Below is a brief announcement from Kawasaki regarding the remaining models in its 2018 U.S. lineup. Stay tuned for in-depth articles on several of the bikes. In the meantime, have a look below and note the base MSRP for the new bikes, including $10,999 for the Z900RS, $4,999 for the Ninja 400, $19,000 for the Ninja H2 SX, and $21,899 for the Ninja ZX-10R SE.
Foothill Ranch, California – Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. announces the remainder of its model year 2018 motorcycle models which includes the Z900RS, Ninja® 400, Ninja H2™ SX, Ninja H2™ SX SE, Ninja® ZX™-10R SE, and the Ninja® ZX™-10RR motorcycles.
Z900RS
Kawasaki is bringing class leading performance and technology to another category of motorcycles, the retro bike class. In building the Z900RS, Kawasaki has meticulously crafted one of the most authentic retro bikes in appearance and design, paying homage to the original Z1, all while tastefully incorporating modern technology and features.
Ninja 400
The stacked and always competitive small displacement sportbike class once again has a new leader by which all others will be judged: the all-new Kawasaki Ninja® 400 ABS and Ninja® 400. The sporty, lightweight, nimble handling platform of the Ninja 400 offers riders plenty of excitement, while also maintaining its reputation for appealing to a broad range of customers.
Ninja H2 SX and Ninja H2 SX SE
The Kawasaki Ninja H2™ SX and Ninja H2™ SX SE are the world’s most advanced hypersport motorcycle, derived from the prestigious supercharged Ninja H2™ superbike family pedigree. Blending performance and ultimate real world handling, the new lightweight supercharged sportbike line of Ninja H2 SX motorcycles is sure to continue in the award winning ways of its counterparts, and become the new standard by which the sportbike category is judged.
Ninja ZS-10R SE
For 2018, Kawasaki takes supersport motorcycles to the next level by introducing the Ninja® ZX™-10R SE, boasting the latest in suspension technology and delivering the same sheer engine performance that has claimed FIM Superbike Manufacturers Championship each of the last three years.
See more of MD’s great photography:
Is anyone working harder to bring exciting new bikes to the market place…? Don’t think so. Stores I know are already taking orders for the H2 SX-SE, and I expect these other new models will also sell well. Should be a well deserved profitable 2018 for Kawasaki.
Even during the recession they were working pretty hard. They missed the mark a bit with most of those efforts, but they were trying. But yeah… I think they have a couple of winners this time around.
The price is three tines what was paid in 1975! The wages are no where near those numbers !
According to US Census Bureau
Average household income in 1975 was $ 13,779
in 2014 average household income is $75,738 (and no doubt higher in 2017)
I think your math is off somewhere
$10,999 in 2017 is equal to $2417 in 1975. I paid $1888 out the door for a new KZ1000 in Sept 1976 (I think retail was $2200)
Great to see Kawasaki moving forward with new / improved / updated motorcycles for the U.S. Market.
re: “the Ninja® ZX™-10R SE, boasting the latest in suspension technology and delivering the same sheer engine performance that has claimed FIM Superbike Manufacturers Championship each of the last three years.”
no sale…
for that kind of quid this should be a full Rea signature rep, and yes with the golden Triple Crown fairings briefly seen at Magny Cours. file this under “opportunity missed”.
https://tinyurl.com/ybqoh8kt
I’m thinking about trading my 300 Ninja for the 400.
The 400 looks like an excellent starter bike, or feather light bike for veterans to flog like crazy. And that price!
The SX is calling to me…damn it.
The “SE” suffix to your model number salad stands for “Super Expensive”, which will be embellished in gold leaf by virgin geishas on the bikes privileged to bear this distinction.
I believe that’s the one you need to get, to get factory cruise control. Which seems to have been everyones gripe with previous Kawi sport tourers.
Considering how cheap it is to add cruise to a RBW, I wouldn’t exactly call that kind of gratuitous price gouging, one of Kawi’s finer moments. Unless the supercharged engines are still so complex and expensive, that the reality is the SE is the realistically priced one; with the standard serving as almost a loss leader to help get supercharged bikes out there into the hands of riders.
With 200hp and great wind protection, even that expensive a cruise control, will likely pay for itself in avoided speeding tickets pretty quickly…..
Riding a MC w/200hp and a cruise control is oxymoron. That’s a Jekyll-Hyde mindset.
Reminds me of the 50 yo rider I met @ Sears Point Raceway who rode a Huyabusa but said he had yet to ride it over 80 mph. Huh?
Hmmmm.. Looks like a trip to the local Kowee store is in order..
$5K for the 400, is a plain good deal…. A “like, what the heck are the rest going to do now” good deal…..
$20-22K for the SX may well be justified; but even if so, Kawi still need to make their supercharging technology more cost effective, if it is ever going to be anything more than a curiosity.
The RS looks nice, and is priced right there with the rest of the modern retros. If people’s comments about what would cause them to open their wallet were to be taken seriously, the whole internet would buy one of those 🙂
Differentiating between the various superbikes, is simply above my paygrade…. I’m sure this latest and greatest 10R is awesome, but as far as I’m concerned, Kawi’s own 636 is still where it’s at as far as sportbikes are concerned.
“Kawi’s own 636 is still where it’s at as far as sportbikes are concerned”
bingo
Just because you can’t afford something doesn’t mean it won’t sell. Ducati Panigale Superleggeras sell out before they are officially announced.
22K is not a lot of money for the best sport touring bike on the planet. That thing will sell like crazy.