Kawasaki has taken the wraps off the 2023 Ninja 400 and Z400 for European markets. The big news, however, is that the engines in both motorcycles are now Euro-5 compliant. This effectively means the Ninja 400, which was discontinued in India when the BS6 emissions norms kicked in, might be relaunched.
The 2023 Kawasaki Ninja 400 and Z400 are powered by a 399cc, liquid-cooled, parallel-twin engine that makes 45hp and 37Nm. While the power figures are the same as before, peak torque has dropped by 1Nm. The effect of this minor dip in peak torque on overall performance should be negligible, considering that the kerb weight of both motorcycles is the same as before.
Another important update to the Ninja 400 is a 20% lighter slip and assist clutch, which Kawasaki says reduces effort while changing gears.
Kawasaki has not made any changes to the bodywork; trellis chassis and suspension and the bikes get a telescopic fork and a pre-load adjustable monoshock. Braking is taken care of by a 310mm petal disc at the front and a 220mm disc at the rear.
The only visual differences are the new colours on both bikes, with the Ninja 400’s Kawasaki Racing Team livery looking rather fetching.
The unveiling of the Euro-5 compliant Ninja 400 gives hope that Kawasaki India might bring it here and hopefully does not price it as absurdly as the ₹4.69 lakh (ex-showroom, India), it asked for the previous bike.
