As expected, Aprilia has filed an appeal with the International Motorcycling Federation‘s International Disciplinary Court for the finish to the second race of the past weekend’s World Superbike Championship round at Italy’s Monza circuit.

The race ended in controversy stemming from Kawasaki‘s Tom Sykes running wide on a corner and missing a chicane on the final lap. Sykes was in third place at the time ahead of Aprilia‘s Sylvian Guintoli, and was able to return to the track ahead of Guintoli, crossing the finish less than a second ahead of the Aprilia rider to take third place.

After the race, Aprilia filed an appeal and race direction ruled Sykes should have ceded position because he gained an unfair advantage by cutting the chicane. Kawasaki later filed a their own appeal with the FIM’s Stewards Panel, arguing Sykes was already well ahead of Guintoli and only ran off track to avoid running into BMW Goldbet rider Marco Melandri. The Panel agreed, reversing Race Direction’s decision and restoring Sykes to third place. Continue Reading »

BMW Motorrad Goldbet racer Chaz Davies scored his first career World Superbike double victory, taking both races at Spain’s Aragon circuit. The wins were the second and third of Davies’ WSBK career (the first came last year at Nurburgring for the ParkinGo Aprilia team) and the second ever double in the series for BMW.

The Welsh rider and former AMA Pro Racing competitor has had some success at Aragon, getting his first career WSBK podium at the Spanish track in 2012. Davies continued his good form, taking third in the Superpole to start on the front row. Continue Reading »

Kawasaki received four awards including gold medals for Best Venue and Best Cinematography at the New York Festivals International Television & Film Awards for ads featuring the Ninja ZX-6R (636) and the Z800.

The New York Festivals have been celebrating the best in television and films for 55 years. This year’s awards, announced at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, awarded 119 gold medals, 145 silver medals, 10 bronze medals and 327 finalist certificates for entries representing 50 different countries.

Kawasaki submitted the videos for the Ninja ZX-6R and the Z800 and received four medals and a finalist certificate. Continue Reading »

The 2013 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R has been homologated for AMA Pro Racing, making it eligible for the Daytona Sportbike and Supersport classes for 2013. The news comes as a bit of a surprise as those classes typically consist of Inline Four racebikes with a displacement smaller than 600cc.

The new Ninja ZX-6R immediately carries a displacement advantage over its I-4 competition in the class such as the Honda CBR600R, Suzuki GSX-R600 and Yamaha YZF-R6. Also eligible in those classes are the Ducati 848 (a Twin) and the Triumph Daytona 675 which uses a three-cylinder engine. The 636 will carry a weight penalty however, facing a minimum weight of 375 pounds compared to 355 pounds for the sub-600cc bikes.

The last time Kawasaki had a 636cc Ninja, it produced a 599cc  ZX-6RR for competition purposes. Kawasaki did the same this time for Japan, introducing a limited production run of the 599cc Ninja ZX-6R because the 636cc version did not qualify for its domestic racing program. The AMA has decided this wasn’t necessary and gave the new, larger Ninja approval.

The 2013 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R will also be eligible for various classes in the WERA, CCS, AFM, MRA, CVMA, CMRA and UtahSBA championships. Continue Reading »

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) has released an updated list of motorcycles homologated for the 2013 Superbike, Supersport, and Superstock racing season. Notable additions include the new BMW S1000RR HP4, the MV Agusta F3 and the Superbike-spec Ducati 1199 Panigale R.

To qualify a production-based racebike for FIM homologations, manufacturers have to meet certain production thresholds. Manufacturers must first produce 125 units ahead of a homologation inspection. After that, manufacturers have to produce a minimum of 500 units by June 30 and 1000 units by December 31 of the current year, and a minimum of 2000 units by the December 31 of the following year.

Production counts include both ABS and non-ABS versions of the same model, and at least 250 units of each version have to be produced. Production models must also be available for sale in either the U.S., Europe or Japan by the end of April of the current year to qualify. Continue Reading »

You may remember last fall’s release of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R was accompanied by a mind-blowing short video commercial of a rider screaming around the 37.33-mile Isle of Man TT course aboard the new 636 Ninja. Now, Team Green has just released a “Making Of” video about the production of that video, featuring TT star James Hillier.  Continue Reading »

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. Continue Reading »

When Kawasaki announced it was upping the engine displacement for the Ninja ZX-6R to 636cc, the immediate question on many Team Green fans’ minds was what it would mean for the company’s supersport racing efforts. Kenan Sofuloglu won the 2012 World Supersport Championship on a Kawasaki ZX-6R, but under the regulations, he may not be allowed to defend his title next season on the 2013 model as homologation requirements in Supersport racing series limit Inline-Fours to displacements smaller than 600cc.

Fear not however, as Kawasaki will be producing a special version of the ZX-6R with an engine displacement of 599cc, the same as the 2012 version. When Kawasaki last produced a 636cc ZX-6R from 2003-2006, it also produced a 599cc ZX-6RR for racing purposes. The 2013 Kawasaki ZX-6R racing homologation special will be available in Japan for a price of 898,000 yen (US$11,240). Continue Reading »

Motorcycle.com would like to announce the latest member of our forum network: KawasakiNinja300.com!

The all new KawasakiNinja300.com community is the home of owners and enthusiasts of the new Kawasaki Ninja 300. Share pictures, learn maintenance tips and discuss aftermarket upgrade options with other Ninja 300 fans.

Whether you’re a new rider, someone trading up from the Ninja 250 or a veteran picking up a Ninja 300 as a second (or third) bike, all are welcome to KawasakiNinja300.com.

Join our new Kawasaki Ninja 300 forum community to learn more about the new Ninjette and chat with other owners. Visit KawasakiNinja300.com and register today!

Join our new Kawasaki Ninja 300 forum community to learn more about the new Ninjette and chat with other owners. Visit KawasakiNinja300.com and register today!

Canadian Kawasaki has confirmed it will offer the new 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300. We will likely have to wait until Kawasaki‘s “Ninja Times Square Takeover” on Sept. 13 before learning about U.S. availability but with the new bigger, little Ninja announced in Canada, a U.S. launch is all but certain.

Internationally, Kawasaki will offer both a Ninja 300 and a Ninja 250. The 250 has been updated with new ZX-inspired bodywork and optional ABS, all of which is also carried over onto the new Ninja 300. Kawasaki Motor Corp. U.S.A. thus has two little Ninjas to choose from, and though we still have to wait for official news, it’s likely they will opt for the larger model to face off in the suddenly competitive small-displacement sportbike market against Honda’s CBR250R.

The Canadian-spec Kawasaki Ninja 300 will be fuel injected, and an impending U.S. model will be as well. In recent years, Kawasaki’s North American operations offered only carbureted 250s while a fuel injected version was available for other markets. With a new model, it’s finally time to bring EFI to North American Ninjettes. Continue Reading »