Kawasaki Z

Kawasaki Z250 Review: Zesty Zee

But enough rants on the way it looks, let find out about the motor.

Kawasaki Z250 (46)

The 249cc, four-stroke, parallel-twin cylinder engine is also shared with the edgier 250R. It’s a liquid-cooled unit and makes 31.1bhp of power at 11,000rpm, with maximum torque of 2.2kgm produced at 10,000rpm. And boy, what a gem of a motor that is.

Kawasaki Z250 (65)

Ride away, modulating the beautifully weighted clutch and the engine’s characteristics show – all the power and torque is accumulated in the upper reaches of the rev range, even though it has been slightly re-tuned for city slicking. With the motor spinning lazily, the Z250 is tractable enough in the city, but sometimes it leaves you wanting for more, with the bike balking at slow speeds in higher gears.

Kawasaki Z250 (29)

But all that is forgiven, when you truly smack that throttle open.

[It revs till a piston-melting, ball-sack shriveling 13,000 RPM]

Which my friends, is quite rare around these parts. It’s quite a glee, that motor, especially when the revs keep on climbing, and then you realize that “Bloody hell, there are still 3000 more clicks to go”. Strangely (or not – it’s a 250 after all), the speedometer doesn’t reflect that ballistic euphoria happening between your legs. Still, managing the 150 km/hr mark isn’t too difficult, with the tachometer needle just shy of 13,000 clicks, the pistons slicing through the super annulated air inside the cylinder like a humming bird’s wings.

Kawasaki Z250 (25)

[It’s addictive]

That’s precisely the cause of that one last run into the sunset. What makes it so special is also the shriek it emanates when you wring it even more after 11,000 clicks – the point when it makes peak power. And it’s all sugar-coated race-car noise, because the refinement is just stellar, unlike high-compression, snappy KTM motors.

Kawasaki Z250 (22)

It’s like decade old VTEC motors; you revel in the experience of shifting late, not in the speed. In fact, it’s so good that you forget about how equally brilliant the six-speed gearbox is (1-down, 5-up). Shifts couldn’t have been more precise and smooth, and never gets in the way of fast, rhythmic riding. No clunks, no jarring here. Even on a wintry Pune morning, first gear was honey dipped.

That said, tractability in lower gears is a bit of an issue, as mentioned before, and it’s one of those motorcycles which revel in the higher revs. But it never gathers skin tearing momentum.

Numbers: The Z250 managed to pass the 60kph barrier from rest in 3.7seconds, thereon taking 8.6secs to pass 100kph.

The motor is dope, let’s see how she rides and handles

Kawasaki Z250 (38)

[It carries itself like a trained ballet dancer on the twisty sections]

The Z250 is one of those bikes which are intrinsically well balanced. The slightly heavy front end plays spoilsport here, especially during fast turn ins, but apart from that, the bike is terribly playful. It never felt skittish and managed to shift its weight commendably.  The fact that it has big bike pretensions comes out when the going goes twisty. The chassis is very capable, and unfortunately, the low capacity, high strung motor tries to keep up here.  But that also makes it immensely engaging, having to play with the gearbox to make it sing its tune when darting out of bends.

Kawasaki Z250 (39)

The Z250 uses a strong tubular steel frame and box section swing arm that work well to ensure good stability, and in case you’re wondering, it works. Show her the straights, and here’s where the heavy front end eats up the asphalt. The suspension comprises of telescopic shock absorbers in front and a mono-shock unit at rear, painted in black. Ride quality is acceptable, but don’t expect your shapely pillion to hold on to her Starbucks cup, like on the Suzuki Inazuma, which feels like Rolls-Royce Phantom EWB in comparison.

In urban confines, she’s quite maneuverable as well and quite effortless actually. Although to get some proper shove, you have to ride it by the scruff of its neck.

Kawasaki Z250 seat (2)

Oh, and again, the seats suck.

Kawasaki Z250 Brakes (2)

A single 290mm petal disc up front and a 220mm petal disc at rear haul the anchors pretty efficiently on the Z250. [No ABS here though]

>>Next page for verdict, specifications and image gallery>>

1 thought on “Kawasaki Z250 Review: Zesty Zee”

  1. Very well written, and glad to see someone look past the price alone. I have a Ninja 300, and it is just heavenly. The points you mentioned hold true for the 300 as well, however only difference being, 300 has better low end. Finally a good motor journalist among numerous motoring blogs.

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