Watch: 2020 Kawasaki ZX-25R screaming to 15,500 rpm

KRT riders go all out with Kawasaki ZX-25R on Jerez Circuit in Spain

We’ve talked a lot about the upcoming Kawasaki ZX-25R and how this 250cc 4-cylinder is a revival of the long-forgotten screamer bikes of the past. Kawasaki has been teasing this bike to the public since last year.

It was finally unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show but with very few details. All we know is that it is powered by a newly-developed 249 cc, liquid-cooled, four-cylinder engine with double overhead cams. This engine was chosen in order to provide smooth, balanced power delivery from low to mid-range, while still providing lots of peak power at the higher end of the powerband. The engine is speculated to produce some 60 hp, almost as much as Kawasaki’s current 650cc parallel twin.

It will be paired with a 6-speed transmission with a quick shifter fitted as standard. Power sent to the wheels will be governed by Kawasaki Traction Control (KtrC). It will likely have ABS fitted as standard as well.

Besides all that power from a small displacement, the ZX-25R is designed to boast of a very high redline. Earlier released images revealed it to have a redline of 17,000 rpm. It’s typical competition usually tops out at just 12,000 – 14,000 rpm.

Based on the video, it has LED headlights and taillights. It's also brought to a stop with a single disc in front and a disc in the rear with Nissin calipers.

Finally, to enhance its unique sound, Kawasaki has fitted it with racing-grade exhaust designed to make it sound like a bigger engine than it actually is.

We’ll leave you to decide with this video where Kawasaki recently let the ZX-25R loose in Jerez Circuit in Spain. It’s ridden by none other than the company’s top World Superbike Championship riders, Jonathan Rea, the current WSBK champion, and Alex Lowes, his teammate. The video was shot during WSBK winter testing earlier in January.

The two take it around the track and don’t hesitate to bring it up to speed. At one point in the video, we see the speedometer hit 160 km/h and the tachometer at 15,500 rpm. This could serve as a hint that the bike is capable of much more, possibly even a top speed of 200 km/h: formerly unthinkable on a conventional 2-cylinder 250cc.

Kawasaki has promised more videos of the ZX-25R to come, so stay tuned.