Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R
Discussion
Love it but I suspect the top spec one will be pretty close to £10k OTR in the UK.
Hard to see who will buy it at that. On the road it would likely be hard work most of the time and when its not people will assume you are multiples of the speed limit even if you aren't due to the engine note at high revs.
On a track day it would likely get pretty old getting passed by everything on the straights.
Hats off to Kawasaki for doing it and I hope its a success.
Hard to see who will buy it at that. On the road it would likely be hard work most of the time and when its not people will assume you are multiples of the speed limit even if you aren't due to the engine note at high revs.
On a track day it would likely get pretty old getting passed by everything on the straights.
Hats off to Kawasaki for doing it and I hope its a success.
It's an interesting product in this day and age. The 400's back in the 90's were knocking out 60 horses and were a tiny bit lighter (around 160kg dry). This Kawasaki has 80 horses and 188kg wet. Yeah it doesn't seem impressive when a Ducati Panigale weighs less and has three times the power but it'd perform better than a lot of the supersports 600's ever did! What's more astonishing is that Kawasaki produce the ZX25R, which is a four cylinder 250cc bike for south east asian markets. I think this 400cc version is pretty much the 250cc but with a larger engine....
https://www.mcnews.com.au/kawasaki-zx-4r-80-hp-fou...
https://www.mcnews.com.au/kawasaki-zx-4r-80-hp-fou...
I'm not a kwak man but absolutely love this
Price is the key here. Needs to be competitive. Having ridden bikes circa that power on the road you can absolutely rag the crap out of them, feel like a hero but its not the bonkers 150+ hp of these bigger naked/sports bikes which make things happen very quickly
Price is the key here. Needs to be competitive. Having ridden bikes circa that power on the road you can absolutely rag the crap out of them, feel like a hero but its not the bonkers 150+ hp of these bigger naked/sports bikes which make things happen very quickly
The spec looks really exciting but I'm not sure it'll sell in any numbers in western markets. The popularity of large bikes, especially dual sport bikes and retros, suggests the buying public generally don't want to be riding on the red line all the time, constantly up and down the gearbox, just to maintain traffic, or slightly faster than traffic, pace.
If it's cheap enough, and has enough character, then there may be a market for it to be a second or third bike, sat in the garage for an occasional sunny Sunday afternoon, or for a track day where people don't want to risk the "pride and joy".
Other parts of the world where licensing/capacity legislation makes this size bike attractive, as it did in Japan previously, is likely where it'll sell.
If it's cheap enough, and has enough character, then there may be a market for it to be a second or third bike, sat in the garage for an occasional sunny Sunday afternoon, or for a track day where people don't want to risk the "pride and joy".
Other parts of the world where licensing/capacity legislation makes this size bike attractive, as it did in Japan previously, is likely where it'll sell.
I approve of this.. The original ZXR400 was a great bike and existed at a time when Sportbikes ruled the roost. These days dual/crossover/retro/do anything bikes seem to be the thing to have.
It’s interesting that the people (like myself) who have been riding 30+ years gravitate towards more comfortable bikes instead of the wrist aching bikes of our youth and hence the popularity of big upright adventure style bikes today. But there ‘seem’ to be less & less younger riders coming into biking compared to previous decades..
WSBK, MotoGP, BSB still have huge followings and fans, so maybe reintroducing a smaller, affordable sport bike that apes the Superbikes being raced will actually encourage younger riders into bikes, much as it did for me and my mates in the late 80s
It’s interesting that the people (like myself) who have been riding 30+ years gravitate towards more comfortable bikes instead of the wrist aching bikes of our youth and hence the popularity of big upright adventure style bikes today. But there ‘seem’ to be less & less younger riders coming into biking compared to previous decades..
WSBK, MotoGP, BSB still have huge followings and fans, so maybe reintroducing a smaller, affordable sport bike that apes the Superbikes being raced will actually encourage younger riders into bikes, much as it did for me and my mates in the late 80s
rodericb said:
It's an interesting product in this day and age. The 400's back in the 90's were knocking out 60 horses and were a tiny bit lighter (around 160kg dry). This Kawasaki has 80 horses and 188kg wet. Yeah it doesn't seem impressive when a Ducati Panigale weighs less and has three times the power but it'd perform better than a lot of the supersports 600's ever did! What's more astonishing is that Kawasaki produce the ZX25R, which is a four cylinder 250cc bike for south east asian markets. I think this 400cc version is pretty much the 250cc but with a larger engine....
https://www.mcnews.com.au/kawasaki-zx-4r-80-hp-fou...
I think your weight comment is confusing dry weight and kerb weight. The kerb weight of a Panigale is 198.5kg. (I don't know why manufactures give dry weights as no one is going to ride without fluids in the bike!!!) Even at almost 200kg, the Panigale is still super light but it's not lighter than the ZX-4Rhttps://www.mcnews.com.au/kawasaki-zx-4r-80-hp-fou...
I'll be considering one of these when they come out. I want a road bike you can rev the tits off and 75 bhp is the perfect amount for road fun in my svartpilen 701 but I'll need a test ride to see what it's like when it's much higher up the rev range. I like watching zx25r vids on YouTube I think they sound great.
Looks great, although not my type of bike.
It will be interesting to see how they price it. A CBR650R is £8.5k, has 93bhp and weighs around 208kg's. This is likely to be a more focused bike in terms of its riding position and power delivery. My guess would be around £8k for the base model up to over £9k for the ZX4RR.
It will be interesting to see how they price it. A CBR650R is £8.5k, has 93bhp and weighs around 208kg's. This is likely to be a more focused bike in terms of its riding position and power delivery. My guess would be around £8k for the base model up to over £9k for the ZX4RR.
I would have loved the 250R they did, all my riding is within the M25 so small bikes are where it's at for me (I'm still on a Grom but have use of an R3 too). Light weight, easy to park but still fun is where it's at, running costs are peanuts too.
Definitely interested in this if the price is right but it sounds like it'll be pitched at the same price as a cbr650r which makes it a difficult choice
Definitely interested in this if the price is right but it sounds like it'll be pitched at the same price as a cbr650r which makes it a difficult choice
Edited by Byronwww on Friday 3rd February 14:44
Byronwww said:
I would have loved the 250R they did, all my riding is within the M25 so small bikes are where it's at for me (I'm still on a Grom but have use of an R3 too). Light weight, easy to park but still fun is where it's at, running costs are peanuts too.
Definitely interested in this if the price is right but it sounds like it'll be pitched at the same price as a cbr650r which makes it a difficult choice
This isn't the bike for you on that basis. What torque there is peaks at 11k rpm and its not especially light or small. I expect London insurance would be spicy too given how it looks and the relatively high purchase price.Definitely interested in this if the price is right but it sounds like it'll be pitched at the same price as a cbr650r which makes it a difficult choice
Edited by Byronwww on Friday 3rd February 14:44
trickywoo said:
Byronwww said:
I would have loved the 250R they did, all my riding is within the M25 so small bikes are where it's at for me (I'm still on a Grom but have use of an R3 too). Light weight, easy to park but still fun is where it's at, running costs are peanuts too.
Definitely interested in this if the price is right but it sounds like it'll be pitched at the same price as a cbr650r which makes it a difficult choice
This isn't the bike for you on that basis. What torque there is peaks at 11k rpm and its not especially light or small. I expect London insurance would be spicy too given how it looks and the relatively high purchase price.Definitely interested in this if the price is right but it sounds like it'll be pitched at the same price as a cbr650r which makes it a difficult choice
Edited by Byronwww on Friday 3rd February 14:44
I thought it would be about the same size and weight as the Ninja 400?
I really like this and am waiting for the price. I've recently had to sell off all my bikes and am just left with my mint 06 MV Agusta F4. Sadly this will have to go too to fund a house move. I miss the screaming 400's and love the fact you can wring its neck and not have double speed license losing mode without being fully aware of it.
£7499? I'm in as long Kawasaki finance is not ridiculous!
£7499? I'm in as long Kawasaki finance is not ridiculous!
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff