Those looking for a relatively small-capacity inline-four sports bike in India without breaking the bank for a litre-class machine can finally turn their attention to the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R. The Japanese bike maker has brought its 399cc screamer to the Indian shores, priced at INR 849,000 (ex-showroom). However, at this price, it’s not exactly affordable. That’s because the ZX-4R carries a hefty premium – it’s more expensive than its stablemates like the two-cylinder Ninja 400 and even the Versys 650 adventure tourer. In fact, it’s only a couple of thousand rupees less than the much larger Z900 street naked, which is also a four-cylinder offering from Kawasaki.
Powering the Ninja ZX-4R is a 399cc liquid-cooled inline-four motor that’s good for 78.7bhp (76.4bhp without ram air assistance) and 39Nm of torque. It’s an engine that loves to be revved – the peak power comes at a colossal 14,500rpm. And it will definitely sound good while doing it, thanks to the fact that four-cylinder motorcycles are some of the best-sounding ones out there!
Being the base-spec version (the higher-spec SE variant and ZX-4RR have not been launched in India), the ZX-4R comes with a steel trellis frame, a Showa SFF-BP USD fork at the front, and a preload-adjustable monoshock setup at the rear. Braking hardware includes twin 290mm discs at the front, a single 220mm unit at the rear, and dual-channel ABS. The signature Ninja-design 17-inch alloy wheels come shod with 120/70-ZR & 160/60-ZR tyres at the front & rear, respectively.
A 4.3-inch fully digital colour TFT display serves as the instrument cluster and offers two display modes (Normal and Circuit). It allows the rider to shuffle through features like selectable ride modes – Sport, Road, Rain, and Rider (customisable traction control and power mode settings) – and smartphone features, courtesy of Bluetooth connectivity and Kawasaki’s ‘Rideology’ app.