The Electric Kawasaki Ninja Is Going To Be A Gamechanger

Kawasaki makes good on its promise of delivering on its electric motorcycles, with further news on the Ninja and Z BEVs now released.

We first heard of an electric Kawasaki Ninja last year, when the motorcycle company introduced a trio of concepts, with two electric motorcycles and one hydrogen-powered one. At the 2022 EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show, we got to meet the Kawasaki Ninja EV and Kawasaki Z EV as traditional BEVs. Back then, Kawasaki promised it would debut its first electric streetbikes in 2023 and news from Motorcycle.com suggests the brand upheld its promises. Kawasaki has submitted new homologation data in Australia, with the models marketed as the Ninja e-1 and Z e-1.

The entry-level sportbike EV market is all set to burgeon, if not explode, and the Kawasaki Ninja as well as the Z would be a great addition to it. That said, these are starter or commuter motorcycles, likely to come with enough power for city riding. Here’s what we know about the electric Kawasaki Ninja and the Z, and why they might just shake things up a bit.

Both the game-changing Kawasaki motorcycles, the Ninja and the Z, will soon come as BEV models as the Ninja e-1 (model NX011A) and the Z e-1 (model NR011A). As far as we can tell from the homologation pictures, they share the same bodywork as their respective gas-powered 400 models, although the brakes and wheels come from the earlier Ninja 300 and Z300 models.

The wheels and brakes might be a reflection of the e-1 motorcycles being lower-powered, falling under the European A1 license-compliant models (125cc when it comes to gas-powered versions). At the 2022 EICMA Milan Motorcycle Show, Kawasaki announced the upcoming motorcycle would have 11 kW (14.8 hp) motors, which could also point to their model code numbers. That said, the Australian homologation shows a lower power of 9.0 kW (12.1 hp). Of course, this is continuous power, and not peak power, which could be nearly double as well.

Both models have a wheelbase of 53.9 inches, matching the respective 400 models. That said, the weights are different, listed at 298 pounds for the Z e-1 and 309 pounds for the Ninja e-1. It’s not clear if this weight includes the battery weight.

Back in 2022, Kawasaki claimed the motorcycles would come powered by two removable battery packs, each weighing 26.5 pounds, with a combined capacity of 3.0 kWh.

Spec Type

Kawasaki Ninja e-1

Kawasaki Z e-1

Motor

9.0 kW

9.0 kW

Output

12.1 hp

12.1 hp

Wheelbase

53.9 in

53.9 in

Tare weight

309 pounds

298 pounds

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Given that these motorcycles are largely commuter oriented and fall under the 125cc performance criteria, Kawasaki is not making them for thrills. That said, the Z e-1 and Ninja e-1 are likely the first in a range of alternative fuel products Kawasaki plans for the future. For 2024, Kawasaki plans to release a hybrid Ninja model as well, a hydrogen-powered motorcycle. Also, given the way Kawasaki names the Ninja range of motorcycles, the “e-1” naming scheme suggests more powerful “e-2” models might be the next milestones.

Another cool bit that Kawasaki revealed in 2022 was that the production version of these motorcycles (e-1) will use swappable electric batteries instead of larger, heavier packs. This could mean more viability for electric motorcycles with shorter ranges, and help reduce the time spent in charging a battery. While fixed batteries give longer ranges, they also add to the weight of the BEV, and if Kawasaki can reduce this in a motorcycle, chances are the Ninja and Z e-1 motorcycles might become the next best thing to sliced bread.

Also, do remember, Kawasaki along with Japan’s other big three motorcycle manufacturers (Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha) formed Gachaco. This is a dedicated battery swapping company born in 2022, so these might be the batteries that power your electric Kawasaki Ninja, and Z motorcycles. That said, with Gogoro already established as a battery-swapping company, Kawasaki might have to ensure some sort of compatibility.

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If we talk about the electric motorcycle market in the U.S., there are plenty of firmly established contenders already out there, even in the entry-level market.

There’s the Super73 RX, which is more of a moped than a motorcycle, with a top speed of 28 mph and claimed range of 40–75 miles. The prices range from $1,645 to $3,845 only. Moving to pocket bikes (125cc and equivalent), there’s the CSC City Slicker that costs less than $2,800 and comes with a 20-50 mile range as well as a 46 mph top speed.

Sondors has a slightly more expensive MetaCycle with a top speed of 80mph and a range of 60–80 miles, retailing at $6,500 a pop. There’s also the Ryvid Anthem with higher stats and obviously a higher price of $7,800 and more from Fuell and Solar as well. Of course, if you look at the markets in Asia, there are higher-capacity electric motorcycles retailing for less than $5K.

The BEV motorcycle market on the whole is much larger though, so for the Kawasaki Ninja e-1 and Z e-1 to make their mark, it needs the perfect pricing. We estimate Kawasaki to retail the naked Z e-1 motorcycle for $5,000 a pop, going slightly higher for the full-fairing Ninja.

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Unlike the Detroit Three (Ford, GM & now, Stellantis-owned Chrysler) that seemed to have firmly got a handle on the EV revolution, the big four motorcycle makers in Japan are dragging their feet. There are no major BEV motorcycles from Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki, yet, so the introduction of the Ninja and Z e-1 models is likely to spark a BEV bike frenzy from Japan. This simply offers the consumer some better choices, and might also bring down electric motorcycle prices in the long run. Meanwhile, U.S.-based companies like Zero Motorcycles and Italy’s Energica have sold electric motorcycles for more than a decade now. Even Harley-Davidson brought out the LiveWire, which has now spun into a separate company.

Japanese motorcycle makers need to catch up to the BEV bike revolution and practice better Kaizen if they want to remain relevant in a world fast moving to electric power. With the introduction of the electric Kawasaki Ninja and Z, Kawasaki is taking a giant leap for Japan’s motorcycle makers. With most of the details of these motorcycles still under wraps, it’s a wait-and-watch to see how well Kawasaki reads the pulse of the market.

Sources: Motorcycle.com, Kawasaki, Honda

Arun Singh Pundir has been a longtime media crackerjack having worked with big names like The Times of India and The Indian Express. He is a car and motorcycle freak and currently writes News, Features, and Lists for HotCars on anything that has any number or kind of wheels. For now, he considers his Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, Suzuki Ciaz, and Royal Enfield Classic 500, the current flames of his life. His dream is to drive around the world; even if it takes more than eighty days.