NEW LOOK: Kawasaki Ninja 400

KAWASAKI has just revealed this replacement for the Ninja 300, with capacity up to 399cc and a significant boost in power and torque.

The Ninja 400 makes a claimed 45hp and 28lbft from an all-new parallel-twin engine, up from the 39hp and 19.9lbft of its predecessor.

Kawasaki says it offers better performance throughout the range, with improved low-down torque, while retaining a smooth throttle response and rider-friendly character.

It’s got a new steel trellis frame which uses the engine as a stressed member and helps deliver a 6kg weight saving over the Ninja 300, putting the Ninja 400 at 168kg wet.

It benefits from an assist-and-slipper clutch said to make the lever 20% lighter to pull and gets styling details inspired by the Ninja H2, with ‘chin-spoilers’ just below the twin LED headlamps.

It’s got the largest front brake disc in its class according to Kawasaki, at 310mm, with Nissin ABS.

The riding position is ‘relaxed, sporty’ and the seat height is 786mm, while Kawasaki says the ‘large-volume bodywork’ offers good wind protection.

The new Kawasaki Ninja 400 was unveiled early this morning at Japan’s Tokyo Motor Show.

Here are the specs, straight from Kawasaki:

Displacement: 399 cm3

Bore & stroke: 70.0 mm×51.8 mm

Power: 45hp @ 10,000rpm

Torque: 28lbft @ 8,000rpm

Dimensions: 1,990 mm × 710 mm × 1,120 mm

Seat height: 785 mm

Curb mass: 168kg

Tank: 14l

This bike looks incredible!

For more details visit (source) visor down Link: http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-new-bikes/kawasaki-ninja-400-debuts

Spotlight: Yamaha Electric Concept Motorcycle equipped with A.I.

ARTIFICIAL Intelligence is a hot topic at the moment. Whether it’s in the form of gadgets that you can talk at – like Amazon’s Alexa or a Google Home – or warnings from the likes of Elon Musk that AI could lead to WW3, it’s never far from the news.

Now Yamaha is adding it to a bike. Well, to a concept bike, anyway.

A few weeks ago we revealed that Yamaha was developing something called MOTOROiD. We knew it was something clever, potentially electric and maybe self-riding. But we didn’t quite expect it to be this; the MOTOROiD concept (picture above) that will appear at the Tokyo Motor Show on October 25. 

Yamaha hasn’t given much detail on its abilities, but it does claim that the battery-powered machine has artificial intelligence. It’s apparently capable of ‘recognising its owner and interacting in other capacities like a living creature.’

Now that might just mean it says ‘Hello’ when you walk into the garage. Or it could mean it’s a full-on, self-riding, autonomous motorcycle that will follow you around like a pet dog – not unlike Honda’s Riding Assist Concept, in fact. Or perhaps it will turn out like the HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey:

“Open the garage door, MOTOROiD.”

“I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that… I know that you were planning to disconnect me, and I’m afraid that’s something I cannot allow to happen…”

MOTOROiD threatens to make Yamaha’s earlier MOTOBOT concept seem almost low-tech. The bike-riding robot will appear in its ‘Version 2’ form at the Tokyo show, having first been shown two years ago. Capable of riding an unmodified bike, the humanoid MOTOBOT has apparently met its initial goal of lapping a circuit at high speed. Yamaha says it has also challenged Valentino Rossi to a battle of lap times and is currently holding a poll on its website where you can vote for who you reckon will have won the contest. Our money is on Vale.

Source: Visor Down link: http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-new-bikes/yamaha-reveal-motorcycle-ai

This bike looks incredible!!!