As per the latest reports, Kawasaki is all set to take over the quarter-litre segment with its upcoming Ninja ZX-25R. The motorcycle is currently under the prototype stage while the brand will develop the engine and body at its production facility in Indonesia. It is expected to carry a 4-cylinder engine as Kawasaki will try its best to fetch as many fans as possible from the Honda CBR250RR, which came with a 2-cylinder unit instead of the expected 4-cylinder engine. The current gen Kawasaki Ninja 250 is available with a twin cylinder engine and the ZX-25R will be featured as the most compact ZX series sports bike with its limited displacement.
The new Ninja ZX-25R will carry a 249cc 4-cylinder liquid cooled DOHC engine, which is expected to produce 45 HP of maximum power with around 30 Nm of maximum torque. It will use a standard 6-speed transmission. It will be using LED headlamps and indicators while its components would be mostly shared with the twin-cylinder Ninja 300 and Ninja 400. Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R is expected to arrive in Indonesia by the end of 2019 in the concept form and the international launch may take place by end 2020 or early 2021. Bringing in some tough competition to the Honda CBR250RR, it is expected to stay under INR 4 lakh (equivalent Indian price to Indonesian currency).
Ninja ZX-25R can make it a nice option for those who feel the need for a smaller yet a supersport bike for every type of riding conditions. However, the powerful motor is not an all-new concept from Kawasaki as they already had a two-stroke 4-cylinder quarter-litre engine on their side in the 1990s. The engine on the 1990 Kawasaki ZXR250 was good for 46 HP of maximum power and later, got replaced with a twin cylinder engine. The engine had a high redline and the same character is expected from the upcoming ZX-25R. The spy shots for the Ninja ZX-25R are yet to arrive.