In 41 days, Kawasaki plans on unveiling six new motorcycles for the 2021 model year, and no ink has been wasted trying to speculate what those bikes could be.
Could there be a new KLR to rival the Yamaha Ténéré 700 and help Team Green back into the ADV category? Another supercharged model to keep the H2 and H2 SX street bikes company? One more retro-modern play? It’s hard to say.
One thing that did seem for certain was that we would see a new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R superbike, and that is where today’s story takes us.
Now, our Bothan spies have reported in, and given us some clarity on what has only been speculation so far.
For starters, our spies tell us not to expect a “new” bike, though Kawasaki is making some big updates to the current ZX-10R platform.
While not a new bike, there will be updates to the ZX-10R and ZX-10RR though, which are designed primarily to aid Kawasaki’s efforts in the WorldSBK paddock, but should also help keep the green superbike at the top of the heap on dealer showrooms.
First will be a revised motor, which will surely add more power to its spec-sheet. We wouldn’t be surprised to see 210hp or more. However, our spies tell us that the chassis on the ZX-10R/ZX-10RR will remain the same as the current version.
This will also mean that same engine mounting points and casings, which means it is really the engine internals that will be getting a tweak for 2021.
The bodywork is getting an overhaul as well, with improved aerodynamics. The addition of winglets will also occur, as is in vogue right now, but also because it is a homologation requirement to use them in WorldSBK.
We can expect an electronics upgrade as well, which means we may finally see the end of the 10R’s Casio-inspired tachometer.
That is all our spies have to report for now, but we will know all the details on November 23rd, at 6am PST.
Source: Bothan Spies
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