Revival of the mini supersports? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Revival of the mini supersports?

K

killvino

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New Kawsasaki ZX-25R, inline four 250cc with top shelf suspension components.
Said to be coming to North America.
The 250 and 400cc inline fours we never got here were amazing bikes, rev sky-high with more character and better sound than the current single or twins.
Hope this catches back on again. Better insurance and more fun on the street than 600 supersports IMO.

LINK


2020-Kawasaki-ZX-25R-04.jpg
 
Awesome. I agree these would be fun to have around again. The problem has always been the price. These things have a lot of parts and component count makes a bigger price impact than component size. You end up with a 50 hp bike for approximately the same price as a 110 hp bike. I wish them luck and even if I probably won't pay for one, listening to them ripping around will make me happy.
 
I love it and would probably get one if they bring it here. Other manufacturers have claimed to be unable to comply with new Euro emission standards with small high revving cylinders, perhaps Kawasaki has figured something out.
 
Traction control on a 250? Probably because the parts were already there anyway so it was free for them to add.
 
Looks good, apart from the clipons and the price tag
 
GreyGhost said:
Awesome. I agree these would be fun to have around again. The problem has always been the price. These things have a lot of parts and component count makes a bigger price impact than component size. You end up with a 50 hp bike for approximately the same price as a 110 hp bike. I wish them luck and even if I probably won't pay for one, listening to them ripping around will make me happy.
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I read the reason BMW went with the 1000cc SS was because they determined the development and manufacturing cost was nearly the same regardless of displacement, but they could sell the 1000cc bike for a few thousand dollars more per unit than lower displacement bikes.

This Kawi 250 looks cool, but if MSRP has to be too close to the 600cc bikes in order to make it profitable, most buyers in NA would just get the 600. Most other countries have cc or hp caps which force buyers into the lower cc bikes.
 
beverage said:
I read the reason BMW went with the 1000cc SS was because they determined the development and manufacturing cost was nearly the same regardless of displacement, but they could sell the 1000cc bike for a few thousand dollars more per unit than lower displacement bikes.

This Kawi 250 looks cool, but if MSRP has to be too close to the 600cc bikes in order to make it profitable, most buyers in NA would just get the 600. Most other countries have cc or hp caps which force buyers into the lower cc bikes.
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Well soon enough, insurance may make 600+ cc RR bikes unrideable on the road (except for the select few where money is no issue).

These may actually be a good fit for all the young riders that come on here bitching about riding an SS or nothing at all for their first bike, costs be damned. Most people that see that bike won't know it isn't eyeball bleeding fast. Even if the bike cost for 250 and 600 is similar, the insurance will be thousands a year cheaper for the 250.
 
GreyGhost said:
Well soon enough, insurance may make 600+ cc RR bikes unrideable on the road (except for the select few where money is no issue).

These may actually be a good fit for all the young riders that come on here bitching about riding an SS or nothing at all for their first bike, costs be damned. Most people that see that bike won't know it isn't eyeball bleeding fast. Even if the bike cost for 250 and 600 is similar, the insurance will be thousands a year cheaper for the 250.
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Thats already the case, SS are unrideable (Except for the select few where money is no issue)

and also if 'costs be damned' is the mantra, they would go for a SS anyway.
 
Where did you get that price from?

Although...this will not be cheap. The parts count is the same as a 600 aside from only one front brake caliper, and the steel frame should be a little less expensive. Those are small parts of the total cost. Engine will cost the same.

It will be bought by serious riders. I am fine with that. Go back a few years; the FZR400 was more expensive than the FZR600. Most people bought the 600, but the 400 was the real deal.
 
Brian P said:
Where did you get that price from?

Although...this will not be cheap. The parts count is the same as a 600 aside from only one front brake caliper, and the steel frame should be a little less expensive. Those are small parts of the total cost. Engine will cost the same.

It will be bought by serious riders. I am fine with that. Go back a few years; the FZR400 was more expensive than the FZR600. Most people bought the 600, but the 400 was the real deal.
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Last paragraph of the article linked by the OP

"Presumably Kawasaki will talk details at a later date, but the rumor from Japan is that pricing could be around the $9,500 mark. Congratulations Kawasaki, you win this round! "
 
KWDRZ said:
Cool but needs to be cheaper. $9500USD? No way
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When I read it comes with top shelf suspension components :/ I thought the price was pretty reasonable.
... if it comes in red.

Oh wait! US$ ya that's up there. We need to make our dollar worth more.
 
13K + CDN will make this a hard sell. I'd love to pick one up about 3 yrs after they are introduced, but I better know the owner. These things will get the daylights rung out of them.
 
I would hope they setup the computer to limit rpm until it gets some heat in the oil to tame the stupidity but they probably wont. Revving something to almost 20,000 rpm with molasses circulating in it will not end well.
 
Cool bike. I would buy one at $9500-$10000 CAD over a Ninja 400 at $6300. If the rumoured U.S price is true then yeah I’m going with a 600 or different direction all together.
 
Wonder how much it will weigh. The Jap 250s of the 90s all had aluminum frames iirc.
350lbs wet, 20K rev limit and 70hp would be ideal. I have my doubts it will reach any of those.
 
If it's made in China it could be saleable here. Too expensive if made in Japan. I remember the Yamaha Phaser didn't sell though. The problem with small cc i4s is they have to be revved high to get torque. So while highway speeds will be easier, every day riding in city traffic won't be such fun unless you're into screaming it all over the place. Then there's handlebar buzzzzz. So yeah, the bike will have great novelty value, and make you feel like you're doing 150 when you're doing 50, but not practical except on a track racing the same class. Just my .02
 
K20EF8 said:
Wonder how much it will weigh. The Jap 250s of the 90s all had aluminum frames iirc.
350lbs wet, 20K rev limit and 70hp would be ideal. I have my doubts it will reach any of those.
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I saw a guess of 40hp somewhere which seems much more realistic than 70. Remember this is a street legal 4T 250, not a race bike. They need some longevity and have next to no budget for go fast bits in the build.
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