#Kawasaki

During its presentation at Intermot, Kawasaki announced a new Z900, but we’d have to wait until EICMA to see it. Still, Kawasaki released a pair of images and some preliminary details with the caveat that they were still subject to change. Here’s what we know so far.

It didn’t take long after we put up our story about the 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 before a commenter mused about how a naked model using the same platform could look. Well funny you should ask, because here it is.

Kawasaki has updated its twin-cylinder Ninja 650, introducing a new trellis frame, assist and slipper clutch and ZX-inspired styling. Offering a blend of sporty performance and practical versatility, the 2017 Ninja 650 sits in that sweet spot for new riders looking at upgrading from their beginner bikes to more experienced riders looking for a more practical middleweight option.

Kawasaki is taking its superbike up another level, introducing the new ZX-10RR at Intermot. Limited to just 500 units in Europe (we’ll have to wait to hear if any units will be reserved for the U.S.), the double-R was designed with feedback from its championship-winning World Superbike program, and Kawasaki hopes to see the ZX-10RR filling superbike and supersport paddocks in the seasons ahead.

For many, Autumn is the beginning of the end of another riding season. But for any motorcycle enthusiast, Autumn is also the time of the year when we see the fruits of R&D departments being unveiled, enticing us with fresh motorbikes that we’ll be anxious to ride in the year ahead.

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) and promoter Dorna announced a new entry-level racing class that will join the World Superbike Championship in 2017. The new Supersport 300 World Championship will open a new avenue for developing young racers while also giving manufacturers a venue to showcase their small-displacement sportbikes.

A few days ago, some images began floating around reportedly depicting a supercharged 600cc Kawasaki expected to be called the “Ninja R2.” But just like we did last week with a design patent for a 125cc Honda Monkey prototype, we’re going to explain why these reports probably aren’t true.

Kawasaki announced it is working on an artificial intelligence system that would allow a motorcycle to communicate with, and adapt to its rider. The AI would be able to converse with a rider and, using cloud computing and a motorcycle’s electronics, adapt the bike’s settings to the rider’s needs and skills.

Taiwanese manufacturer Kymco has filed a design patent for a motorcycle based on Kawasaki‘s ER-6n. The design, filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office, shows a motorcycle with a similar engine, swingarm and offset lay-down shock as the ER-6n and its faired sibling, the Ninja 650. The Kymco design has a different frame and bodywork than Kawasaki’s naked Twin.

Kawasaki Motor Corp. USA just moved from its forever headquarters in Irvine, California, to a new HQ five miles away in Foothill Ranch. There’s probably a very good reason you’d pack up your huge warehouse/office and everything and everybody in it, but nobody at a level that deals with the likes of me seems to know why. Anyway, the same things happen when anybody moves: You dig up a lot of old stuff you forgot you had. How about a quick spin through the stuff that didn’t get thrown out?

I’ve read it a thousand times and probably written it a few hundred: If you want to grow your motorcycle skills, get a dirtbike. Most people who aren’t so familiar with knobbies might think that means one of those $9,000 450cc monsters capable of leaping tall orthopedic wards in a single bound, but what you really want is a bike like the ones they train people on at Colin Edwards’ Texas Tornado Boot Camp, Rich Oliver’s Mystery School, and others. Okay, well, those happen to be Yamaha TT-R125s, but now Kawasaki has a new competitor for that little beast in the form of its “all-new” KLX140G.

“You guys never say anything bad about the bikes you test.”

After a complete redesign in 2016, the big KX impressed us with its new, slim chassis, strong mid-range power and much-improved handling, but we felt that there were other issues that kept it from living up to its potential. Kawasaki has addressed those very concerns for 2017, and these refinements pay off in big way, edging the KX closer to the top of the 450cc motocross class.

In my First Ride Review of the 2017 Kawasaki Z125 Pro I mentioned, “the Kawasaki, and its oversquare Single, feels like it has more bottom-end grunt compared to the Honda.” Of course, the Honda in question here is none other than the Grom.

Kawasaki’s KLX110 has long been a great little dirtbike for the munchkins, and with the addition of the KLX110L, even the bigger kids (aka, parents) can join in on the fun. Both models are still in Kawasaki’s lineup, only $200 more than they were in 2010, when MO’s Alfonse Palaima got to ride them at Fox’s backyard dirt track. How did a grown child like Fonsie take to the little Kawi? Read on to find out. And for more pics, be sure to click the photo gallery.