How many bucks can you earn in the coming three months? If you are an ardent bike lover and have a dream of owning a practical sports bike, than start accumulating as much as you can because the BAAP of all (practical that is..) bikes is coming to set the roads on fire and people all over the world call this fury as Kawasaki Ninja 250R. A few days back people spotted this dazzling beauty which has been awaited for quite some time now in the Pro Biking outlet of Bajaj in Pune.
The bike was kept there for only a few hours and if we believe the Bajaj officials over there, than the bike was just kept there on display to see how much space it would occupy. Moreover, the bike was also accompanied by a few Kawasaki officials who were there to witness and view the showroom space and direct the designing staff about the placing of the bike attractively.
The piece that was kept in the showroom was the flagship Green color of the bike. Worldwide there are two versions of the bike; one is the carbureted version which is sold in the American market and the other one is the Fuel Injected version which is sold in UK and Europe. According to reports this bike is the same version which is sold in the European/UK markets and this means that the bike would sport Fuel Injection (as the US version is carbureted). Now for all those who do not know the specifications than here they are, this Kwacker is a 249 cc parallel twin cylinder liquid cooled 4 stroke engine with 4 valves per cylinder.
The maximum power output produced by this widely acclaimed machine is 33 PS at 10500 rpm and the maximum torque produced is a hefty 22 Nm which comes in at 9500 rpm. Many would be wondering about the higher RPM figures! Than let me inform you that the bike revs all the way up to 14-15000 RPM. Incidentally, the carbureted version in the States produce more power than the Fuel Injected sibling in Europe, reason being, the stricter emission norms in Europe.
The bike comes with manual six speed transmission. Braking duties are performed by massive 290mm hydraulic petal discs upfront and 220mm petal discs at the rear. Though, nothing official has been out as of now but according to some murmurs, the bike is expected to cost somewhere around 2.50 lakhs. Seems costly….? Now read the performance figures; the bike can attain a speed of 100 kmph in a flash; 5.75 seconds going by the watch. And the bike goes all the way to attain top speeds of above 170 kmph. Now compare this with the current fastest Indian bike which does a 100 kmph dash in around 12 seconds with the top speed going all the way till 140 kmph. Dare you say it’s fast (just)!
The bike had a different (from its earlier versions) Yamaha R15 reminiscent black colored silencer with chrome/steel finishing towards the end for this model as against the all chrome one in outer countries and for sure looked better. The rear tail panels were also not body colored green but shining black and made a different statement. The full fairing of the bike is definitely much wider than the Pulsar 220 and even the recently launched Fazer. The bike sported grippy 17 inch IRC 110/70 rubber upfront and a meaty 130/70 at the rear. The pillion seat was green in color which looked quite awkward if seen standalone but complemented the overall looks of the green colored bike. The meter assembly was all analog as in the International models and frankly speaking the only stale looking part of the bike. The Speedo meter is calibrated all the way to 200 kmph along with a tachometer which can go all the way to 15000 rpm, a trip meter, fuel meter and the regular indication lights. The bike might be available only in two colors, one would be the flagship green color and the other one would be the versatile black color.
Other tidbits include smart looking clear lens indicators, a compact and leaner rear tail section, not so very good looking pulsar reminiscent clip-on handlebars, beautifully crafted pointed rear view mirrors mounted on the fairing, neat switchgear similar to Pulsars, fat (probably 37mm) front forks, O ring naked chain, six spoke alloys and an awkwardly placed front number plate (which ensured that we are in India!). Incidentally, no saree guard was present in the display model but in all probability would be a part of the commercial bike (due to our country rules).
All in all, people who always craved for something big and real have everything to cheer about; India’s first sports bike would be making inroads very soon in the country. For all those who do not know, this bike is the world’s largest selling 250 cc in the world and has high regards from all segments of the crowd. So start saving from today because this might be a golden chance to own a real sports bike at a price tag of under 3 lakhs, next is the sub 12 lakh price bracket!
– Saad Khan
Pics courtesy: xbhp.com