New Kawasaki Ninja 250 to have inline-four engine

Representative image

Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki is working on relaunching its quarter-litre supersport motorcycle, the Ninja 250R. Though the official name and date of launch hasn’t been confirmed, new reports have revealed an estimate of its power figures.

The ZX-25R, as it is dubbed, is reported to be an inline-four powered, 250cc motorcycle. It has been reported that the engine makes close to 60 PS of maximum power. This gives it an 11 PS advantage over the current quarter-litre entrant of Kawasaki, the Ninja 400.

Though there have not been any confirmed reports, it is stated that the engine can also have a rev limit of 20,000 rpm. This takes it to the level of race-spec bikes or superbikes. It is expected that Kawasaki will design the engine with high-strength, lightweight materials which can sustain the high revs and speeds.

The ZX-25R is expected to carry forward the design language of the Ninja H2. Although it won’t be equipped with a supercharger, it can be equipped with LED headlamps, a digital instrument cluster and ride-by-wire.

The company has not revealed any information about the motorcycle’s official launch, but it is expected that it will be unveiled at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show. There are also chances that the motorcycle will be an exclusive JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) product, which means it will not be launched outside of Japan. However, it is best to wait for the official announcement from the company before coming to any conclusions.