- New Kawasaki Z250 with inline four engine rumoured
- To be based on the same platform as the Ninja ZX-25R
- India launch unlikely in the near future
Kawasaki had created quite a stir in the global two-wheeler market in 2019 with the launch of the Ninja ZX-25R featuring a four-cylinder engine. After two years now, rumours are rife that a naked version of the bike is expected to be out soon.
Small-displacement four-cylinder motorcycles used to be a thing in the olden days. However, in the quest of prioritizing practicality and frugality, now most of the bikes up to mid-sized engines come with either single or twin cylinders. However, Kawasaki brought the excitement of small four-cylinder engines back with the ZX-25R. Now, the possible introduction of its naked iteration is no surprise. At Kawasaki, this has been a long-going tradition of spawning naked versions based on the fully-faired platforms.
In all probabilities, this inline-four Z250 will follow in the footsteps of the existing Z models on the design front with the sharp and combative Sugomi styling. The premium hardware, meanwhile, will be retained from the ZX-25R like upside down front forks and radially-mounted brake calipers. The engine too will perhaps be the same 250cc, inline four-cylinder unit as in the ZX-25R. So a power output figure of around 45bhp, minus that weight of the fairing, sounds like an enticing recipe.
Having said all that, it’s unfortunate that Kawasaki is unlikely to bring the inline-four Z250 to India, similar to the Ninja ZX-25R which never made it to our shores.
