Few motorcycles are as instantly recognizable as the Kawasaki Ninja. Even non-motorcyclists have a tendency to categorize any fully-faired sportbike as a Ninja, even if the bike is in fact not a Ninja. That being said, it’s understandable that Kawasaki’s lean green racing machine has branched out to be suitable for riders of all experience levels.
For example, our rider friends in Europe have much stricter license regulations when it comes to motorcycles when compared to that of the U.S. This means that young, first-time riders must start their riding journey aboard a small-displacement machine with engine sizes no more than 125cc, and power outputs no more than 15 ponies. As such, it’s no surprise that most mainstream manufacturers have developed models based on bigger, more powerful machines, targeted squarely at beginners. Case in point: the Kawasaki Ninja 125 and Z125.
In the European market, the Z125 and Ninja 125 have been available for quite some time now, and have provided first-time riders a sporty platform to start with, while maintaining the brand’s racing inspired nature. That being said, these bikes sit at the very edge of allowable performance with 15 horsepower on tap from their 125cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engines. Performance aside, however, the Z125 and Ninja 125 offer first-timers some pretty impressive tech, with a fully digital instrument cluster and ABS as standard.
Furthermore, they also get Kawi’s Ergo-Fit system which allows riders to insert and remove seat pads to adjust the bike’s height according to their confidence level. For the 2023 model year, Kawasaki has spruced up its beginner friendly offerings for Europe by introducing new colorways for the Ninja and Z125. For the Kawasaki Z125, young riders will ave the option to choose between Candy Lime Green/ Metallic Spark Black and Pearl Storm Gray. Meanwhile, sportier youngsters who opt for the Ninja 125 get a fully faired aesthetic, with the tradeoff of just one color option: Lime Green/ Ebony.
