I guess this was bound to happen once we saw the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R become a real thing, as we are starting to hear murmurings that Yamaha may follow suit with a four-cylinder variant of its 250cc sport bike offering.
The rumor comes to us from Indonesia, with local site Iwanbanaran the first to report the story. Since then, the rumor has done the rounds in Europe, and now is making its way to North America.
After much teasing, and much waiting, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R has finally debuted in Indonesia, which means we can finally answer some of our most pressing questions about this rad little machine.
First off, the Ninja ZX-25R makes 50hp (37.5 kW) with Kawasaki’s dubious “RAM Air” power rating, which in normal numbers should mean a 49hp machine (though it seems to make 41hp on Akrapovic’s dyno).
The second big piece of information is pricing on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R, which Team Green has set at 96 million IDR (roughly $6,700). Now, there is an up-spec version, called the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R ABS SE, which include ABS and a KRT Livery option, and it pops for 112.9 million IDR (roughly $7,800).
Last week we brought you a report that said that the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R made over 40hp at the wheel at a recent dyno test.
The report attributed no source, which made that horsepower claim a bit hard to verify, but today we seem to have found where that power figure came from, thanks to our friends in Indonesia at the TMC Blog.
Slovenian exhaust maker Akrapovič briefly listed the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R on its website, showing both the stock horsepower and torque figures for the quarter-liter four-cylinder monster, but also the gains made from the company’s racing exhaust line.
Good news if you are a small-displacement racing fan, as the Aprilia RS250 SP will not just be a European affair, as we get word today that the 250cc track bike will be coming to the USA as well.
Interestingly enough, the Aprilia RS250 SP will not make its way across the pond via the Piaggio Group, but instead Rise Moto – the Ohvale distributer for the United States – will be importing the machine.
That shouldn’t be too much of a surprise for those who are in the loop on how the Aprilia RS250 SP came to be (and of course you are, as you religiously read Asphalt & Rubber every day).
Last week, we brought you photos of a carbon fiber clad Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R race bike that was put together by the Japanese brand to help promote the model’s launch, and to give an idea of what to expect from their upcoming spec-series for the quarter-liter screamer.
You liked it. We liked it. The motorcycling internet liked it. And let’s be honest, what isn’t their to like about this new motorcycle when its dripping in go-fast parts and ready to do the thing on any race track you point it at?
Feeling the need for an encore, Kawasaki has released some more photos of its carbon fiber ZX-25R, and naturally we feel obliged to share them with you.
Today is a twofer for the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R, as we get word from Southeast Asia that the bike’s debut this week has been postponed because of worries about spreading the coronavirus, which means we have to wait just a little longer to find out everything about this 250cc four-cylinder wonder.
On the bright side though, Team Green has posted up this unique carbon fiber creation, which it calls the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R Racer Custom model. As the name implies, it is a carbon-fiber-everything version of the ZX-25R, that is track-only.
If we made a list of motorcycles available in other markets that we don’t get here in the United States, surely the Honda CBR250RR would be a bike near the top of the list.
The plucky twin-cylinder sport bike is nothing like the Honda CBR250R or Honda CBR300R, in that it is a proper sport bike, not just some budget machine in wolf’s clothing.
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R is a bike that we are eagerly looking forward to, here at Asphalt & Rubber, which might seem strange if you don’t know too much about the quarter-liter sport bike.
But with a 250cc displacement coming from its inline-four engine, which revs to 17,000 rpm…well, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R isn’t your typical mundane small-displacement affair.
Team Green is slowly building the hype machine for this model, and to help get us in the mood, we have a short video of WorldSBK racers Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes putting the ZX-25R through its paces at the Jerez circuit.
One of the bikes we are looking forward to the most in 2020 is the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R. This mysterious small-displacement machine makes some big promises for a motorcycle of its size, namely because of its four-cylinder 250cc engine, which we now know will spin to 17,000 rpm.
Complete with traction control, riding modes, and a quickshifter, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R is packing some serious tech for a motorcycle that is typically found in the “budget” section at the local dealership.
But, this is all part of Kawasaki flipping the game on its head, and making a motorcycle that is truly unique and special.
Ever since Pierer Mobility (the holding company for KTM and Husqvarna) took control of GasGas, we have been wondering what was to come of the Spanish dirt bike brand.
But, thanks to the investor document that the Austrian brand published this week, we can see what is in store for GasGas in the near future, and it is certainly interesting.
Perhaps the most talked about motorcycle from the Tokyo Motor Show, at least when it comes to fans and journalists, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R was also the least talked about machine, in terms of manufacturers releasing details.
Kawasaki pulled the wraps off a four-cylinder 250cc sport bike, and then said…nothing.
In fact, the only official thing that Kawasaki has said about the motorcycle since its unveiling is to put out a press release reminding us that the Japanese brand has said nothing of substance about the new model.
No price has been mentioned. No marks on the calendar, or hints on which markets will get it first (or get it at all).
The release of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R is a great example of why brands need to have an engaged hand on their public relations, because all hell can break loose when you let go of the wheel.
While Kawasaki is still dropping the ball on this, let us try and bring some order to this chaos, both with what we know as fact, and what we can reasonably discern from those facts.