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[TheRan]

This could perhaps be less of a disappointment than their recent fully electric bikes. The concern with hybrid bikes has always been where do you put the battery and motor on an already cramped gas bike, it looks like Kawasaki's solution is to just stretch the thing out. Looks much longer than most other A2 class bikes and more on par with something like a H2, and notice it also has twin brake discs up front so maybe it's up there when it comes to weight too. Not much extra power from that electric motor though at 12hp (the same as their fully electric bikes) and a 48v battery which I can't imagine is any bigger than one of the singles in their fully electric bikes.

https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-bikes/kawasaki-ninja-7-hev/

[princec]

Hybrid powertrains combine the literal worst aspects of both drivetrains in a combination guaranteed to disappoint on every level.

Cas

[Fran K]

Hybrid powertrains combine the literal worst aspects of both drivetrains in a combination guaranteed to disappoint on every level.

Cas

It has reverse and takes off like a liter bike but has an 451cc engine.

Wonder if Kawasaki and the swappable battery consortium will use nominal voltage or peak voltage for their "badge" number?
I get 166 amps to make 12hp at 48 volts.

It is puzzling to me as the motor makes torque and for my Ktm using their torque value the motor has to be spinning over half max to get the rated hp.  How much can the electric motor really add at say 3 mph in this take off scenario,

Is this going to be a five or six speed transmission in EV mode?

[Richard230]

Here is motorcycle.com's take on the new Kawasaki "strong hybrid":  https://www.motorcycle.com/bikes/new-model-preview/2024-kawasaki-ninja-7-hybrid-first-look-44595262

[Fran K]

It sure is intresting,  I would want a seat equally comfortable for both the rider and passenger.  It has a pocket of sorts to help hold the rider in place.

It is backwards from electric propulsion and range extender.  Range extender meaning small ice generator that likely will have emissions requirements that can be met.  Sort of like sub 20 hp requirement for off road diesel machinery that dont generally use that fluid VW past ceo tried to avoid.

[Richard230]

Now we want to hear what the MSRP will be and into which countries it will be marketed.

[TheRan]

My guess would have been £8k, a £6k Ninja 400 with a couple grand on top for the motor and battery. However their all electric model is £7.8k and has lower component spec, they have an extra battery (probably) but this has an entire engine and all the associated components. I think this might end up being close to £10k.

[Richard230]

My guess would have been £8k, a £6k Ninja 400 with a couple grand on top for the motor and battery. However their all electric model is £7.8k and has lower component spec, they have an extra battery (probably) but this has an entire engine and all the associated components. I think this might end up being close to £10k.

It could be a tough sell at that price.

[TheRan]

Definitely. They say it competes with a litre bike (starting at around £12k from them) but really it's probably going to be more like a 650 which is a few hundred quid cheaper than their all electric model. If this was the same price then it could be compelling and they could probably do it, but then that completely kills off the all electric model.

[flynnstig82r]

This one looks a lot more interesting than either of the e-1 models. It sounds like they're trying their hand at a transmission similar to Yamaha's YCC-S plus an all-automatic shifting mode. I would love to have something that can glide around town quietly, get great gas mileage, and still have the range and refueling advantages of gas for longer trips. I'd rather have an Experia, of course, but this Kawi will probably be a lot more affordable and you can avoid the woes of the charging network.

This first version might not compare well to the Honda NC750X, which already gets fantastic gas mileage, has an automatic transmission option, is priced under $10k, and has had plenty of time on the market for refinement, but future ones might be worth getting.

[TheRan]

The trouble is the all electric mode is going to be next to useless, 12hp peak moving a bike that will probably weigh close to 200kg and a sub 20 mile range. It's a gas bike first with a little extra oomph from a small electric motor, that significantly adds to the cost. It sounds like what you're after is something more like an electric bike with a gas range extender, so imagine your SS9 with a ~100cc engine strapped to it and a gas tank.

[princec]

Devil's advocate here - that power is entirely sufficient for 99% of all urban usage.
However, it's still pointless, because if you were doing urban things you'd literally just have a 12bhp bike and a 650 for the motorway stuff, for very likely the same price as this hybrid thing.

Cas

[TheRan]

Sufficient, but really not what you want and no one is going to subject themselves to that after having spent so much on the bike. Actually from my experience riding my 125 that has more power and a lot less weight that thing may actually struggle to reach the speed limit on some of the steeper hills in all electric mode.

[princec]

Exactly, but in an urban environment, the speed limit is at most around 60mph, and usually 20, 30 or 40. It's fine for that. Just ... pointlessly complex and expensive, like all hybrids. It's useless stopgap technology. If you're gonna burn petrol, then burn it as cheaply as possible, in a simple ICE bike. If you want to do something about the environment, buy a full BEV. This half-arsed hybrid stuff made sense for a very short time in the car world because it made them (in some cases) significantly more efficient on average but for bikes the questions being asked are not answered by hybrid powertrains.

Cas

[TheRan]

The fully electric model can only just do 61mph, with less weight and not losing power through a gearbox. And it's not just about being able to reach a certain speed but being able to do it in a timely manner. I have a hill right near my home with a mini roundabout at the bottom, it's only a 30mph limit but on my 125 it takes me nearly half the length of the hill to get up to that speed and the whole way I have cars right up my arse. Filtering to the front of the queue at some lights on this thing and then not being able to pull away any faster than the car next to you that's not even trying would just be embarrassing.