The first test ride promotion video of the 250cc Supersport "ZX-25R" equipped with an inline-4 engine scheduled to be released from KAWASAKI this autumn, has been published. I would like to open up with what l have learned from this video including my expectations. This video has been uploaded on KAWASAKI's official YouTube channel on March 13.
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◆ KAWASAKI Published the Ninja ZX-25R KRT First Test Ride Video
Jonathan Rea took the first test ride at Jerez Circuit!
The film begins with the scenery of the KRT (Kawasaki Racing Team) winter test held at the Jerez circuit in Spain on January 21, 2020. Even in relatively warm Spain, Jerez has a severe winter, and the mechanics working on the factory Ninja ZX-10RR seem to have a very tense atmosphere.
The ZX-25R emerges in the morning sun. For the subtitles, it is projected as "For the first preview of the brand new bike in action, we recruited our best rider". This is followed by KRT factory rider Jonathan Rea, who has won the WSBK (World Superbike Championship) for five consecutive years, and Alex Lowes, who has joined as a new teammate this year. From the very beginning, his aim was to declare that this machine is "the fastest on the circuit".
Following the conversation of two riders saying that "It's cool", "It's a similar version of our racing machine", "The aggressive design is nice", and "The color is cool", Jonathan Rea began his first test ride. As soon as he straddles the slim machine, he fires up the engine once. The bold exhaust sound that does not seem to be 250cc is undeniably inline-4 cylinders. A compact mass centralized exhaust system, gull-wing swingarm, and the 150-size wide radial tires (DUNLOP GPR-300) with OE has been emphasized along with the white steam spewed from the cold engine.
Tachometer carved to 20,000rpm
The ZX-25R sounds like screaming as it goes full throttle down straightly at Jerez. A close-up shot of the cockpit shows the motorcycle reaching 160 km/h in fifth gear and shifting up at 17,000rpm as the red zone begins. This means that the power band is expected to be around that range. As a comparison, considering that the current Ninja 250 has a maximum output of 27kW (37PS)/12,500rpm, it is clear that the ZX-25R has significantly improved its higher rpm and higher output.
By the way, the tachometer is carved up to 20,000rpm as expected. For reference, the tachometer of the 4-stroke 250cc replica "ZXR250" that once swept the world in the '90s was in the red zone from 19,000rpm, but the actual peak was 45ps/15,000rpm (the maximum speed is 182km/h based on data from that time.)
Is the former number one in the 250cc class confirmed?
In contrast, the new ZX-25R in the video still has the momentum to accelerate above 17,000rpm, and considering the 6-speed on top of that, it's probably given more performance than the ZX-25R, which once boasted the strongest output and highest rpm in its class. Moreover, considering the total evolution of the motorcycle over the past 30 years including the frame, undercarriage, aerodynamics, and electronic controls, there is no doubt that the ZX-25R is the number one super quarter in history.
In the second half of the film, the world champion Jonathan Rea is appealing to the high-dimensional chassis performance that responds to serious riding as shown also the scene where he can switch back to high-speed corners with stability and full throttle, etc. The soaring, inline-4 engine sound is appealing for it. More exciting videos seem to be coming out soon, so stay tuned!
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