Launched: BS-IV Kawasaki Ninja 1000 And Z900 Sans Accessories

The BS-IV Kawasaki Ninja 1000 and the Kawasaki Z900 without accessories are priced at Rs 9.98 lakh and Rs 7.68 lakh respectively (ex-showroom)

Kawasaki has launched the 2017 BS-IV Ninja 1000 and the Kawasaki Z900 without accessories in India today. While the BS-IV Ninja carries a price tag of Rs 9.98 lakh, the Z900 that has been introduced without accessories is now priced at Rs 7.68 lakh (both ex-showroom). The Ninja 1000 has been updated to comply with BS-IV emission norms, while the Z900 is being offered without the previously mandatory accessories in order to price it more aggressively. What else is new? Read on to find out.

Only 20 units of the BS-IV Ninja 1000 have been alloted for India. The 2017 model gets a wider front fairing, taller windscreen which is more aerodynamic and gets three levels of adjustability. It gets LED headlamps that are 1.3 to 1.5 times brighter for low beam illumination and the projection distance is 1.4 times longer for high beam. The new LED unit also saves 50 per cent power compared to conventional lights. The bike is powered by a Euro-IV compliant 1043cc engine which develops 142PS @ 10,000rpm and a peak torque of 111Nm @ 7300rpm mated to a six-speed gearbox. The Ninja 1000 gets electronic aids like Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC), Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System (KIBS), Power Modes and Kawasaki Corner Management Function (KCMF). The bike is constructed on an aluminium backbone-type frame. Suspension duties are handled by 41mm inverted cartridge forks with stepless compression and rebound damping and adjustable spring preload with 120mm travel at the front. A horizontal monoshock with stepless rebound damping and remotely adjustable spring preload with 137mm travel takes care of the same at the rear.

Braking is done by dual 300mm petal-type rotors with radial-mount four-piston Monobloc calipers at the front and a single 250mm petal-type rotor with single-piston caliper at the rear. The bike is shod with 120/70 R17 tyre at the front and 190/50 R17 at the rear. The bike gets a 19-litre fuel tank and weighs 234kg. The saddle height is 815mm and ground clearance is 130mm. The bike is available in Metallic Spark Black and Metallic Graphite Grey colour and is priced at Rs 9.98 lakh (ex-showroom, pan India).

As far as the Z900 is concerned, the bike was offered only with company-fitted accessories and this led to a significant boost in its price. The company has now offered the motorcycle without accessories to position and price it competitively against other middle-weight naked motorcycles in the market. It faces competition from the Triumph Street Triple and the Ducati Monster 797. To reduce the price, the bike now misses out on accessories like flyscreen, crash guards for the front forks, engine guards, engine casing covers, a gel tank pad, premium seat cover and pillion seat cowl with small back cushioning for the rider, charging socket on the handlebar and radiator guard. By giving all these previously mandatory accessories a miss, Kawasaki has been able to price the bike at Rs 7.68 lakh (ex-showroom, pan India).

The Z900 retains the sharp design which bears significant resemblance to its bigger sibling, the Z1000. Internationally, the motorcycle is built around a high tensile Trellis frame, powered by a 948cc in-line four cylinder engine which produces 125PS of power @ 9500rpm and a peak torque of 100Nm @ 7700rpm, mated to a 6-speed transmission. The motorcycle gets slipper clutch and a segment first all-LED headlamp. It gets 41mm inverted forks at the front and a horizontal back-link monoshock unit at the rear. Braking duties are handled by dual 300mm petal-type rotors with four-piston calipers at the front and a single 250mm petal-type rotor with single-piston caliper at the rear. Additionally, ABS is offered as standard. The bike runs on a Dunlop Sportmax 120/70 Z R17 tyre at front and a 180/55 Z R17 tyre at the rear. The Z900’s saddle height is 795mm and it gets a 17-litre fuel tank. At 212kg, the Z900 weighs 20kg lesser than the outgoing Z800.