#Kawasaki

Our man in Milan, Evans Brassflagons, was running ragged on espresso fumes and adrenaline when he ran into a trio of angle-snouted, aggressively stancing Kawasakis and swung instantly into anchorman mode, which you can see below.

Technically, the Kawasaki Z900 made its debut at Intermot, but information was still preliminary at the time, with the caveat that final details would be released at EICMA 2016. Well, EICMA 2016 has arrived and, as far as we can tell after reading Kawasaki’s press materials, the Z900 hasn’t changed since its debut in Germany – save for a seat height that’s changed by one whole millimeter.

Kawasaki tipped its cap at Intermot last month about its upcoming Z650 and Z900 nakeds. It was an odd strategy, releasing a couple of images and what looks to be an early draft of its EICMA press release. Well, now the Milan show is finally here and Kawasaki has officially confirmed the two models.

News of Honda’s CRF250L Rally came first, then Suzuki’s V-Strom 250/ABS broke cover, and now it’s Kawasaki‘s Versys-X 300 that’s come to light in Milan. The first obvious advantage is the greater displacement of the Kawi’s ADV-Bike engine.

It’s that time of year again: New Bike Season. We’ve already gotten a taste of what’s to come in 2017 thanks to the Intermot show in Cologne, Germany, and AIMExpo in Orlando last month, but when we really want to drool over what awaits us in 2017, EICMA is the show to pay attention to. No less than 30 companies will be making big announcements over the course of the three days that span Nov. 7-9, and our man Evans Brasfield will be on the ground in Milan covering the action as it happens. He’ll even be shooting some video footage we’ll post right here on these pages.

Kawasaki announced a new R Edition version of the Z1000 for Europe but the future of the naked roadster remains unclear with a new Z900 model on the way. Kawasaki Europe will still offer the base model Z1000 for the 2017 model year but the R Edition may turn out to be a final production run special edition.

This weekend at Jerez, Kenan Sofuoglu not only won a World Supersport race, but he also notched his fifth World Supersport title, firmly etching his name in the history books and making himself a hero in his home country of Turkey. The Kawasaki Puccetti Racing team rider, aboard his ZX-6R, didn’t have it easy this year, as his teammate Randy Krummenacher was also challenging for the title. However, Krummenacher crashed on the fifth lap of the race, meaning all Sofuoglu had to do was finish to clinch the title. Of course, in typical Sofuoglu style, the Turk fought for the win.

At Intermot 2016, Kawasaki announced the Ninja 1000 sport tourer would receive a host of upgrades to enhance both the sport and touring sides of its dual personalities. While there are obvious design changes to make the bodywork fresh, chief among those updates is the addition of a six-axis IMU from Bosch. With it, the 2017 Ninja 1000 electronics suite is now able to offer much more sophisticated levels of control. Both the Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC) and Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System (KIBS) utilize the IMU to get a real time picture of the motorcycle’s chassis orientation, which it can then use to intervene if needed, and the level at which intervention is applied.

Kawasaki’s jaw-dropping Ninja H2 and H2R are back for 2017, and joining them is a third member of the family, the Ninja H2 Carbon. While Kawasaki are calling the Carbon a third member of the Ninja H2 family, the title is slightly deceiving as the bike is essentially a standard Ninja H2 with a carbon fiber upper cowl, bringing it visually closer to the Ninja H2R. The carbon cowl will also be available as an accessory from Kawasaki, able to retrofit onto prior H2 models.

During its presentation at Intermot, Kawasaki announced a new Z900, but we’d have to wait until EICMA to see it. Still, Kawasaki released a pair of images and some preliminary details with the caveat that they were still subject to change. Here’s what we know so far.

It didn’t take long after we put up our story about the 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 650 before a commenter mused about how a naked model using the same platform could look. Well funny you should ask, because here it is.

Kawasaki has updated its twin-cylinder Ninja 650, introducing a new trellis frame, assist and slipper clutch and ZX-inspired styling. Offering a blend of sporty performance and practical versatility, the 2017 Ninja 650 sits in that sweet spot for new riders looking at upgrading from their beginner bikes to more experienced riders looking for a more practical middleweight option.

Kawasaki is taking its superbike up another level, introducing the new ZX-10RR at Intermot. Limited to just 500 units in Europe (we’ll have to wait to hear if any units will be reserved for the U.S.), the double-R was designed with feedback from its championship-winning World Superbike program, and Kawasaki hopes to see the ZX-10RR filling superbike and supersport paddocks in the seasons ahead.

For many, Autumn is the beginning of the end of another riding season. But for any motorcycle enthusiast, Autumn is also the time of the year when we see the fruits of R&D departments being unveiled, enticing us with fresh motorbikes that we’ll be anxious to ride in the year ahead.

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) and promoter Dorna announced a new entry-level racing class that will join the World Superbike Championship in 2017. The new Supersport 300 World Championship will open a new avenue for developing young racers while also giving manufacturers a venue to showcase their small-displacement sportbikes.