Kawasaki’s 2015 anniversary Ninjas

KAWASAKI is celebrating 30 years since the first ‘Ninja’ was introduced (in America) in the form of the GPz900R.

While us restrained Brits didn’t get the Ninja on any bikes until much later and it’s never caught on over here quite like it did in the States, it’s still become something of a sub-brand for Kawasaki, an umbrella term for the firm’s sports bikes.

While it might have been nice to see the firm celebrate the anniversary with a retro-replica paintjob – perhaps red-and-black in the 1980s Ninja idiom (think ‘Top Gun’) – Kawasaki has instead created a somewhat gaudy take on the green-and-white idea for the anniversary ZX-10R and ZX-6R.

In fact, there are four bikes, since both the  ZX-6R and the ZX-10R are available with or without the firm’s ‘KIBS’ anti-lock brakes.

Perhaps more telling than the paint schemes, however, is the fact that the pictures released by Kawasaki label the machines as 2015 models, suggesting that there are no technical upgrades planned for the 2015 versions of either the ZX-6R or ZX-10R.

A quick comparison of that first GPz900R ‘Ninja’ and the latest ZX-10R is a stark remainder of how much motorcycling has changed. What was a terrifyingly fast bike in 1984 had 115bhp and weighed 228kg. Today’s equivalent makes 207bhp (with ram-air, it’s a mere 197bhp when stationary) and weighs in at just 198kg, or 201kg with ABS.

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KAWASAKI is celebrating 30 years since the first ‘Ninja’ was introduced (in America) in the form of the GPz900R.

While us restrained Brits didn’t get the Ninja on any bikes until much later, and it’s never caught on over here quite like it did in the States, it’s still become something of a sub-brand for Kawasaki, an umbrella term for the firm’s sports bikes.

While it might have been nice to see the firm celebrate the anniversary with a retro-replica paintjob – perhaps red-and-black in the 1980s Ninja idiom (think ‘Top Gun’) – Kawasaki has instead created a somewhat gaudy take on the green-and-white idea for the anniversary ZX-10R and ZX-6R.

In fact, there are four bikes, since both the  ZX-6R and the ZX-10R are available with or without the firm’s ‘KIBS’ anti-lock brakes.

Perhaps more telling than the paint schemes, however, is the fact that the pictures released by Kawasaki label the machines as 2015 models, suggesting that there are no technical upgrades planned for the 2015 versions of either the ZX-6R or ZX-10R.

A quick comparison of that first GPZ900R ‘Ninja’ and the latest ZX-10R is a stark remainder of how much motorcycling has changed. What was a terrifyingly fast bike in 1984 had 115bhp and weighed 228kg. Today’s equivalent makes 207bhp (with ram-air, it’s a mere 197bhp when stationary) and weighs in at just 198kg, or 201kg with ABS.

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