Kawasaki

Kawasaki ZX25R made its debut at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show in October last year – First country where the bike is launched, is Indonesia
A 250 cc, in-line 4 cylinder motorcycle, which delivers a mind-boggling 51 PS power at 15,500 rpm and 22.9 Nm torque at 14,500 rpm – meet the new Kawasaki ZX-25R. Now officially launched and can be purchased at a Kawasaki dealership in Indonesia. Unfortunately, it is only on sale in Indonesia. But the good news is that, the ZX25R will soon be launched in many more countries.

The two wheeler world took notice when Kawasaki first announced this motorcycle, and has been waiting with bated breath for its launch. Not that this is something the world has not seen before. Ofcourse there have been 250cc i4 motorcycles in the past, like the Yamaha FZR250, Suzuki GSX-R250, Kawasaki ZXR250 and more recently, the Honda CBR250RR.
Design inspired from the elder sibling Ninja 400, ZX25R is made in the same Kawasaki plant, where they manufacture their flagship Ninja H2 and H2R. Prices start from IDR 96,000,000 (Rs 5 lakhs) for the base variant, which does not get ABS. Top variant with ABS is priced from IDR 112,900,000 (Rs 5.9 lakhs). Apart from ABS, the more expensive ZX25R variant also gets the dual tone livery. A total of four colour options are on offer – lime green, black, blue/black and white/black. Mono tone colours are for the base variant.

Some of the top features on offer with ZX25R are assist & slipper clutch, economical riding indicator, electronic throttle valves, quick shifter, traction control, power modes, ABS, USD forks in front, horizontal backlink rear suspension with spring reload adjustability, etc. Braking is via single 310 mm disc in the front and single 220 mm disc at the rear. Dual ABS is on offer, but only with top trim.
Speaking about dimensions, new Kawasaki ZX25R is 1980 mm long, 750 mm wide and 1,110 mm tall. It has a wheelbase of 1,380 mm and a kerb weight of 182 kgs. Ground clearance stands at 125mm while fuel tank capacity is 15 liters. Front tyre is 110/70R17M/C (54H) while rear tyre is 150/60R17M/C (66H).
Though the max power is delivered at 15,500 rpm, Kawasaki has revealed that this engine can be revved all the way to 17,000 rpm and above. The same they had shown in their official video, which also revealed the exhaust note of this machine.

Speaking about India launch of Kawasaki ZX-25R, until now there has been no official word about its launch. Kawasaki India is currently focusing more on introducing motorcycles with higher localization content. But at the same time, they have also launched CBU motorcycles from time to time. Will the ZX25R be launched in India, only time will tell. More

It is still not clear as to where this future engine will be used by Kawasaki – on a motorcycle, on a watercraft?

Two-stroke engines are largely considered a thing of the past in the automobile world. But can an old technology be used to achieve better results with new innovation? Kawasaki certainly believes so and has already filed a patent with the Japanese Patent Office. What Kawasaki is essentially working on is a series hybrid powertrain that comprises a combustion engine functioning as an electricity generator. The connected electric motor then power the wheels.
As of now, we are more familiar with the parallel hybrid system. Typically, a low power combustion engine is used to recharge the batteries, which helps extend the range of the vehicle. Kawasaki’s idea is different, as the engine will be a high-performance unit. When running at its optimal speed, the engine can achieve significant efficiency as well as low emissions.
In its design, Kawasaki has introduced some innovations to the standard two-stroke engine. These engines are usually considered to be fuel hungry and bad for the environment with their high carbon emission rate. Kawasaki’s design is different as poppet valves have been used, similar to that of a four-stroke engine. In a standard two-stroke engine, there are ports in the cylinder walls. Kawasaki’s upgraded two-stroke engine also comes with double overhead camshafts.

Another key change is that Kawasaki has used cross-plane crankshaft instead of a flat-plane crankshaft. Without this, the two cylinders would be firing simultaneously, generating too much vibration and creating additional stress on the engine. At each end of the crankshaft, there are electric generators instead of the conventional clutch and gearbox. Power will be stored in a small battery or even some super capacitors could be used. Power will be supplied to an electric motor that runs the rear wheels.
Some ships have series hybrid system, which allows them to achieve efficiency of around 50%. According to experts, efficiency of even 60% to 70% is achievable. This is exactly what Kawasaki may have in mind. If it becomes a possibility, Kawasaki’s new two-stroke engine may be rated at par with fully electric powertrains.

Electric motors can have efficiency of up to 95%, but we also need to consider energy losses arising from power generation & distribution and battery charging. When these factors are accounted for, efficiency of Kawasaki’s two-stroke engine will be close to that of electric motors.
In the patent application, it has been mentioned that the new engine can be used for buggies, trikes and watercraft. It’s debatable if Kawasaki will introduce this engine for any of its existing or new two-wheeler products. However, the engine does have potential. It can act as a bridge, as we transition from combustion engines to a fully electric ecosystem. More