Okay, so, I’ve been messing around with this 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 650 for a while now, and I figured I’d share some of the stuff I’ve done and run into. It’s been a bit of a journey, let me tell you.

First off, this bike, it’s pretty solid overall. I mean, from what I gather, it hasn’t changed much since it first came out. People seem to think it’s reliable, and that engine, it’s supposed to be the same one they used in the ER-6f, which everyone says is bulletproof. So, I wasn’t expecting many problems there, and so far, so good.
I started by just riding it around, getting a feel for it. I used it for my daily commute, some weekend trips, you know, the usual stuff. It’s a comfortable ride, not too sporty, not too relaxed, just right for everyday use. I tracked my gas mileage too, just out of curiosity. Seems like I was getting around 44-45 miles per gallon, which isn’t too shabby. 15 liters tank will run about 163 miles. Pretty good.
Battery Issues
But then, one morning, it just wouldn’t start. Dead battery. That was a pain. I mean, it’s such a basic thing, but it can totally ruin your day. So, I had to jump it, which was a hassle.
Gear Shift Hiccups
- I also had some weirdness with the gear shifting. Sometimes it wouldn’t go into gear smoothly, or it would slip out of gear. It wasn’t all the time, but it was enough to be annoying. I did some digging online, found some forums where people were talking about similar issues.
That Pesky FI Light
Then there was this flashing FI light on the dashboard. At first, I had no clue what it meant. Turns out, it’s some kind of indicator for a fault. I found a video online that showed how to check the fault codes. It looked like it might be the vehicle-down sensor acting up.
I started reading up on recalls and stuff, just to see if there was anything major I should know about. Found out there was a recall for some 2009/2010 models, but it didn’t seem related to the issues I was having.

I kept digging, found some more forum posts, and even some DIY tips from other Ninja 650 owners. It’s a real community out there, people helping each other out, which is cool. It seems like some models had shifting issues, but overall, they’re reliable.
So, yeah, that’s where I’m at with this Ninja 650. It’s been a bit of a learning experience, but it’s also been kind of fun figuring things out. I’ll probably keep tinkering with it, see if I can smooth out those gear shifts and figure out that FI light once and for all. It’s not a showstopper, but I like things to work right, you know? Anyway, that’s my story for now. Hopefully, someone out there finds it helpful.