The all-new 2022 Kawasaki Z650RS brings retro style to Team Green’s middleweight Z lineup. Photos by Kevin Wing.

The last bike I rode before swinging a leg over the 2022 Kawasaki Z650RS was a 1975 Honda CB400F SuperSport. I?ve owned this Honda for more than 30 years and, having just come back from Moto41 motorcycle restorations in Santa Ana, California, it?s as new as a 47-year-old bike can be. While not a Kawasaki, there?s an interesting juxtaposition comparing a modern retro throwback to an OG member of the era.

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The 2022 Kawasaki Z650RS is available in Candy Emerald Green or Metallic Moondust Gray/Ebony for $8,999. The 50th anniversary edition in Candy Diamond Brown (not shown) is $9,249.
Joining the Z900RS in Kawasaki?s lineup, the Z650RS in Candy Emerald Green or Metallic Moondust Gray/Ebony retails for $8,999, while the 50th anniversary edition in Candy Diamond Brown is $9,249. When the CB400F was new in 1975, it retailed for $1,433, or $7,818 in 2022 dollars. The Z costs more but, considering its performance and technological advancements over the CB, it?s a bargain.

The price of the Z650RS becomes a little harder to justify when compared to its half-brother stablemate, the non-RS Z650 ABS model, retails for $8,049. Considering the Z650RS and Z650 share the same engine and chassis, the retro styling of the RS comes at a $950 premium.

The retro-styled Kawasaki Z650RS is built on the same solid...