Fancy a middleweight supersport motorcycle? The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is here!

If you love sportsbikes and have been lamenting the absence of a hardcore, middleweight supersport in the otherwise burgeoning premium two-wheeler space in India, your wait just got over. The all-new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R that was launched internationally just a few months ago, has been launched in India, priced at Rs 10.49 lakh ex-showroom. The pricing is introductory though, and Kawasaki tells us prices will go up significantly when revised. Kawasaki dealers had started accepting bookings for the Ninja ZX-6R in October last year itself, thereby confirming that an India launch for the bike was on the cards and the manufacturer announced the pricing today.

The 2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is powered by a 636cc, inline four-cylinder engine producing 130PS of power

The Ninja ZX-6R launched in India is being assembled locally at the Kawasaki India's manufacturing and assembly unit at Chakan near Pune. As part of the generation change, the new ZX-6R sports a complete redesign and looks more aggressive now. In fact, interestingly, it looks similar to its younger sibling, the Kawasaki Ninja 400 that went on sale in India last year but hasn't really done well owing to its high sticker price. Coming back to the Ninja ZX-6R, the motorcycle is one that is regarded highly by sportsbike aficionados the world over for its performance and handling since it was first launched, way back in 1995.

The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is one of the most popular motorcycles in the middleweight supersport segment and has won the WSS championship multiple times

In fact, the Ninja ZX-6R has won the World SuperSport Championship twice in the last four years which speaks a lot about the bike's track abilities. The current generation Ninja ZX-6R is powered by a 636cc, liquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder engine that offers 130PS produced at 13,500rpm and 70.8Nm produced at 11,000rpm. The engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox and of course, there's a slipper clutch as well to let you slam a couple of gears down right at the corner entry without having to worry about the rear hopping. The engine powering the bike is an updated version of the last generation ZX-6R's engine and uses a longer stroke for improved mid-range performance, keeping in mind that a majority of ZX-6R riders ride far more on the streets than they do on track.

The instrument cluster on the on the 2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is an analogue-digital unit unlike the Ninja ZX-10R which gets a full-digital dashboard

On the rider aids front, the ZX-6R comes equipped with three levels of Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC), apart from which you can also switch it off – perfect for wheelies! Then there's two power modes and a uni-directional quickshifter (upshift only). The bike comes shod with Bridgestone Battlax Hypersport S22 tyres (120/70 R17 front and 180/55 R17 rear). Headlights are full-LED units, while the instrument cluster is a part-digital unit including an analogue tachometer. The tachometer needle changes colour from white to pink to red, thus indicating shift timing to the rider. Suspension duties are taken care of by fully-adjustable, 41mm, upside down forks upfront and fully-adjustable, gas-charged monoshock at the rear. Braking duties are handled by twin semi-floating 310mm petal discs upfront with radially mounted, four-piston monobloc calipers and a single 220mm petal disc at the rear. Seat height is 830mm, while kerb weight stands at 196kg.

The 2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is the only 'proper' middleweight supersport on sale in the country currently

The Triumph Daytona 675 and 675R would have been direct rivals to the ZX-6R, but have been discontinued. The Ducati 959 Panigale could be considered a competitor but it is a lot more powerful and expensive and hence doesn't really fall in the same league. An interesting match for the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, in the Indian market at least, could be the Triumph Street Triple RS, which is a naked, but is powered by Triumph's 765cc triple cylinder engine that also powers the 2019 Moto2 machines. The Street Triple RS offers 123PS and 77Nm, while weighing 166kg dry. That said, the ZX-6R is a different kettle of fish, positioned as a fully-faired supersport motorcycle and could feel more potent, be it on road or track. But, that does sound like an interesting comparison test, no?