Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R launched at Rs 8.49 lakh, more expensive than Versys 650

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.

1. 399cc, 80hp, 39Nm inline-four
2. TFT dash, riding modes, quickshifter
3. 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

Kawasaki has only launched the base variant 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. Dual-channel ABS is standard and braking is handled by twin 290mm discs at the front and a single 220mm unit at the rear. Tyre sizes (120/70-ZR17 front 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.