At this launch price, the 399cc inline-four sportbike is priced just Rs 71,000 below the much larger Z900 street naked.
We were the first to break the story about Kawasaki bringing the Ninja ZX-4R to India, and the little inline-four screamer has just been officially launched at Rs 8.49 lakh (ex-showroom, India). At this price, it is even more expensive than the Versys 650 adventure tourer, and only Rs 71,000 less than the much larger Z900 street naked, which is also an inline-four.
- 399cc, 80hp, 39Nm inline-four
- TFT dash, riding modes, quickshifter
- Trellis frame, USD fork, monoshock
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R: engine
At its heart lies a 399cc liquid-cooled inline-four motor producing a heady 80hp (with ram air assistance, 77hp without) – that’s nearly as much as something like the Honda CB650R. However, peak power on the Kawi comes in at a stratospheric 14,500rpm, so this is definitely an engine you’ll have to work hard to get the best out of. It creates its power using RPMs rather than torque – its 39Nm torque figure puts it exactly on par with the newly launched KTM 390 Duke.
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R: underpinnings
It is only the base variant that has launched in India – the higher-spec SE variant and the ZX-4RR have not made it here. So the bike we receive is held together by a trellis frame suspended on an upside-down fork and monoshock. Up front, it’s an SFF-BP unit from Showa, while the monoshock is preload adjustable. Braking is handled by twin 290mm discs at the front with Nissin four-piston radial calipers, while the rear disc is a 220mm unit. Dual-channel ABS is standard. Tyre sizes (120/70-ZR17 and 160/60-ZR17 rear) are similar to the larger capacity, but less powerful Ninja 650.
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R: features
The control centre here is a familiar 4.3-inch Bluetooth-equipped colour TFT dash, which enables turn-by-turn navigation and notification alerts. It also has a separate Track layout, and you can cycle through the four preset riding modes – Sport, Road, Rain, and a customisable Rider mode, which allows the rider to adjust the traction control and power modes.