Kawasaki is betting big on the Indian market and after bringing in a slew of higher capacity machines, it plans to launch the Z250SL in India, its most affordable motorcycle in the country.
Kawasaki kick started its innings this year with the launch of its new flagship, the Ninja H2 that was sold out before it even hit Indian shores. On the sidelines of the launch of its latest offering at the Buddh International Circuit, Kawasaki made an important announcement that the Japanese bike maker will be bringing three new motorcycles to India this year while also expanding its showrooms in other parts of the country. Out of the upcoming three bikes, the most important and significant one is the Kawasaki Z250SL.
The Z250SL is a street-fighter motorcycle that is positioned below the Z250 in the Japanese manufacturer’s lineup and will become Kawasaki’s most affordable offering in the country. While the latter is a parallel twin-cylinder offering, the Z250SL differentiates itself with a single-cylinder motor while also being leaner in terms of proportions. The Z250SL weighs 20 kgs lighter than the Z250 and is powered by a 249cc liquid-cooled engine with fuel injection that is tuned to produce 27.6 BHP at 9700 RPM and 23 Nm of torque at 8200 RPM, paired to a 6-speed gearbox.
The quarter-litre space is really feisty right now and the Kawasaki Z250SL will slot right against the KTM Duke 390 and the upcoming Benelli TNT25 in the segment. Kawasaki will be bringing the new offering via the CKD route with prices expected to be close to Rs. 2 lakhs (ex-showroom) on the smallest Kwacker. It will be retailed via Bajaj Auto’s KTM showrooms and thus will have to fight it out with the Duke 390 in terms of pricing and Duke 200 in terms of performance. The full-faired version of the Z250SL, the Ninja 250SL could also make it here but only next year.
Source – AutocarIndia.com