A year after rolling out its green future plan at the Intermot in Cologne, Kawasaki has now lifted the curtain on the Ninja 7 Hybrid, the world’s very first hybrid motorcycle. Kawasaki calls it a Game Changer that provides a view of the motorcycle world of tomorrow.
“The acceleration of a ZX-10RR, but with the consumption of a 250cc”, that is the Ninja 7 Hybrid in a nutshell, according to the spokesperson for Kawasaki Benelux. After recently unveiling the Ninja e1 and Z e1, the Ninja 7 Hybrid is the third model of the Green Deal plan that was rolled out at Intermot and Cologne and of which the first prototypes were presented at the EICMA in Milan.
With the HEV motorcycle announced in Milan, which has been named the Ninja 7 Hybrid, Kawasaki has the honor of being the very first manufacturer to launch a hybrid motorcycle. Piaggio may have preceded Kawasaki with an MP3 125 Hybrid, but a) that was a scooter and b) it also had 1 wheel too many.
According to Kawasaki, the Ninja 7 Hybrid has immediately set the bar high and this revolutionary new model has managed to seamlessly combine the advantages of two types of drive: a traditional combustion engine and an electric motor. Kind of the same idea as the Power Units in Formula 1 since the hybrid era.
The heart of the Ninja 7 Hybrid is formed by the innovative combination of a new 451cc parallel twin coupled to a semi-automatic gearbox and an electric traction motor plus battery. A futuristic combination that, according to Team Green, should offer a driving experience that has never been seen before; excellent acceleration combined with very low fuel consumption.
The total power is 59 hp, but when the “E-boost” function is switched on, an additional 11 horses are put to work, so you have 70 hp at your disposal. You can choose from three driving modes (SPORT-HYBRID, ECO-HYBRID and EV), each of which has its own character and is suitable for various driving situations.
Other innovations include the stop/start system, which is already widely used in the automotive industry, in which the combustion engine is switched off when stationary to save fuel, the automatic start position finder (ALPF) which – when activated – automatically selects first gear when stationary and a “Walk Mode ” to make forward and reverse maneuvering easier.
Kawasaki says that by using a specially designed truss tubular frame, now Kawa’s trademark, the fuel engine, electric traction motor and battery could be mounted compactly to achieve optimal weight distribution.
In terms of styling, the Ninja 7 Hybrid is equipped with unique HEV elements such as a special color scheme and a “transparent” fairing part that shows the battery. The full-color TFT display has smartphone connectivity that can be connected to the Kawasaki Rideology app.
In a week and a half we will be able to tell you how it drives, when the introduction of the Ninja 7 Hybrid is planned in the Catalan region and the full specifications of the engine will be announced, as well as the price and availability. Although we already know the latter, it will be available at the Kawasaki dealer in early 2024.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.