Kawasaki Ninja 650 Motorcycles

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My Ninja 650R

Welcome to my bike page. My current motorcycle is a Galaxy Silver 2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R purchased new in February 2006 from Motorad in Wellington, New Zealand. I took my first ride on a motorcycle in 1979 on a 1977 Honda CR250M2 which was jointly owned by a friend and myself. We purchased the bike because I wanted the motor for a race Kart I was building and he wanted the chassis. Although not part of the initial plan we rode the bike for six months before I finally removed the engine.

2006 Silver/Gold Kawasaki Ninja 650R (ER-6F)

In 1981 I purchased my first road bike a near new 1980 Suzuki GSX250E from Wellington Motorcycles. I got the GSX “new” as she had been traded in with just 700 km on the clock. I covered many miles around Wellington and the Wairarapa, even passing my motorcycle licence.

1981 Suzuki 250E

The Ninja 650R is marketed in New Zealand as the ER-6F but is delivered with the Ninja decals. At the time it joined my restoration project a 1982 Yamaha XZ500 (Vision) in the garage. A number of motorcycle magazines have voted the XZ550 in the top ten worst bikes ever produced. Very unkind! The trusty XZ covered 5000 km after 10 years sitting neglected in the back of a garage until I sold it late in 2006.

2005 road tip to Whangamomona

A road trip in November 2005 to Whangamomona with a group of friends is here.

My current project is a 1984 Yamaha XJ750E-II. This model was built for the Japanese market and basically it’s an XJ900 with the XJ750 engine. It has twin discs brakes (front), single disc (rear) and air assisted forks with an anti-dive system. This old shaft drive bike has covered over 103,000 km. Progress to date is here:

My 1984 YamahaXJ750E-II

I’ve added a few accessories and done a couple of modifications to the 650R, so far these include:

· Luggage – I have a Ventura aerodynamic pack rack system and use an Rjays “City Rack” bag for any road trips.

· Exhaust – Leo Vince aluminum slip-on provides some extra noise and performance.

· Headlight Protector – This was purchase directly from AMHP (Australian Motorcycle Headlight Protectors) and it protects some very expensive plastic. If you want a top quality product check out Thierry and Barbara’s website.

· Radiator Guard – I folded this up from expanded lightweight aluminium mesh and it mounts to the existing radiator brackets, coolant loss can really spoil your day.

· Heated Handgrips – The “Hot Hands” are from Oxford, these are removable heated grips that Velcro to your existing handgrips. Warm hands in winter, OEM handgrips in summer.

· Rear Paddock Stand – Bobbins and a rear paddock stand fitted with frame forks, again from Oxford. Great for working on the bike.

· Security – For those rare times when it isn’t spending the night safely locked away in my garage I use an Oxford “Titan” disc lock.

· Mirrors – I have installed SW-Motech mirror wideners, these are the most worthwhile accessory I’ve fitted, if a little bit pricey. Great that I can now see behind me. I purchased these from Twisted Throttle.

· Hugger – My black with silver mesh rear wheel hugger was purchased from SportsBikes NZ and is made by Powerbronze in the UK.

· Tire Repair Kit – I always carry a BMW tubeless tire repair kit under the seat. It’s my “get me home” option.

· Seat Cover – My sheepskin seat cover provides a bit of softening and can be purchased from the Good Wool Store in Australia and my Airhawk seat cushion was purchased from the Airhawk Guy in Australia as well.

The latest rode trip is a four day 1750 km ride to the “Far North” of the North Island and is here.

My longest road trip to date was in February 2009, this was a five day, 2280 km tour around the South Island and is here. Before that my longest trip was back in May 2006. Then it was a three day, 1700 km tour of the North Island, Wellington – Waihi (1^st night) – Turangi (2^nd night) – Wanganui – Wellington.

The story and pictures of a road trip in September 2006 up to Tauranga with a friend to collect his new Kawasaki ZX-10R is here. And yet another road trip in November 2006 around the North Island with the same friend is here.

The pictures and stories of my 2007 road trips are here and my only 2008 road trip is here.

Wairarapa Sprints 2007

Wellingtonians are spoilt for good motorcycling roads. To the north is the Rimutaka Hill road which separates Wellington from Featherston in the Wairarapa, this is a 25 km stretch of wonderful hilly, narrow, winding road with sharp drops and cliff faces. There's a café at the summit (2000 ft) which is worth stopping for, if only to admire the views and the other motorcycles that congregate there on fine days.

Rimutaka Hill road summit, looking south

Rimutaka Hill summit, three Ninja 650R’s and an ER-6N

Rimutaka Hill road map

Another favorite is the Paekakariki Hill Road which is about 15 minutes north of my home. The road starts by winding around the coastline of Pauatahanui Inlet from Paremata and then climbs approximately 10-15 km up to the summit, there are some great views of the Kapiti Coast and Tasman Sea. Return to Wellington is via the Centennial Highway or back down the valley to Pauatahanui and across the Haywards Hill to the Hutt Valley.

Paekakariki Hill road map

Paekakariki from the hill road summit, looking North

Websites I’ve visited recently that I can recommend for all those interested in motorcycling are:

Elena Filatova's website – Ghost Town and Land of Wolves. “My rides through the Chernobyl area…A story about town where one can ride with no stoplights, no police, and no danger of hitting some cage or some dog…”

WorldByBike.com – Silk Road, Backblocks America, Korea and now Africa. “Jo and Gareth Morgan along with some other Kiwis tour the world on motorcycles…”

The Last Hurrah – Beijing to Arnhem, In the footsteps of Zen. “Des Molloy along with some other Wellingtonians tour the world on motorcycles. There must be something in the water down here…”

African Odyssey – Capetown to London. “Four friends from Whakatane make the intrepid journey on totally unsuitable bikes with limited experience…”

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