Back in February we mentioned that Kawasaki’s street-naked Z250 will be coming to India by mid 2014. We’d also brought to you an exclusive first ride insight of Hyosung’s GD250N, stating that the launch would happen in April 2014, which was last month.
The latest update here is that the Hyosung GD250N is currently undergoing its homologation process, whereas the Kawasaki Z250 is still being tested by the company to match Indian norms and conditions, before sending it for homologation to the ARAI. It is for this reason that the launch dates of both the bikes have been postponed.
The Kawasaki Z250 sports identical styling cues to its elder sibling, the Z800. The Hyosung GD250N, meanwhile, has a more stripped out design, accentuating the engine, rear suspension and chassis.
The quarter-litre Z is powered by a 249cc, four-stroke, liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine with a fuel-injection system and dual throttle valve technology. Power figures are similar to the phased out Ninja 250R, in the region of 33bhp. On the other hand, the GD250N is powered by a four-stroke, liquid-cooled, 249cc single-cylinder engine with fuel injection, delivering 28bhp of maximum power.
The Kwacker is held together by a steel fabricated frame, with telescopic front forks and a monoshock at rear, allied to a rectangle-section swingarm. The ten-spoke alloys showcase single petal discs at both ends to manage braking duties.
The GD250N deploys a diamond-type tubular frame chassis with an alloy swingarm. The suspension comprises of upside-down front forks and a monoshock at the rear. The 17-inch wheels on offer are accompanied by a 300mm petal disc in front and a 230mm petal disc at the rear.
Both the bikes will be brought down to India as CKD units. The Hyosung GD250N is expected to be priced at approximately Rs 2.30 lakh, whereas the Z250 will be offered as the most affordable bike from Kawasaki in India to date.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
