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CFMoto’s Sport Bike Concept Might Be Your 400cc Dream

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CFMoto is not a brand that we talk much about here on A&R, as the Chinese firm has a minimal presence in our core markets of readership: North America and Europe.

When you do hear about CFMoto, it’s usually in relation to the company’s partnership with KTM, but rarely ever is the news about the company’s own creations.

As such, let us introduce you to CFMoto, as you may have seen their latest concept bike making waves on social media. The name needs some work – SR-C21 doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, but don’t let that stop you from drooling.

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Rumors

Here Is Our First Glimpse of What the New KTM RC390 Will Look Like

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The KTM RC390 is set for a major overhaul for the 2022 model year, with the pint-sized platform getting a serious makeover   next year and a bevy of mechanical improvements as well.

While we expect the 2022 KTM RC390 to debut officially later this year, a blogger out of India has scored what looks to be official studio photos of the KTM RC390, KTM RC200, and KTM RC125 models.

The photos show the bikes’ massive overhaul visually – a look that we think will be more palatable to the two-wheeled masses than its predecessor.

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Rumors

Rumors Begin About a Four-Cylinder Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R

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The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R is a crazy machine. Maybe not quite as crazy as the small-displacement screamers from the heyday of sport bike design, but still crazy enough in a world of tightening regulations and budget-focused OEMs.

Of course, we know that the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R was made for markets where the Kawasaki Ninja 400 was too expensive to own, primarily because of taxes, insurance, and licensing structures.

This is also part of the reason why the 50hp 250cc machine doesn’t come to the USA or Europe, but instead finds a home in the Asian markets.

Now, we get word that rumors have begun about an encore to Kawasaki’s craziness – a four-cylinder 400cc machine that could be called the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R.

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Rumors

Aprilia Is Working on a 300cc/400cc Class Sport Bike

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By the end of this year, Aprilia will finally bring its new two-cylinder platform to reality, putting the Aprilia RS660 (pictured above) on dealership floors.

This full-faired sport bike will be joined in early 2021 by the Aprilia Tuono 660, and from there we can expect at least one more model from this parallel-twin platform.

But what about something on the smaller end of the scale? There is an obvious hole in Aprilia’s lineup when it comes to the 300cc/400cc segment. That might be set to change, however.

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Bikes

Behold, The New Kawasaki Z400 Street Bike

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Another model that we expected to see debut at the 2018 EICMA show, the Kawasaki Z400 is a logical evolution of the small-displacement lineup that Team Green is creating.

Built in conjunction with the Kawasaki Ninja 400 sport bike, the Z400 is the naked option for the street for new riders, short riders, and riders that want to do more with less.

This means that the 2019 Kawasaki Z400 has a 399cc parallel-twin engine, that produces 45hp (33.4 kW), which is a 6hp increase over the 300cc model that it replaces.

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Rumors

A Naked Kawasaki Ninja 400 Cometh?

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Team Green surprised us last year, announcing the Kawasaki Ninja 400 sport bike as a successor for the still fresh Ninja 300. For bonus points, Kawasaki brought the Ninja 400 to the US market, where it has displaced its smaller rivals (do you see what we did there??).

Now it seems that Kawasaki is ready to bring another 400cc sport bike to market, as a filing with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) tip-off the upcoming Kawasaki Ninja ER400DK. 

In Kawasaki-speak, the “ER” designation has been used for many of the company’s naked motorcycles over the years, so putting two and two together, logic would dictate that a naked version of the Ninja 400 is on its way for the 2019 model year.

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Rumors

Updates Coming for the Yamaha YZF-R3 in 2019?

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It looks like the Yamaha YZF-R3 will get a refresh for the 2019 model year, as photos of the bike – complete with a facelift – have surfaced in Indonesia.

The new design brings the R3 closer into the rest of Yamaha’s supersport family, particularly with an intake shape that looks inspired by the Yamaha YZR-M1 MotoGP bike.

There is a split on rumors as to whether the rest of the machine will get an update as well, specifically the frame and engine, though we can expect some some minor refinements to the overall package, no matter what the case may be on that front.

LED headlights and lighting all around have been tipped, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see an updated dash as well.

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News

USA Gets Upgraded with the Kawasaki Ninja 400

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The 300cc sport bike class has become the 400cc sport bike class – the 2018 Kawasaki Ninja 400 is proof of this. As expected, the all-new Ninja 400 model comes to the United States for the next model year, and replaces its smaller sibling.

This perhaps is good news for American riders, as Kawasaki USA isn’t raising the price ($4,999 for the non-ABS model) of the small-displacement machine, with the ABS model priced between $5,299 and $5,499 (the latter is for the KRT race replica).

Featuring a completely new chassis and motor, the Kawasaki Ninja 400 also borrows its styling cues from the supercharged Kawasaki Ninja H2 lineup.

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Bikes

Goodbye Kawasaki Ninja 300, & Hello Kawasaki Ninja 400

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There is no replacement for displacement, the old adage tells us, and that is exactly the driving force behind the 2018 Kawasaki Ninja 400, which debuted today at the Tokyo Motor Show.

Replacing the Kawasaki Ninja 300 in the lineup, the Kawasaki Ninja 400 is set to be Team Green’s new entry-level model, and help Kawasaki better compete against bigger bikes like the Yamaha YZF-R3 and KTM RC390.

This news may come as a shock however, since the Ninja 300 was only available for five years (whereas the Ninja 250R served in various guises for decades), but Kawasaki says the major driving force behind the new model is the Euro4 homologation requirements, which required a clean-slate design.

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Bikes

Kawasaki Ninja 400 Coming to the USA for 2018

By No Comments

It looks like Kawasaki’s small-displacement family is about to grow, as Team Green is set to add another model to its Ninja lineup. Spotted in the California Air Resources Board (CARB) filings by the eagle eyes at Motorcycle.com, the 2018 Kawasaki Ninja 400 is surely coming to US soil.

The model was first spotted during shooting for a advertisement, by a local TV station in Milwaukee. With Kawasaki already having a 300cc version of the Ninja for the American market, it’s not clear how a 400cc model will fit into the Japanese company’s scheme.

Either the 2018 Kawasaki Ninja 400 will replace the popular Ninja 300 for the US market, or both bikes will be offered to American riders. Both options are hard to fathom however.

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Bikes

KTM 390 Duke Gets a Facelift for 2017

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The KTM 390 Duke has sold like hotcakes since its 2013 debut, and now the pint-sized street bike is getting a facelift for the 2017 model year.

As has been the case with many of KTM’s new model releases, the 2017 KTM 390 Duke will get a similar kendo-styled LED headlight design, which we have already seen debut on the updated KTM 1290 Super Duke R and the recently released KTM 1290 Adventure R.

Bodywork changes come to the 2017 KTM 390 Duke as well, which give the entry-level machine a very edgy look and feel. Other changes include an improved ride-by-wire throttle, a full-color TFT dash, and a rear subframe that now bolts directly onto the steel trellis chassis.

The new subframe also means that the seat design has been changed, and KTM has seen fit to adopt a larger 3.5-gallong fuel tank for the 390 Duke. There are new 43mm WP suspension forks to soak up the bumps, and also a 320mm front disc for better stopping power.

Overall, the changes address many of the complaints levied at the original KTM 390 Duke design, which really should be taken as a compliment since the original model was pretty good out of the box.

The new bike is quite the looker as well, so it looks like KTM has another hit on its hands.

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