New Delhi: Japanese bike maker Kawasaki Motors, which has an assembling, marketing and distribution tie-up with Bajaj Auto, has launched two new models of its super bike, Ninja ZX-14R and ZX-10R, priced at Rs 16.90 lakh and Rs 15.70 lakh (ex-showroom Pune), respectively. The bookings of both these supersport bikes will begin from Thursday, while deliveries will start from September end.
Aggressive looking Kawasaki ZX10R features a 998 cc liquid cooled in-line 4 engine that delivers 200 PS power and 112 Nm torque. Max power output with Ram Air increases to 209.9 PS. Power deliver is linear while transmission is taken care by a 6 speed gearbox. The bike can achieve a speed of 290 kmph with 0-100 km/h speed achieved in about 2.85 seconds.
Similarly, ZX14R is powered by 1441 cc liquid cooled inline 4 engine, delivering 200 PS power and 162.5 Nm torque. Max power output with Ram Air increases to 210 PS. Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R is the flagship motorcycle of the Japanese company. It is also their fastest and most powerful till date. It can accelerate from 0-100 kmph in less than 3 seconds, with maximum top speed of 299 kmph.
The bikes will be imported as completely built units (CBU) from Japan and sold through Kawasaki's upcoming exclusive outlet in Pune.
The bikemaker says that both these superbikes come with state of the art technology in performance and safety. This include traction control system, called KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control), which lets you select from three modes, according to road condition and your driving mood. Same goes for power delivery. There are three modes, one which gives you full power, second gives you about 75% power and third gives you about 50% of power output.
"India is an important market for us and for this reason we have brought the latest and the best of Ninja's portfolio here. We are optimistic of introducing 1-2 launches of this stature every-year," India Kawasaki Motors Managing Director Yuji Horiuchi said.
Stating that Kawasaki had carefully studied the 1000 plus cc segment before rolling it out in the domestic market, company's deputy managing director Shigeto Nishikawa said the segment has seen a healthy growth of 25-30 per cent year-on-year in the last two years.
"Kawasaki has carefully monitored the 1000 plus cc market in India for the past five years. Only two years ago, the segment was almost negligible but now it is growing by 25-30 per cent y-o-y," Nishikawa said.
There has been a noticeable demand for the super bikes in the last one year alone, he said adding, "We would like to be a part of this growth story. We are looking at cornering 20 per cent market share from the segment by 2015."
IKM will expand its business territory in a phased manner, with its focus on Maharashtra, followed by the rest of the country, the company said.
Instead of selling it in Bajaj Probiking outlets, the company would be selling these bikes at Kawasaki stand alone stores, first of which is going to open in Pune on September 7. New stores across major Indian cities will open shortly.
