Kawasaki has announced that the Z250 motorcycle in Japan and other few global markets will get with a slipper clutch and ABS as standard equipment starting next year.
The Z250 is the naked quarter-litre version of Kawasaki’s popular supersports motorcycle, the Ninja 300. Its styling has been heavily influenced by the bigger Z machines from Kawasaki’s line-up – the Z800 and the Z1000.
Mechanically, the Z250 is identical to the Ninja 300 and is built around a tubular steel frame. It is powered by a 249cc parallel-twin engine, which is a downsized version of the 300cc unit. It delivers 31.5bhp and 21Nm of torque and comes mated to a six-speed gearbox.
Earlier this year, the Z250 was launched in the Indian market along with the ER-6n middleweight naked motorcycle, though the former doesn’t come with either an ABS or the slipper clutch. Despite the lack of these two features, the Z250 comes with a very steep price tag of Rs 2.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), which makes it just Rs 60,000 cheaper than its faired sibling. In case Kawasaki India does decide to offer the slipper clutch with the Z250, next year, we expect this price gap to narrow down further, which might negatively impact the naked motorcycle’s sales.
