Kawasaki expected to unveil Ninja 400 at EICMA

New 400 expected to replace Ninja 300, offer better performance and features

Kawasaki has been working on the Ninja 400 for a while now with the bike close to production. The bike was spotted in July being filmed for a commercial in Milwaukee US. We expect the Ninja 400 to be showcased at the upcoming EICMA motorcycle show in November. The new bike is expected to replace the Ninja 300 and also bridge the performance deficit with the other key players in the segment: the KTM Duke 390 and the Yamaha YZF-R3. The Ninja 300 makes 39PS, which is less than the 44PS and 42PS power outputs of the KTM 390 Duke and Yamaha YZF-R3. The Ninja 400 is expected to make more power but stick under 47PS for it to comply with the A2 license requirements in Europe. The 400 is expected to come with a 399cc parallel twin motor to keep costs in check.

The motor isn’t the only thing expected to grow here. The Ninja 400 looks larger than the Ninja 300 thanks to new body panels and a beefier exhaust unit - a byproduct of Euro 4 emission norms. From the pictures, it looks like the bike gets LED tail lamps and headlamps inspired by Kawasaki ZX-6R, a taller flyscreen and wider tyres.

Kawasaki has not come out with a Euro 4 version of the Ninja 300 which indicates its intent to replace it with the Ninja 400. They might come out with a Ninja 250 as well to cater to A1 licence customers. We expect the Ninja 400 to hit global markets by early 2018.

The Ninja 300 is being sold in India in its BS-IV avatar. The current generation, apart from BS-IV changes and a new sticker job, sees no major updates. We expect the Ninja 400 to debut here sometime later next year. When it comes here, the Ninja 400 will be assembled at the Kawasaki factory in Chakan, Pune. Expect a Rs 4-4.2 lakh price for the bike.

Spy images courtesy: MCN