Kawasaki has refreshed its 2015 Ninja lineup, save for the ZX-6R and ZX-10R, but the changes are only restricted to new graphics and a few extra colour options. So while it is nothing to get excited about, what certainly, though is the confirmation that the ZX-14 R is not going anywhere with the upcoming Ninja H2 hyperbike – that’s exactly what we had predicted!
Let’s check the 2015 lineup anyway and see if there any surprise additions to the range…
New 2015 Kawasaki ZX-14R
The Hayabusa beater, ZX14R gets a new Metallic Carbon Gray colour and with the slats on the sides of the fairing finished in Candy Lime Green. The wheels also get pin striping in the latter colour. The 1441 cc monster comes with a host of features, chief among them being the ABS, K-TRC (traction control) and three power modes to choose from, which make this intimidating-looking bike relatively easier to ride than one would imagine.
2015 Ninja 1000
This is one bike that has quickly gained popularity in India and it’s easy to see why. Be it the riding position or the power delivery, both are not extreme on the Ninja 1000 like they are, say, in the Ninja ZX-10R. Make no mistake though – the 1043 cc inline-four will throw you off the bike if you take it too casually.
Of course, the bike comes with ABS and even the traction control comes with three levels of interference, but you need to be completely aware of what you are doing should you choose to turn the latter completely off – pay the Ninja the respect that it deserves and it would reward you with ‘untiring superbiking’ for endless kilometres. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that this one gets two new colours for 2015: Candy Lime Green / Metallic Spark Black and Metallic Carbon Gray / Metallic Spark Black.
2015 Ninja 650 and Ninja 300
Both the Ninja 650 and the Ninja 300 get new graphics for 2015 and the latter also gets better rubber in the form of Dunlop TT900 GP tires. But what really gets my goat is the fact that Kawasaki has not given ABS even as an option in both these bikes in India despite offering the safety feature in both motorcycles globally. Come on Kawasaki, even the TVS Apache RTR 180 comes with the ABS option!
Anyway, you can expect Kawasaki India to bring the 2015 Ninjas here soon considering the aggression they have been showing off late…
