Is Kawasaki Working On A Four-Cylinder Z250 Naked Bike? Threads in the few forums made waves after it indicated there could be a new naked bike in Kawasaki’s lineup soon.
I’m sorry to burst your bubble, Kawasaki fans, but so far, this is just an unsubstantiated rumour with the usual “unnamed source from Japan” attached to it.
Kawasaki sportbike fans are jonesing for some new blood from the folks in Big Green. The Ninja 300 was a great “me-too” machine, but it suffered from a highly ordinary motor made it just one of the 300cc sportbikes on the market.
Since then, Kawi has released a litany of new models based on their parallel-Twin ranging from 300 to 1500ccs — with each release improving over the last.
Most recently comes word there might soon be a streetfighter-style naked bike in the lineup sporting somewhat familiar styling cues.
4 cylinder banger
Now fast forward to today, where you have an abundance of bikes with 900cc and even 1000cc four-cylinder motors, producing tremendous power numbers.
But doesn’t it seem like we are losing throaty howl that comes from a high-revving four-banger?
However, watching a 250cc four-cylinder rip around a race track is one of the most satisfying things you can see. Hearing a 249cc inline-four scream at 17,500 RPM, making 43.5 horses while it’s spinning up to its redline, is something that cannot replicate.
It was once a badge of honour, a hallmark of rider focus and passion for riding a sportbike or naked bike powered by a four-cylinder engine.
These days, 250cc sportbikes and naked bikes have been relegated to either single-cylinder or parallel-twin-engined platforms.
Whether or not the Z250 will spawn a naked 250 version is yet to be confirmed. But if it’s any indication, its sibling may just be in the works right now, too.
This rumour arose several years after Kawasaki unveiled faired ZX-25R.
Other reports suggest the bike will use some proprietary technology first seen on the Ninja H2. For instance, Kawasaki could develop a derivative of their supercharger to power this new naked machine. Is it possible well time will tell.
via Moto.it
