The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Gets New Clothes

Kawasaki has unveiled the 2021 Ninja ZX-6R overseas. The faired motorcycle gets a new colour option while the rest of the bike remains unchanged. Kawasaki had recently heavily revised some of its mid-capacity models like the Ninja 650 and Z650. 

The updates for 2021 are purely cosmetic. It gets a new KRT edition livery. Instead of the black and green, the fairing now has a dash of white and red colours added into the mix. It gives the supersport motorcycle a sporty look. Other than the colour update, the new motorcycle does not receive any feature update. It continues to get features like twin LED headlamps and a semi-digital instrument console.  

The powertrain also remains unchanged. It continues to be powered by a 636cc inline-four cylinder motor that delivers 136PS and 70.8Nm. It gets a close-ratio 6-speed gearbox with an assist & slipper clutch. Rider aids include Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC) with three modes, power mode selector and Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-lock Braking System (KIBS) have been retained.

Also read: Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R: Road Test Review 

The underpinnings remain the same pressed aluminium perimeter frame with fully adjustable Showa SFF-BP forks and a fully adjustable Bottom-Link Uni Trak gas-charged monoshock with piggyback reservoir. Braking is via dual 310mm petal discs with radially-mounted monobloc calipers at the front and a 220mm petal rear disc. It runs on Bridgestone Hypersport S22 radial tyres. 

We won’t be getting the new livery anytime soon as the bike is not BS6-compliant yet. It remains to be seen if Kawasaki will come up with a BS6 Ninja ZX-6R. The chances of that happening seem bleak as the supersport market is dying out due to poor demand and Kawasaki will have to spend heavily for better electronics and features.