Kawasaki has finally launched the 250cc naked Ninja Z250 SL in Malaysia. The bike gets the much talked about single cylinder engine, which produces 28PS of power @9700rpm and 22.6Nm of torque @8200rpm. In comparison the existing Z250 has a twin cylinder mill which churns out 32PS of power @ 11000rpm and 21 Nm of torque 10000 rpm. Yes that’s the loss if you chop off a cylinder!
The bike boasts of (claimed) high low & mid-range torque for quick bursts of acceleration. There is a huge shift in terms of styling as compared to the Z250. The Z250 still had a lot of fairing to hide its frame but in the Z250 SL, the high tensile steel tube frame is pretty much visible, which for some reason makes us go back to loving the KTM Duke 390 even more.
This frame lattice makes it lightweight and slim. The high set wide handlebars appear to be designed to provide upright riding position and comfortable long rides.
The fully digital instrumentation panel with orange backlight lends it an essence of sportiness. The under body cowl with its sharp lines, aggressive head lamps, cuts on the fuel tank with knee recess and the overall design are a mixed bag. Some look sporty, some not so!
The bike has lost some length thanks to the shorter wheelbase, making the motorcycle, hopefully, a better handler. Z250 SL is 1,935 mm long, 700 mm wide and 1,075 mm high. Its wheelbase is 1,330mm, shorter than the 1,400mm of Z250. The bike thankfully loses some weight by being one cylinder less and tips the scale at 150 kgs (just about the weight of Pulsar 220). The fuel tank capacity, at just 11 liters is a disappointment (continuing to remind you of the Austrian rival).
Though it still is not confirmed whether it will come to India or not but it does make a lot of sense to us. A single cylinder naked Ninja just between the Duke 200 and CBR250R makes a great competition.
Kawasaki has priced Z250 SL at 15,397 Malaysian Ringgit which translates to a little less than 3 lakh rupees in INR.
Related: Kawasaki Z250 India Launch Delayed, Coming by End of This Year
