2007 Kawasaki

Is Kawasaki prepared to

give us what we want or what? The new Z1000 certainly is all that we could hope for and it's not only a upgrade of the old Zed. The 2007 Kawasaki Z1000 is an all new motorcycle with new chassis and thankfully only the right design changes. The new megaphone 4-2-4 exhaust will raise a few eyebrows. Much in the same style as Yamahas new V-max. The 2007 Z1000 features petal brake discs front and back with the same radial Nissin callipers as ZZR1400. The Zed will come with ABS as an option. I tried to get some answers from Kawasaki as to why the ABS option on a hooligan bike such as the Z1000. It is for the same reasons as why BMW do the same. The Germans gets a discount

on their insurance premiums if they ride a bike with ABS and the German market is an important one for Kawasaki. When we get our hands on one we'll do stoppies all day long to spite the German insurance companies! Kawasaki have gone to great lengths with the aesthetics of the engine covers to suit the naked in-line four. With the new integrated blinkers and overall looks the CG that we had made several months ago is almost a blueprint of the real thing. Uncanny! The swingarm is made of aluminium which again tells us what a capable machine this easily can be. Lighter, more powerful with better low to midrange torque with state of the art handling. The suspension is high spec Showa units. Ergonomics has been changed with the new bodywork and we assume this means the new and more powerful Z1000 is slightly more orientated towards the supersport handling characteristics. 2007 colours will be Orange, blue and black. Tor Sagen

Kawasaki has had a dual sport on offer for many years. KLR 600, KLR 650, KLE 500, KLV 650 and so on. Versys is more of a "Multistrada" than offroad and the new model is looking to cater for a new group of riders that wants something that looks and rides a little bit like a supermoto for the fun part and comfortable as a sports tourer for the commuting. Versys features the 650cc parallel twin from last years ER6 models, but with a few chassis changes. More here.

Could it really be true that Kawasaki will launch another ZX-750R bored and stroked to 793cc? Hence the ZX-8R. It makes sense as the new ZX-6R will only be a 599 and the 636 will not be on the 07 model range. Suzuki has done very well with its GSX-R750 and now Kawasaki might be back with a brand new 800cc superbike.

We know that Kawasaki have left a few surprises for us until later this year. A new Z750 will most likely be unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan in November. It will get Z1000 front and rear end styling points, but still a 4 into 1 exhaust. More exciting are the rumours about a new 800cc Ninja roadbike. Kawasaki dropped the 636 from its model line-up this year and the 750 was dropped several years ago leaving a big gap between the ZX-6R and ZX-10R. Now that WSBK regulation is out in the open when displacement for V-twins are concerned, the in-line four might get bigger too. That leaves an even bigger gap between the 600 and let's say a 1050-1100cc in-line four. With MotoGP going 800 in 2007 there are some synergy effects to consider and the ZX-8R could be Kawasaki's answer. We instructed our designer to make it as much MotoGP as possible, but expect something like this to bear similarities to the new ZX-6R. We hope Kawasaki will launch an 800 to compete with the GSX-R750 even though there are no race series for these machines anymore. Go on Kawasaki, we dare you! Kawasaki Euro marketing boss Leo Schlueter commented: "No comment" and UK marketing manager Martin Lambert commented he wouldn't speak to me on or off the record about new models. We assume in case something would slip. By Tor Sagen/CG by Luc1

Kawasaki have just launched pictures and details of the Versys 650. But our insiders have told us that Kawasaki are also in the process of developing a 1000cc parallel twin for a Versys 1000. Kawasaki will then also use the same engine for a ER1000N and F. These bikes will rival Yamaha TDM 900, BMW F800S and also V-twins such as Suzuki SV1000, Ducati Multistrada and others. Versys 1000 will most likely replace the current Suzuki powered KLV 1000. The new engine might already have been developed as we know that Kawasaki have planned to launch a surprise model early in 2007. Other Kawasaki news might involve a Z250 and a new learner legal 250 supermoto as well. TS/CG's by Robert O'Brien

By Tor Sagen/Image by Luc1. After researching several hints and speaking to various sources it is now clear that Kawasaki is developing a naked version of the new ZZR1400. This will be called Z1400 styled in the lines of the Z750 and Z1000. Expect more than 160bhp to beat BMW K1200R and massive torque from the enormous in-line four. The bike is bound to be more brutal than the rest. It makes sense for any manufacturer to launch several platforms to a R&D job such as the ZZR1400. It's one of the most expensive bikes as such, and maybe the ZZR1400 was launched a bit premature as we still have no tech specs?

Official Kawasaki comment: "Kawasaki is constantly looking to develop its model range and introduce new and improved motorcycles to the market to satisfy customer demand. At the current time we have not released details of the Kawasaki 2007 road bike or off road range. For this reason I cannot comment on possible models that we may be developing for inclusion in 2007 or future model years." Paul Cross, Senior Marketing Executive.

Kawasaki showed a drawing of their new hyper tourer at the Paris launch of ZZR1400. Based on that drawing we have made our own impression of how the GTR 1400 could look like. We expect more than 150bhp from the new engine. The GTR will be tuned for loads of torque. Suspension will most likely be softer and more comfortable but still firm enough for high speed touring two-up. More info as soon as Kawasaki releases details. Image by: Luc1. TS

KX450F Motard. Kawasaki launched the new motocross four stroke power house KX450F last year. By building a brand new four stroke single with almost 60bhp and a dry weight of 99kg, Kawasaki also opened up for more road based single cylinder machines. One of the hottest ideas would be a Supermotard based around the KX450F engine and chassis. We know that designers were playing with this idea for Kawasaki a couple of years ago and it is speculated that

Kawasaki have indeed developed something that might look like our CG drawing. The modifications pictured on our image are easy ones and people have done them for years - change the knobbly tyres for some swanky road ones with a more powerful front brake and you have got yourself a supermoto. As a matter of fact, the Italian Kawasaki offroad importer has just made one. This will be launched next week, and will look almost excactly the same as our â€KX450F Motardâ€. The Italian importer has called its Motard â€SM450Fâ€. SM 450F specs: Max power: 60bhp, dry weight:106,8kg, seat height: 935mm, Tyres: 120/70-17 and 150/60-17. The KX450F is a very extreme motorcycle along the lines of Apriliaâ€™s new RXV/SXV. Since it is a 1-cylinder liquid cooled four stroke, reliability and service intervals should be greater than the equivalent two-stroke, allowing easier conversion into a roadbike. If Aprilia can do it why can't Kawasaki?

â€Green-Dukeâ€ impression. The other bike pictured is a more futuristic design based particularly on KTMâ€™s Duke II. If Kawasaki were to build something like the design impression bike pictured here, it would have a larger displacement engine and more weight. Think more in the lines of Yamaha XTX, Honda FMX 650 or Suzuki DRz. Kawasaki has not currently got a modern large 1-cylinder engine and the KLR650 has been around since the 80â€™s so it is high time they made one. Other alternatives would be to put the proven Suzuki SV650 V-twin engine in the supermoto chassis, but Kawasaki is not collaborating with Suzuki anymore. The KX450F design would therefore fit the bill if Kawasaki could only make it a little more reliable for road use. Or build a larger displacement engine around the 650cc mark, heavier but more horsepower, less

highly tuned. US designer Adrian Sellers worked for Kawasaki USA and is the man behind the green â€Dukeâ€ impression. Kawasaki asked him to explore future concepts. Sellers commented: â€œThe design came about as I was considering possible directions to take the Kawasaki brand, and the current rise of the Super-moto class was an easy choice. It would match the offerings of KTM, but with a more humane price-point. Unfortunately, while the design has been widely liked by pretty much anyone who has seen it, Kawasaki is unlikely to alocate the necessary money for such a product (Plastics and frame = money). Their current focus is very much on their racing, and derivative product. If Kawasaki were to produce a super-moto, (its only a matter of time before they do), it will probably be along the lines of the current Suzuki and Yamaha offerings...that is to say, leaning more towards moto-x styling modified for the street rather than a unique concept.â€ Sellers currently works for GK design international (GKDI). TS