Kawasaki Z250 India launch soon?

Of all the bike makers who have recently started worshiping India, Kawasaki will surely get the biggest share of our blessings. They have launched one beauty after other, from the crazy ZX-14R to the baby Ninja 300.

Rumor has it that Kawasaki Z250, the naked sister of Ninja 250R will be launching in India soon. The bike bears a fair resemblance to the awesome Z800, so should be a real beauty in flesh. Here are some of the specs of Kawasaki Z250 

1. 249cc parallel-twin, DOHC engine
2. Liquid cooled
3. 31.5hp power, 21Nm torque
4. Fuel injection
5. 5 way adjustable rear monoshock
6. 290mm disc front, 220mm rear, both dual-piston calipers
7. 110 section front, 140 section rear 17 inch tires
8. 168kg weight
9. 17 liters fuel capacity
10. 6 speed transmission

The Kawasaki Z250 was showcased at the Tokyo motor show in 2013, and it now rumored that it will be the next bike to be launched by Kawasaki in India via the CKD route. Even though it is coming via the cheaper way, the Z250 is expected to be priced around 3 lacs, given Kawasaki’s propensity to price their products very steep. Bad news for bikers, but not much that we can do about it.

The Kawasaki Z250 has the same engine as the now discontinued Ninja 250R, and bears strong resemblance to it in design as well. Power and torque figures haven’t changed much either. The bike weighs in a tad heavy at 162kgs, which should limit its acceleration and top speed a bit, although it will add to the overall stability.

The only real competition in the naked 250cc category for the Kawasaki Z250 would be the Suzuki Inazuma, which, needless to say, isn’t much of a battle at all. The Inazuma looks stupid, a bit retarded as well, so the sleep Z250 shouldn’t have much trouble beating it to the ground, where it belongs.

The Kawasaki Z250 looks quite sharp and aggressive, with the heavy exhaust and Z-shaped semi-fairing up front giving it a unique feel. This latest streetfighter should be a lot of fun in the city, and will also make those long tours seem short. I don’t expect the build quality to be anything short of top-notch, so reliability shouldn’t be a problem either. Hope to see the Kawasaki Z250 launched in Mid 2014, which along with the single-cylinder Ninja RR Mono, should make things pretty interesting!