you just realize that Kawette wants to keep up with her classmates. And, as with her classmates, the injection system has been revised to make the bi more docile. As we saw a few lines ago, it's more flexible and responds well and quickly. There's no doubt that its engine behavior will continue to please. The only slight downside - and I'm really only quibbling here - was that on 2 or 3 occasions over a 300 km distance, we experienced a jerking sound when we went back on the throttle between 4 and 5,000 rpm after a good deceleration. Slightly more often, we'd hear a fart in this same zone when we cut the throttle. Perhaps a quick look at the mapping on occasion...

Here we are, just a stone's throw from base camp. A few tunnels have allowed us to appreciate the lighting of the speedometer. Its white background and design are classy. As a result, we pay less attention to the digital window below. Now in bar-graph mode, rpm reading isn't as easy as with a good old-fashioned needle system, especially as the digits are too small. It's fun, it's trendy, and it takes a little getting used to. Once you've got the hang of it, you'll know without a doubt what kind of gear you're running. But during this afternoon's arsouille, it was impossible to check the diet at a glance. OK for the look, but not for the practicality. From a more general point of view, this new panel is frankly nicer than the old one, with a more plush plastic, and the much appreciated adoption of a fuel gauge. The latter doesn't go down very quickly, as the machine, even when driven at full throttle, isn't very fuel-hungry.

after a day's riding, some of the team have reservations about comfort. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to worry about, even if the suspension isn't the most comfortable on the market. Sufficient for urban and daily use, it nevertheless proves a little dry, especially over large bumps. On small irregularities, however, the suspension is much more acceptable. In short, the damping is fairly typical of this segment, with a fork less full of soup than that of the SV 650.
Curious by nature, I took the ER-6 out again the next morning to confirm certain impressions. Halfway through the ride, the buttocks start to feel a little tight. The redesigned, narrower saddle brings relative comfort to the person sitting on it, and above all allows more people to put their feet down comfortably; but that wasn't a problem before. With its unchanged saddle height of 785 mm, a rider measuring 1.75 m can easily put both feet flat on the ground. And if you're a little short, an even more accessible saddle with 25 mm less height is available as an option.
Another area where the Kawa has made progress is in the treatment of vibrations. Now, it's more tingling than vibration that you feel, more on deceleration than acceleration. How did they do it? A little technique. Some engine mounts and handlebars are mounted on silent-blocks. As a result, they propagate less to the driver. But the passenger grips, fixed to the rear frame, are more sensitive to mechanical emulsions. They do, however, provide a good grip for the attendant.

tHEN?

miss ER-6n was already an excellent machine; now it becomes even more so. This Kawette evolves in double measure: frankly in terms of design, more timidly in terms of dynamics. With this best-seller, Kawasaki is measuring its risks by retaining what has made its machine a success, while giving it more visual dynamism. As fun and easy as ever, the ER-6n is priced only slightly higher than its predecessor, giving it excellent value for money. We can therefore forgive its average suspension, the absence of a coded key and its... fun rev counter. The bike will be available in December in Pearl Stardust White, Metallic Diablo Black and Candy Burnt Orange.