The 2017 Kawasaki Z250 facelift will be launched on 22 April 2017 in Pune and is expected to be launched with anti-lock brakes (ABS). The powerplant remains the same as the outgoing model, but the new Z250 is expected to get a few new colour options as well. The engine on the 2017 Kawasaki Z250 is the same as the outgoing model - liquid cooled, four-stroke, 249 cc parallel-twin which makes 32 bhp of power and 21 Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated to a slick six-speed gearbox on Kawasaki's least expensive bike on sale in India.
The current Kawasaki Z250 retails for Rs 3.11 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and the updated version (with ABS) is expected to cost around Rs 3.25 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi). The Kawasaki Z250 retains the styling and overall DNA of its bigger siblings - the Z900 and the Z1000. Although classified as a naked bike, the Z250 wears a small "bikini-fairing" exposing its parallel-twin engine. Fit and finish is top notch and performance is quite entertaining, if not outright fast. In India, the Kawasaki Z250 will compete against the KTM 200 Duke, Honda CBR 250 R and the Benelli TNT 25.
The Kawasaki Z250 is an entertaining bike to ride with refined performance and an engine which begs to be revved its 12,000 rpm redline. But the Z250 hasn't really been a successful product in India, owing to the high sticker price for a 250 cc motorcycle that didn't even offer standard ABS. With the new model with ABS, it remains to be seen if the baby Z manages to attract interest this time around in a market where there is no replacement for displacement. Nevertheless, it's the 200-300 cc segment which has seen the most percentage growth in the last couple of years with most manufacturers introducing a 200-250 cc product in the market. Will the Kawasaki Z250 be successful this time around? Difficult to say, but pricing will be key to the mini-Z's success.
