kawasaki Ninja 250R 2013

Sunday, 11 November 2012

kawasaki Ninja 250R 2013

The world’s favourite 250cc motorcycle just got a facelift, and a massive one at that, with a host of changes to ensure that the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 250R kicks the competition’s(read Honda CBR250R) butt quite comprehensively. First of all, the styling of the motorcycle sees a sea change. Up fronts, the headlamps are twin units, like the Yamaha R15, along with revised front and side fairings which also house the turn indicators. The motorcycle gets other stylistic changes in the form of raked up pillion seat and a new tail section. The motorcycle also gets a new exhaust muffler.

All in all, the Kawasaki Ninja 250R looks strikingly similar to the Yamaha R15′s supersport styling. All along, the Kawasaki Ninja 250R featured a slightly relaxed riding position and with the 2013 model, the motorcycle breaks away from tradition to embrace styling that is supersport like with an aggressive riding position. Considering the able track tool that the Ninja 250R has always been, the new styling and riding dynamics will only improve this further. The motorcycle also gets new design for the alloy wheels and new disc brakes at the front and the rear. Also, the instrumentation cluster is staggering.

No question, Honda hit a home run with the 2011 CBR250R, a compact, fully modern interpretation of the quarter-liter commuter/sportbike. The Honda entered a market segment that had been dominated by Kawasaki’s twin-cylinder 250R ever since the little Ninja’s introduction in 1986. The Kawasaki hadn’t seen many updates over the years, simply because there wasn’t much competition, although it did undergo a significant refresh in 2008.

But those tweaks weren’t enough to let the Ninja match the refinement and build quality of the fuel-injected, ABS-equipped, single-cylinder CBR.

As Honda priced its 2012 CBR250R ABS at $4599, which is just $400 more than the MSRP for the current non-ABS Ninja, Kawasaki was forced to react.

Rumors of an updated 250 Ninja have come out several months ago,but information and photos of the 2013 model finally surfaced on Kawasaki Japan’s home-market website

According to that website, the engine, frame and suspension are all-new. The liquid-cooled, dohc, eight-valve, 249cc parallel-Twin will almost certainly be fuel-injected, despite the disclaimer that EFI will not be available in all markets.If competing against the rival Honda is the Ninja’s intent, injection would seem to be mandatory

As for the chassis, the Ninja’s new high-tensile steel frame is more rigid to improve stability and handling. Additionally, the engine is rubber-mounted to reduce vibration

ColoRs of the new model

Styling-wise, the new 250 evidently was inspired by the current ZX-10R and ZX-14R. The crisp, angular upper fairing incorporates headlights reminiscent of those on Kawasaki’s flagship liter-class sportbike, and new side fairings with ZX-14R-like vents are part of an effort to better manage heat and keep it away from the rider. An all-new tailsection is more in line with Kawasaki’s current design trends. Ten-spoke wheels and a more modern-looking exhaust silencer (incorporating a new heat shield) also freshen up the visuals, while a hybrid analog/digital dash gives the new Ninja a more polished appearance.