Kawasaki dealers across India have started accepting bookings for the 2018 Ninja ZX-10R. The booking amount for the litre-class is between Rs 1-3 lakh, depending on the dealership. The Japanese two-wheeler giant is expected to reveal the pricing within a week and the first lot of motorcycles are expected to be delivered by end-July.
In April, we had broken the news that Kawasaki will be locally assembling the new Ninja ZX-10R at its plant in Chakan. By bringing the litre-class motorcycle as CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits from Japan as opposed to the existing CBU (Completely Built Up) route, Kawasaki will be able to price the superbike competitively.
The CBU Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, retails for Rs 18.8 lakh (ex-showroom) and according to our sources, the locally assembled 2018 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R will be priced at around 14 lakh (ex-showroom) – possibly even lower. This will make the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R the most affordable litre-class superbike on sale in India, upstaging the 2018 Honda CBR1000RR, which retails for Rs 14.78 lakh after the drop in CBU duties. However, the official Honda website still shows the CBR1000RR priced at Rs 16.79 lakh (both prices ex-showroom, Delhi).
The new Ninja ZX-10R will be the most expensive Kawasaki motorcycle to be assembled in India. Kawasaki had also brought the new Ninja 1000 as semi-knocked down (SKD) kits last year, which enabled the bike maker to launch the sports-tourer under Rs 10 lakh.
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R is among the quickest and popular litre-class superbikes on sale globally. It’s powered by a 998cc, in-line four motor pumping out 220hp at 13,000rpm and 113.5Nm of torque at 11,500rpm. It features a six-speed gearbox and its quickshifter comes as standard fitment. Kawasaki has also loaded the Ninja ZX-10R with electronic goodies such as traction control(S-KTRC), multi-level power modes, launch control (KLCM), ABS control (KIBS), cornering management (KCMF) and engine braking function (KEBC) – all of which are controlled by an inertial measuring unit (IMU). You can read more about the motorcycle here.
Vishal Venugopal
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
