India Kawasaki Motors has launched the Ninja ZX-4R at Rs 849,000 (ex-showroom, India). At this price, it is even more expensive than the Versys 650 adventure tourer, and Rs 71,000 less than the much larger Z900 street naked, which is also an inline-four.

The Ninja ZX-4R is powered by a 399cc liquid-cooled inline-four motor which develops a heady 80hp (with ram air assistance, 77hp without) – that’s nearly as much as the Honda CB650R. However, peak power comes in at a stratospheric 14,500rpm, which means this is an engine the rider will have to work hard to derive the best out of. The Ninja ZX-4R  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 has launched only the base variant in India – the higher-spec SE variant and the ZX-4RR have not made it here. This version is held together by a trellis frame suspended on an upside-down fork and monoshock. Up front, it is 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.

In terms of features, the control centre is the 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 the user 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.

India Kawasaki Motors sold 283 motorcycles in August 2023, the same as it did a year ago. For the April-August 2023 period, total bike sales are 1,738 units, up 32% year on year (April-August 2023: 1,318 units)