Super sporty Ninja, then sporty Z naked and, in third place, a classic retro RS. This seems to have been a fairly standard pattern at Kawasaki for some time. This was the case with the 900 and 650 twin-cylinders, so it doesn’t seem unreasonable to speculate that it could also be the case with the latest, the ZX-4R.
The medium-sized fairing built on the in-line four-cylinder that we tested at the previous presentation and which we hope will hit our roads very soon, could therefore give rise to a Z 400 RS and we’re not the only ones to think so, quite the contrary. Our Japanese colleagues at Young Machine see this as very likely, not least because Kawasaki’s RS models are being unanimously acclaimed from South to West and, from an industrial point of view, it wouldn’t be a big problem. On the contrary, it could give rise to a fascinating naked with a classic feel and an in-line four-cylinder with a good 77 hp and would be very interesting indeed, although not unique, at least in Japan.
Even Honda, in fact, seems to be taking advantage of the CB400 for 2025, who knows. Could Kawasaki arrive before then? It’s not that far-fetched to think that, if this RS really is in the company’s plans, it could be presented as early as 2024 and hit our roads next year.
On the other hand, in recent times we can’t help but notice Kawasaki’s great dynamism, both in the direction of the future, with electric, hybrid and hydrogen models, and in recovering its heritage. Take, for example, the beautiful color schemes for the 40th anniversary of the Ninja.
The possibility of a four-cylinder Z400 RS makes us dream and reminisce. From the legendary Z400FX of the 1970s to the beautiful (and perhaps to our shame not fully understood) Zephyr of the 1990s, Kawasaki’s history offers enough stylistic clues to legitimize a 400 that evokes us. On the other hand, we are also witnessing a rediscovery of this displacement with models that are mostly single-cylinder or two-cylinder, and having a four-cylinder already on the assembly line seems too good an opportunity for a management as dynamic as Kawasaki’s to pass up.