When it comes to Japanese sportbikes, Kawasaki has always managed to stay on top of its game. Throughout the decades, the brand has been a leader in the sportbike segment across all displacement, and continues to be bold enough to differentiate itself from everyone else. Not too long ago, Team Green shook the world with the debut of the ZX-25R. This time around, it did the same with the ZX-4RR.
First launched in the U.S. market in February 2023, Kawasaki redeemed itself with the Ninja ZX-4RR, as it never launched the smaller ZX-25R in the U.S. With similar dimensions and substantially more power, the ZX-4RR is undoubtedly a much more useful machine on U.S. roads. Be that as it may, extra power was never a bad thing. As such, Kawasaki has also started rolling out the new Ninja ZX-4RR in the Asian market, starting out with Thailand.
Team Green's newest small-displacement four-banger is set to hit the Thai market in March, 2023. As mentioned earlier, the ZX-4RR is unlike any other sportbike of its class, and this is primarily because of its engine. While other small-to-mid-sized sportbikes are making use of single-cylinder or parallel-twin engines, the ZX-4RR is powered by a brand new 399cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, inline-four cylinder engine. This gives the bike a maximum output of 76.4 horsepower and 26.5 pound-feet of torque, and an ungodly 15,000-rpm redline. Power is sent to the rear wheel via a six-speed manual with a slipper clutch.
Kawasaki is expected to pull the covers off the new Ninja ZX-4R and ZX-4RR in the upcoming 2023 Bangkok International Motor Show, scheduled from March 22 to April 2, 2023. In the coming weeks, Kawasaki is also expected to debut the ZX-4R in Indonesia and the Philippines. At present, pricing for the Ninja ZX-4RR in the Asian market has yet to be announced. In the U.S., however, it retails starting at $9,699 USD—much more expensive than any other 400cc sportbike on offer.