It feels as if Kawasaki did this as a dare!

We are living in a time where any new product launch has to be justified, as to why should it exist. The same goes for motorcycles as well. And perhaps the biggest concern facing the motorcycle industry today is the ever-tightening emission norms. Only yesterday the Euro4 was the big thing, but now we are already working on adhering to the Euro5 and Euro6.

Add to that the rising costs. All this is leading manufacturers around the world to keep the pinnacle of two-wheeler technology restricted to the upper segment. But 2019 is the year when a certain Japanese bike maker announced that it has different ideas. Kawasaki is bringing the inline-4 250cc nostalgia back with a big bang.

Take a look at the all-new Ninja ZX-25R, the very first 250cc motorcycle of the 21st century embraced with an ever desirable 4-cylinder engine. Time to relive the 1980s.

Kawasaki unveiled the ZX-25R at the on-going Tokyo Motor Show and has set the motorcycling world on fire. Although, there were rumors that the company is working on such a motorcycle since 2014, but in all honesty, this was something hard to believe. It was just a bit too difficult to believe that the inline-4 250cc bikes will ever return. Nobody would bet on it.

But this is a surprise that any motorcycle enthusiast would love. So thank you Kawasaki.

What do we know about it so far?

That said, apart from what’s visible, there’s little known about the motorcycle. Besides that it is a liquid-cooled 250cc inline-4 engine with DOHC and 16 valves, all other specifications of it are yet to be revealed by Kawasaki. However, there are speculations that the engine will produce anything from 45 PS to 60 PS of power. In fact, there are rumors that the bike will come in two variants, one producing 45 PS and its more powerful version churning out 60 PS.

But it seems that Kawasaki is going full blast with the ZX-25R. The front suspension is a Showa SFF-BPF (Separate Function Forks-Big Piston Forks), along with a radial-mounted monobloc brake caliper. There’s the aluminium swingarm shod with a link-type monoshock. The frame is also brand new, of course.

The tech-highlight are the inclusion of traction control, a first in any production motorcycle in this segment. Then there are the power modes as well as a quickshifter.

The bodywork is inspired by the H2-like headlight assembly, which has been a trend in a number of Kawasaki sportbikes for some time now. Overall, the design thoroughly speaks the sharp and compact Ninja language.

Needless to say, we are restlessly waiting for full details on the Ninja ZX-25R. And that includes the price. And let’s understand that what Kawasaki has done is a very brave move, make no mistake about it. We hope that this will light a fire under all other motorcycle manufacturers too. Time to bring the 4-cylinder power back to the quarter-liter class.

Images credits: Tokyo-Motorshow.com