Kawasaki Z400 (KTM 390 Duke rival) likely to debut at EICMA 2018

The Kawasaki Z400 naked roadster is reportedly under development, according to leaked ‘emission documents’ of two motorcycles. The company has filed emission documents for the Kawasaki Ninja 400 and the ER400DK, with the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

The ER400DK is the upcoming Kawasaki Z400 as the company uses the ‘ER’ suffix for naked motorcycles, while ‘K’ refers to the model year 2019. For instance, the Kawasaki Z300 had a codename ER300BG.

The potential introduction of the Kawasaki Z400 doesn't come as a big surprise as every Ninja model has had a naked Z sibling. For example, the Ninja 250/Z250, Ninja 300/Z300, Ninja 650/Z650 and the Ninja 1000/Z1000.

All the Z models have shared the engine with their respect Ninja variants, and the Kawasaki Z400 won't be any different. Powering the Z400 will be a 399 cc, parallel-twin cylinder, 8-valve, DOHC engine with liquid cooling. The fuel-injected motor produces 48.3 bhp of maximum power at 10,000 rpm while generating a peak torque of 38 Nm at 8,000 rpm on the Kawasaki Ninja 400. The engine pairs to a slipper-clutch assisted 6-speed gearbox.

Apart from the engine, the Kawasaki Z400 will borrow the chassis, suspension setup, electricals and braking components from the Ninja 400. The motorcycle will feature 41 mm telescopic fork up front with 125 mm wheel travel, while the rear will get a Uni-Trak, bottom-link gas-charged mono-shock with adjustable preload and a wheel travel of 130 mm.

Braking hardware will include a single 310 mm petal disc at the front and a 220 mm rear petal disc. The Kawasaki Z400 is likely to ride on 17-inch alloy wheels that should wrap on 110-section front and 150-section rear tubeless tires. That said, India Kawasaki Motors will have to price the Z400 aggressively to compete against the likes of KTM 390 Duke and the BMW G 310 R.

Also Read: 2019 Kawasaki Ninja H2, H2 Carbon & H2R launched in India

If launched in India, the Kawasaki Z400 could retail at around INR 4 lakh (ex-showroom), which is not exactly an accessible price tag. However, if Kawasaki plans to localize the motorcycle in India, similar to the Ninja 300, then we could be looking at a much lower price. Rumours are rife that Kawasaki will showcase the Z400 at the upcoming EICMA 2018 in Milan, Italy.

Kawasaki Ninja 400 - Image Gallery

[Source: ARB.ca.gov]