Kawasaki’s long-awaited Ninja ZX-6R has finally been spotted at ARAI for homologation. For those of you that don’t know, Indian law says that a manufacturer cannot launch any motorcycle below 800cc without it passing a list tests before it can be approved for sale in India. This process is called homologation and takes place somewhere prior to the launch of new vehicles, these vehicles are sent to the ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) for the testing to make sure they’re suited for roads in India and pass our norms. This makes it quite evident that Kawasaki has finally decided to bring the ZX-6R to India!
Kawasaki began the middleweight segment with the introduction of the Ninja 650 and soon introduced its counterparts, the Z650, Versys 650 and even the Vulcan S but none of these ever truly delivered in terms of outright sporty appeal. Unlike the track bike we have been expecting, these were rather calm and composed, but with all that said, looks like Kawasaki is finally entering the supersport segment and letting loose the ZX-6R on our roads.The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R comes mated with an in-line four 636cc motor that produces about 120 bhp of power and comes with top shelf equipment like a fully adjustable Showa Big Piston Forks, fully adjustable Showa rear mono-shock damper. Braking has been taken care of by Nissin monobloc brake callipers while Bridgestone Battlax S20 tires take care of grip. Additionally, it gets three-stage traction control, two power modes and ABS.
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This would also be the first Japanese supersport offering as so far Indian has been catered by the British and the Italians so far. Pricing is going to be key given the recent decision of locally assembling the ZX-10R has made it greatly affordable, if Kawasaki prices it too close to its litre-class offering, it’ll be taking quite a risky manoeuvre by doing so. The ZX-6R is already quite closely priced to its elder sibling in the USA, where the price difference is just 2 lakhs. This is due to the amount of premium kit like it already comes loaded with as mentioned above. We expect the ZX-6R to also be locally assembled in Kawasaki’s Chakan facility via the CKD route. If Kawasaki follows the same pattern as in the United States, the ZX-6R could very well be priced at around 10 lakhs, making it the most affordable supersport in the market. It’ll rival the likes of the MV Agusta F3 800, Ducati Panigale 959 and if Triumph decides to revive its raining champion then the Daytona 765.
Source – ZigWheels