Kawasaki was fairly quiet at Milan: it had already released its interesting new Ninja 7 hybrid model, and the ZX-4RR and ZX-6R models were also already out. We did get a new Z7 naked version of the new hybrid bike, which looks a little less chunky than the Ninja, and uses exactly the same cunning petrol/battery powertrain we tested this month.
The other new models were a pair of uprated A2 bikes – the sporty Ninja 500 and naked Z500 roadster, which take over from the 400 models. There’s more grunt from the 451cc engine that puts out 45bhp, and a general upgrade of the equipment and electronics: LCD dash, TFT on the SE version, new Ninja bodywork, and Bluetooth connection.
