It’s no secret that Kawasaki Motors is working on
the naked roadster version of the new Ninja 400, the Z400. As reported in
August 2018, the Japanese two-wheeler brand had filed emissions documents at
the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for two 400 cc motorcycles – the Ninja
400 and the ER400DK.
In recent updates about Kawasaki’s Z family
motorcycles, a digital render of the next-generation Z250 has surfaced on the
blog site Motoblast. Kawasaki has already unveiled the new Ninja 250, and it’s
only a matter of time before the Japanese brand reveals its naked roadster
version.
The next-generation Kawasaki Z250 has been imagined
wearing a Z900 inspired fascia while the body is identical to the new Ninja
250. A small windscreen accompanies the predator style headlight in the digital
render. The 2018 Kawasaki Ninja 250 features a full LED light and, thus it
wouldn’t be entirely incorrect to expect the same for the next generation Z250.
Bolt-on shrouds further enhance the robust design of
the fuel tank on the Z250. Meanwhile, the step-up split seat and the ZX-10R
inspired tail light have been retained from the Ninja 250. The hardware list,
too, will be carried forward from the Ninja 250 and thus you’d see conventional
telescopic forks up front and a monoshock suspension at the rear.
The 2018 Kawasaki Ninja 250 features a more powerful
engine than its predecessor did. The 249 cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled, DOHC
engine is now tuned for 39 PS at 12,500 rpm and 23.5 Nm at 10,000 rpm. For
reference, its predecessor developed 32 PS and 21 Nm. The 2019 Kawasaki Z250
will come equipped with the same engine.
Similar to the 2018 Ninja 250, the next-generation
Z250 is expected to use a single 310 mm petal disc up front and a single 220 mm
petal disc at the rear. The Z250 has been around for some four years, and it’s about time
that it gets an upgrade. We should hear more details as the 2018 EICMA
motorcycle show (opens 6 Nov) comes closer.
