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Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R Debuts, 50hp & Cheaper Than We Thought

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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).

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MotoGP

Repsol Honda Unveils the Same MotoGP Color Scheme as Always

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You have to give credit to the factory Honda MotoGP team, they are true pillars of consistency, and have shown a strong commitment to using the same livery over, over, and over again each year.

Now, there is nothing wrong with this…per se. Good branding scholars will tell you the value of an iconic and unchanged marque, and having the same design on their race bikes certainly makes it easy on fans.

However, when it comes to launching your team for the next season, it creates the problem of people asking, “why should we care?”

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Rumors

Is a Four-Cylinder Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R Really Coming?

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The headline shares our thoughts on the matter. Is there really a four-cylinder Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R in the works? That is the rumor coming out of Asia, and not exactly a new one.

The bike is expected to debut at the Tokyo Motor Show later this year, in October, with an eye on reviving Japan’s lost history of screaming small-displacement machines.

While there seems to be some evidence that the bike will debut – sightings of a prototype have already been published – our reservations for excitement come from similar rumors that have failed to pan out.

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MotoGP

Six Quick News Stories from the MotoGP Paddock

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Joan Mir on the ECSTAR Suzuki GSX-RR MotoGP bike

With the three overseas* races out of the way and MotoGP back in Europe, the thoughts of the teams, riders, and series organizers are starting to turn to the future.

At Le Mans, there was much discussion in team trucks and among the organizers. And as a consequence, there was a stream of paddock rumor, interviews, and news articles on what’s coming up for the future. Here’s a round up of recent news.

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MotoGP

Indonesia To Host Both MotoGP & WorldSBK from 2021

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Indonesia is to get a round of MotoGP and WorldSBK from 2021. Confirmation of the news came faster than we expected, as Dorna issued two press releases on Saturday, announcing that both World Championship series it manages will race at the new circuit to be built at Mandalika in Lombok.

That MotoGP would race there is not a surprise, but that WorldSBK would also visit had not been much talked about.

But, this follows the same pattern as the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, Thailand, where WorldSBK was sent to the track first as a trial run, before MotoGP went to race there.

The agreement announced by Dorna envisages both series going in the same year, starting in 2021.

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MotoGP

MotoGP Gets One Step Closer to a Road Race in Indonesia

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On Tuesday, Dorna issued a press release together with the Indonesian Tourism Development Company, or ITDC, that brought an Indonesian round of MotoGP one step closer to reality.

If the plans come to fruition, MotoGP could be racing on a specially-adapted street circuit on the island of Lombok as early as 2021.

Carmelo Ezpeleta and his son (and MotoGP Sporting Director) Carlos visited Nusa Dua, in the south of Bali, one of Indonesia’s favorite destinations for tourists, as guest of the ITDC. While he was there, they hopped across to Lombok, the next island east of Bali, to visit the Mandalika tourist resort on the south coast of Lombok, which is currently under development. 

The plan is for a race to be organized on a circuit using the public roads inside the resort. This is the ‘street race’ which was rumored much earlier in the year, but about which few details had emerged.

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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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Bikes

Yamaha YZF-R15 Gets Updated with Variable Valves

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What you see here is the very unassuming 2017 Yamaha YZF-R15, a 155cc single-cylinder sport bike that was designed with the Asian market in mind – as such, the bike will debut in Indonesia in April 2017, and the rest of the ASEAN market later this year.

Hold on before you click through though, as while the R15 might be too small by our Western market standards, the new Yamaha YZF-R15 packs some interesting technology, namely Yamaha’s variable valve actuation (VVA).

Because of this technology, Yamaha says that the 2017 model of the YZF-R15 achieves a 18% increase in power output (19hp in total), and a 4.7% increase in fuel efficiency, all from its 3% engine displacement increase and with the VVA technology.

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