• No output figures yet, but some rumours predict close to 60PS.
• This baby Ninja even gets a quickshifter and traction control.
• It also packs some properly premium underpinnings.
Is bigger always better? While the litre-class Z H2 might be hogging most of the limelight at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, the newly unveiled Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R is an equally exciting proposition. Powered by a 249cc in-line 4-cylinder motor, this baby Ninja harks back to small-capacity, multi-cylinder Japanese sportbikes from the ‘80s and ‘90s.
In terms of appearance and proportions, the ZX-25R looks rather similar to the Ninja 400 with its dual horizontal headlights. Like the 400, the ZX-25R is held together by a trellis frame made from high tensile steel. However, there are a few key areas where the 25R is very different from the Ninja 400 and far more similar to something like the ZX-6R.
For starters, it gets a separate function upside-down front fork just like you see on the 6R. It also comes with power modes, traction control and a quickshifter, which are features that are seen on the litre-class monster and completely absent in this quarter-litre segment.
Suspension at the rear is handled by a horizontal back-link monoshock setup while the front brake features a radially-mounted monoblock caliper. Going by what we see on the rest of the motorcycle, we can expect the suspension to be fully adjustable on this baby Ninja even though Kawasaki hasn’t confirmed the same.
Kawasaki also hasn’t given us any sort of specifications or performance figures, but rumours out there suggest that the ZX-25R could produce around 60PS of power. Going by the presence of traction control, and the high-revving capabilities of inline-four engines, we’re inclined to believe these rumours.