The Ninja ZX-25R Will Cost The Same As A CBR650R!

[Update: Kawasaki has launched the Ninja ZX-25 in Indonesia. Know prices and more details here.]

However, it is unlikely that the model will ever come to India

• The bike was briefly available for pre-orders in New Zealand at NZD 15,990.
• Production is slated to start towards the end of 2020.
• The 250cc inline-four motor could produce around 50PS.

Since its unveiling at the Tokyo Motor Show in October last year, more and more details about the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-25R have slowly been trickling through. Now, we finally have an idea of how much the revolutionary little sportsbike could cost once launched.

The ZX-25R was briefly available for pre-order in New Zealand at a price of NZD 15,990. This converts to around Rs 7.91 lakh, making it even more expensive than the Rs 7.70 lakh (BS4 price) Honda CBR650R! At this price point, it will also have to compete against the likes of the KTM 790 Duke. At first glance, this all seems a bit shocking, but a slightly deeper analysis gives more clarity.

When compared to local prices of the Honda and the KTM in New Zealand, the ZX-25R is more expensive than the CBR by about NZD 1,000 or Rs 50,000, but the 790 Duke is priced at NZD 18,199 (Rs 9.01 lakh), making it considerably more expensive than the Ninja. Nevertheless, the little ZX-25R is still around NZD 1,500 more expensive than the 2020 Ninja 650. Part of the reason for the little Ninja’s hefty price tag is the fact that it will be imported into New Zealand as a CBU on a one-off basis.

What’s interesting is that Kawasaki NZ had opened pre-orders for the ZX-25R but that link now seems to be defunct, indicating that perhaps the company has suspended pre-orders while it rethinks the price. It is also running a survey on its website asking potential customers if they’d be interested in a bike like the ZX-25R, and if so, how much they’d be willing to pay for it.

As for India, it seems unlikely that the ZX-25R will ever be sold here. But that being said, Team Green offers even the likes of the Ninja H2 on a one-off order basis, so if production numbers for the 25R are high enough, there might just be a slight possibility that we get the bike as a CBU. But the big volumes will most likely be sold in Kawasaki’s home nation of Japan and south-east Asian countries like Indonesia where large capacity bikes are heavily taxed.