What was the Ninja 250 missing? What what was the Ninja 300 missing? For that matter what was the Suzuki’s new GSX250R missing? The answer is just a little bit of displacement. Not much but just a little more squish space at the top of the cylinder. It is what makes a bike that is entry level into a bike that is enjoyable for a far greater audience and, with the exception of a few riders, a bike that doesn’t have an expiry date because it is powerful enough to cover all the bases from commuter to weekend touring machine. The Suzuki GSX250R in some ways knew what was needed. The bike was big. It didn’t feel like a small bike but the engine – as fun as it was – had its limitations. But small displacement bikes were getting bigger …. 250, 300, 320, 390 and now 400 (399 to be specific). But this is going to be the sweet spot. Where can you go from here without bumping into the already existing middleweight Ninja models. But here is the rub – we don’t know as of today whether Kawasaki will be bringing the new Ninja 400 with it new motor into Canada. We hope so but we also hope that it is still priced in the small displacement range. If it does arrive at Canadian dealers expect to see the other manufacturers bump the displacement of their smaller offering.
UPDATE
The Ninja 400 is coming to Canada with a starting price of $5799 for the base model ranging up to $6399 for the ABS KRT edition. Kawasaki’s Canadian specs are:
Displacement 399cc
Type 4-stroke Parallel Twin
Bore and stroke 70.0 x 51.8 mm
Cooling Liquid-cooled
Compression ratio 11.5:1
Valve system DOHC, 8 valves
Fuel system Fuel Injection: 32mm x 2 (Keihin)
Ignition Digital
Lubrication Forced Lubrication, wet sump
Brakes
Front: type Single semi-floating 310 mm petal disc
Front: calipers Single balanced actuation dual-piston
Rear: type Single 220 mm petal disc
Rear: calipers Dual-piston
Overall length 1,990 mm
Overall width 710 mm
Overall height 1,120 mm
Wheelbase 1,370 mm
Ground clearance 140mm
Seat height 785mm
Curb mass** 164 kg
Fuel capacity 14 litres
Transmission 6-speed, return
Final drive Chain
Primary reduction ratio 2.219 (71/32)
Gear ratio: 1st 2.929 (41/14)
Gear ratio: 2nd 2.056 (37/18) [
Gear ratio: 3rd 1.619 (34/21)
Gear ratio: 4th 1.333 (32/24)
Gear ratio: 5th 1.154 (30/26)
Gear ratio: 6th 1.037 (28/27)
Final reduction ratio 2.929 (41/14)
Clutch Wet multi-disc, manual
Frame Trellis, high-tensile steel
Wheel travel:front 120mm
Tire: front 110/70-17 M/C 54S
Wheel travel: rear 130 mm
Tire: rear 150/60R17 M/C 66H
Caster (rake) 24.7°
Trail 92 mm
Steering angle (left/right) 35° / 35°
Performance
Maximum Power‡ 36 kW {49 PS} / 10,000 rpm
Maximum Torque‡ 38 N.m {3.9 kgf.m} / 8,000 rpm
Suspension, front 41 mm telescopic fork
Suspension, rear Bottom-Link Uni-Trak, gas-charged shock with adjustable preload