It was teased at the EICMA show in Milan, with the Japanese brand saying nary a word about the electric motorcycle chassis it had on display near the back of its booth.
Just one of the many surprises that were quietly shown to the public, this electric motorcycle showed a green steel tube frame, a modest battery pack, and what appeared to be mock engine cases.
Beyond those details, and the fact that this bike existed, there was not much else to say about the prototype, until now.
Wrapped in the bodywork of a Kawasaki Ninja 650, this electric sport bike has been almost 20 years in the making for Kawasaki, which is an intriguing thing to think about.
In that time, Kawasaki has developed a gearbox for its electric drivetrain (rumored to be a four-speed unit), as well as a thumb-brake styled actuator for its kinetic energy recovery system (KERS).
It’s not clear if Kawasaki plans to commercialize the machine you see here, but the brand gives an obvious hint that the technologies that are being tested on its electric mule are surely going to find their way onto production machines.
While Honda might be known as the more technically advanced Japanese motorcycle manufacturer, Kawasaki to us is the most bold.
As such, we would expect to see Team Green being first to release an electric motorcycle to the masses. Perhaps, they are not too far from doing so.
Source: Kawasaki UK; Photos: EICMA & Kawasaki
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