Kawasaki has jumped the gun and revealed the first of its 2017-spec bikes including the ZZR1400 – but at the moment it’s only got colour changes to talk about.
The first bike to be revealed in 2017 trim is the ZZR1400. It’s set to be offered in both standard and ‘Performance Sport’ forms, as it is currently, but with new colour schemes. The ZZR1400 Performance Sport will come in the exotically-titled “Golden Blazed Green with Metallic Spark Black”. Standard-spec ZZR1400s lack the Performance Sport’s Ohlins TRTX rear shock and Akrapovic silencers. They will have the colours reversed, with black as the main colour and green only appearing in small splashes.
Elsewhere in the range the Z800e – the version specifically designed to be legally restricted to fit in the A2 licence class – has been given a toned-down, all-black finish. It also gains a belly pan as standard for 2017.
In the UK, the ZZR models are due to go on sale in December while the 2017 Z800e is planned to be available from October 2016.
Morihiro Ikoma, Director of Kawasaki Motors Europe, said: “Both the Z800 e version and ZZR1400 have been consistent sellers across Europe since their introduction. The Z and ZZR brand lines are very important to our dealers and customers so it’s great to launch such bold and appealing updates in advance of the sales start later in the year.”
