This nameplate first appeared in the late 1970s as Kawasaki’s middleweight Z model, introduced for the 1977 model year as the Z650B1. It was positioned as a compact but lively standard motorcycle, earning a strong reputation for balanced handling and approachable performance. Kawasaki’s heritage materials describe it as a bike that combined the agility of a smaller machine with the real-world pace of a larger one, which helped make it a standout in the brand’s Z lineup.
The original run continued through the early 1980s and ended in 1983, after which Kawasaki shifted its attention to newer GPz-era models. That created a clear break in the nameplate’s history rather than a straight continuous production line.
The same model name returned in 2017 on a very different motorcycle. The revived version carried the Z family’s street-naked identity into the modern era, using a compact parallel-twin platform and an all-new chassis approach aimed at easy handling, everyday usability, and contemporary performance. Kawasaki’s own model history identifies the 2017 Z650 as a new-generation motorcycle, distinct from the earlier four-cylinder original, while still part of the broader Z lineage.
As a result, the nameplate has two separate production periods: the original 1977-1983 era and the modern revival that began in 2017 and continues today.