an-guy
hi
https://www.kawasaki.eu/en/Motorcycles/EV_HEV/Ninja_7_Hybrid.html
Yes, it's a hybrid. It's a similar setup to the Toyota Prius (which, other than the CVT, is fine). It can go about 30 mph without the gas engine. It's also an okay looking bike. Other than being 500LBs, I imagine not having a clutch and being fully automatic will be enticing to people who don't really know how to use a clutch and gearbox and just want to ride around in the city. Just like the BMW CE-04.
That's...all the nice things I really have to say about it.
It's like Kawasaki saw the CE-04 sit on dealer floors for 8-12 months, and thought to themselves, "We're about to make that look like a sales phenomenon".
- $12,499 before add ons (dealers are adding 1000$+ around me). The Ninja 650 is faster at $7,999.....
- Not a 700 like the "7" suggests, or one of my local dealers straight up told me to my face. It's a 453cc motor out of the $5400 Ninja 500.
- It makes 58hp. Kawasaki has the gall to call it "1000cc instant acceleration" but I don't personally know a single person bad enough at working a clutch to make that a realistic statement. Kawasaki doesn't list a single speed performance spec. No 0-60 or 1/4 or 1/8 mile. No publication has also listed one (come on, it's what we all want to know) so I am pretty sure they're not allowed to share those details.
- The fact that they took a 370lb Ninja 500, and added 130lbs to it. (It weighs a little over 500lbs. The same as my BMW GS!)
- No manual option. It's either automatic, or push button shift, like the old AE FJRs
- Kawasaki claims it gets 77 mpg, though real world testing resulted in 55-60 mpg. AKA, the same mpg as my first, least enjoyed Ninja 400, and barely better than my GS, my friends tracer 900, and so on... (50~ mpg)
I think this idea could have worked, if instead of taking the cheapest and so/so street bike Kawasaki makes, the Ninja 500, Kawasaki took the Concours or Ninja 1000 and gave it all of this same treatment, except for the nearly 3X price increase. They can keep that part out.
A Concours 1400 (or FJR) that replaces some metal with plastic with modern electronics (the fancy TFT everyone has to have, that does the exact same thing the previous bikes display did) adds about 100LBs, loses the clutch, I could get behind this as long as they didn't add 25%+ to the price. The added weight wouldn't really be that big of a deal especially if the bike had reverse. Not having a clutch, and the bike could turn the engine off and run the radiator fans to keep the f---ing thing cooled off while in traffic. I also imagine the bike would have a decent generator to run a lot of heated gear in the wintertime. It would be a touring and commuter bike that would be exceptionally easy to get along with.
Is this bike living rent free in my head? Yes. Because I want Kawasaki to take this f--king bike and shove it back where they got it, and give the industry what we actually need. Make riding more accessible (affordable), or keep pushing the envelope of performance, or make the Versys a more competitive bike, or reintroduce a FJR/Goldwing competitor of a bike. Hell, dive head first and try to make an electric sport touring bike. Or get into the electric dual sport market. That would be awesome. I don't understand how Kawasaki saw several different viable paths in front of them, and just chose to veer off a cliff.
Take this $12,499 Ninja 400/500 and gtfo...
Yes, it's a hybrid. It's a similar setup to the Toyota Prius (which, other than the CVT, is fine). It can go about 30 mph without the gas engine. It's also an okay looking bike. Other than being 500LBs, I imagine not having a clutch and being fully automatic will be enticing to people who don't really know how to use a clutch and gearbox and just want to ride around in the city. Just like the BMW CE-04.
That's...all the nice things I really have to say about it.
It's like Kawasaki saw the CE-04 sit on dealer floors for 8-12 months, and thought to themselves, "We're about to make that look like a sales phenomenon".
- $12,499 before add ons (dealers are adding 1000$+ around me). The Ninja 650 is faster at $7,999.....
- Not a 700 like the "7" suggests, or one of my local dealers straight up told me to my face. It's a 453cc motor out of the $5400 Ninja 500.
- It makes 58hp. Kawasaki has the gall to call it "1000cc instant acceleration" but I don't personally know a single person bad enough at working a clutch to make that a realistic statement. Kawasaki doesn't list a single speed performance spec. No 0-60 or 1/4 or 1/8 mile. No publication has also listed one (come on, it's what we all want to know) so I am pretty sure they're not allowed to share those details.
- The fact that they took a 370lb Ninja 500, and added 130lbs to it. (It weighs a little over 500lbs. The same as my BMW GS!)
- No manual option. It's either automatic, or push button shift, like the old AE FJRs
- Kawasaki claims it gets 77 mpg, though real world testing resulted in 55-60 mpg. AKA, the same mpg as my first, least enjoyed Ninja 400, and barely better than my GS, my friends tracer 900, and so on... (50~ mpg)
I think this idea could have worked, if instead of taking the cheapest and so/so street bike Kawasaki makes, the Ninja 500, Kawasaki took the Concours or Ninja 1000 and gave it all of this same treatment, except for the nearly 3X price increase. They can keep that part out.
A Concours 1400 (or FJR) that replaces some metal with plastic with modern electronics (the fancy TFT everyone has to have, that does the exact same thing the previous bikes display did) adds about 100LBs, loses the clutch, I could get behind this as long as they didn't add 25%+ to the price. The added weight wouldn't really be that big of a deal especially if the bike had reverse. Not having a clutch, and the bike could turn the engine off and run the radiator fans to keep the f---ing thing cooled off while in traffic. I also imagine the bike would have a decent generator to run a lot of heated gear in the wintertime. It would be a touring and commuter bike that would be exceptionally easy to get along with.
Is this bike living rent free in my head? Yes. Because I want Kawasaki to take this f--king bike and shove it back where they got it, and give the industry what we actually need. Make riding more accessible (affordable), or keep pushing the envelope of performance, or make the Versys a more competitive bike, or reintroduce a FJR/Goldwing competitor of a bike. Hell, dive head first and try to make an electric sport touring bike. Or get into the electric dual sport market. That would be awesome. I don't understand how Kawasaki saw several different viable paths in front of them, and just chose to veer off a cliff.
Take this $12,499 Ninja 400/500 and gtfo...