The 2021 Kawasaki new model line-up gets unmasked!!
With Kawasaki launching a six new or updated models for 2021, we take a punt at what they could be
THE 2021 Kawasaki range includes what we think are some all-new or at least updated models for next year.
Team Green has even been extra teasing on this one, by chucking a load of the new metal on stage and draping them all in Kawasaki branded bike covers. That’s not to say there aren’t some clues to tell us what is coming up, from the bike themselves and also the teaser video that accompanies.
2021 Kawasaki new model teaser
Here’s what we think is about to happen.
If we look at the bikes in the same order that they are illuminated in the video above, the first we see is clearly a member of the Kawasaki dual-sport family. The video that accompanies it shows a bike transitioning from road to dirt. Reports suggest this could be an updated version of the KLX250S or possibly a larger 300cc version. The cover obviously doesn’t give anything away in terms of bodywork, suspension or graphics, although as the KLX, in its current guise, is getting a little long in the tooth, we’d expect a bit of a spruce up.
Moving right along to the right and we can see a machine that seems to have an identical silhouette to the first bike. The accompanying clip shows the kerbs of a racetrack, caked in skidmarks and rubber. The images of the track make you think of a sports bike, but the shape of the machine doesn’t fit. It is though fitted with spoked wheels and chunky road tyres. Taking that into account and we have to assume that this bike is the supermoto version of the KLX we can see above.
The next bikes under the spotlight are the two bikes located on the far right of the ‘stage’. And the fact that they are both illuminated at the same time is the biggest clue as to what lies beneath. I’m willing to stake my money on these machines being the updated ZX-10R Ninja and the homologation special, the ZX-10RR Ninja. Not only does the shape and overall size of the bike fit the bill, but the accompanying video also shows a racetrack pointing to the machine’s natural habitat.
The next bike to get shown a little trickier to pick out, with the cover doing well to cover up the machine's natural shape. The front end of the bike though does seem quite bulbous, and there is a tell-tale sign beneath the bike too. The underslung catalyst and front end shape point to this bike being an updated 2021 Z H2.
It’s strange for Kawasaki to be updating the bike so soon after launch, which points to this model being a new type of Z H2 altogether. Kawasaki may have lent the bike the electronic suspension system from Ninja H2 SX SE +.
The final model to be teased out is clearly an adventure style machine, with loads of ground clearance, wire wheels, and dual-sport tyres. This we believe to be the KLR650 heavyweight enduro machine.
So, are these the bikes Kawasaki will be releasing next year? Have they thrown us a massive red herring?
We won’t have to wait long to find out. The covers come off the new 2021 Kawasaki models on November 23rd.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
