Naked Ninja 300 Coming Stateside?

Tom Roderick
by Tom Roderick

Kawasaki announced today the launch of the new Z250 for the Indonesian market. According to Team Green, the new streetfighter is part of a naked sportbike category stemming from the original Z1 to today’s Z800 and Z1000. Besides a lot of hyperbole, information is in short order but what we know is that the new Z250 will be powered by the same 249cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 8-valve, parallel-twin found in the Ninja 250. It also shares its frame, instrumentation, fork and rear suspension with its faired counterpart.

The possibility of a similar model coming stateside utilizing the new 296cc engine found in the Ninja 300 is questionable, maybe depending on the sales success of the Ninja 300. Our initial opinion regarding the Ninja 300 is more than positive; by upping displacement 50cc Kawasaki has created one of best all-around small-displacement bikes and we’d like to see a naked version using this engine format.

Specs

FRAME
Suspension Front37 mm telescopic fork
Rear SuspensionBottom-Link Uni-Trak with gas-charged shock and 5-way adjustable preload
Brake HomeSingle 290 mm petal disc with dual-piston caliper
Rear BrakesSingle 220 mm petal disc with dual-piston caliper
Tires Home110/70-17
Rear Tires140/70-17
Length x Width x Height2.010 x 750 x 1.025 mm
Distance Axis Wheels1.400 mm
Distance to Land145
Weight168 kg
Gasoline Capacity17 liters
Trail26/82 mm
ENGINE
Type4-stroke, liquid-cooled Parallel Twin
Maximum Power23.5 kW {32 PS} / 11.000 rpm
Maximum TorqueKgf.m 21.0 Nm {2.1} / 10.000 rpm
Bore x Stroke62.0 x 41.2 mm
Volume of Cylinder249 cm
Valve SystemDOHC, 8 valves
Fuel SystemFuel Injection (ѳ28 mm x 2) with dual throttle valves
Ignition SystemDigital
Cooling SystemLiquid-cooled
Comparison of Compression11.3: 1
Drivetrain
Number of Transmission6-speed, return
Primary Reduction Ratio3,087 (71/23)
Teeth to-1 ratio2,600 (39/15)
Teeth Into Ratio-21,789 (34/19)
Teeth Into Ratio-31,409 (31/22)
Teeth Into Ratio-41,160 (29/25)
Teeth Into Ratio-51,000 (27/27)
Teeth Into Ratio-60,893 (25/28)
Final Reduction Ratio3,286 (46/14)
Type System Final DriveDrive chain
Overall Drive Ratio9056
Coolant Capacity1.5
ClutchWet, multi – disc
Tom Roderick
Tom Roderick

A former Motorcycle.com staffer who has gone on to greener pastures, Tom Roderick still can't get the motorcycle bug out of his system. And honestly, we still miss having him around. Tom is now a regular freelance writer and tester for Motorcycle.com when his schedule allows, and his experience, riding ability, writing talent, and quick wit are still a joy to have – even if we don't get to experience it as much as we used to.

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