A new Kawasaki Ninja 400 was spotted filming an advertisement in Milwaukee as the firm prepares to launch the bike that will replace the Ninja 300.
Local news crews covered the filming of the advert. It involved closing several junctions in the city while the shoot took place. You catch a glimpse of the new bike in their coverage.
What’s new?
Only seen from the rear three-quarters, the
new bike appears to be more closely related to the Ninja 300 than to the existing, Japan-only Kawasaki Ninja 400. The swingarm looks like a simple, rectangular-section design like the current Ninja 300’s. The forks and front brakes also look much like the simple units from that machine. It’s impossible to see the frame, but it’s likely to be a steel tube design. That would make it like the lightweight chassis of the latest Z650 and Ninja 650.
The Ninja 300 motor traces its heritage back to the early 1980s, when it appeared as a 250 in the GPZ250. As well as being old, it’s already near the limits of its capacity potential.
The Kawasaki Ninja 400 engine is new. With a capacity of around 400cc the motor will aim to out-perform the likes of Yamaha’s 321cc R3. Honda is also believed to be increasing the size of its new CBR250RR’s engine and preparing a version of around 350cc for European and America sales.
With advertising videos already shot, Kawasaki will be ready to launch the new Ninja 400 very soon indeed.
