i have high hopes for this machine because right now every electric motorcycle is expensive, heavy and range limited and while prices will come down the issues of weight and range will remain
meanwhile every decent gas motorcycle only gets about 40 mpg, which is what Camry Hybrid gets, and as such there is absolutely no point in it - why suffer on a motorcycle if a comfortable car can get you same fuel economy ?
EV cars are successful because you can’t feel the extra 500 - 1000 lbs in a car, but you will certainly feel the extra 50 - 100 lbs in a motorcycle. also the best EV cars get 300-400 miles of range while best EV motorcycles only get 150-200 miles of range.
also it has been noted motorcycle tech is about 10 years behind car tech ( due to motorcycles being about 1/5th the price of cars, thus unable to justify the cost of latest tech ) and the sweet spot for car tech is currently plug-in hybrids, while the sweet spot for motorcycles is still combustion engine.
the next logical step for motorcycles then is hybrid, which has been the sweet spot for cars maybe 5 years ago …
this Kawasaki hybrid should have just the right amount of power ( about 50 hp ) to be decent for commuting and will probably weigh about 450 lbs, because it’s a hybridized version of Ninja 400 which weighs 360 lbs.
as such it will still be 100 lbs lighter than any serious EV motorcycle while beating them on range.
what about cost ? ninja Z400 is just $5,000 MSRP … even if the hybrid is $10,000 it will still be less than half of any serious EV motorcycle which are all over $20,000 …
yes Energica Experia is a decent EV motorcycle but at $25,000 its $10,000 more than average superbike so any fuel savings you may have become completely irrelevant.
the Kawasaki Hybrid may finally offer something that actually allows you to save money commuting without making you feel like a total faggot for riding a scooter with 70 mph top speed.
Z400 top speed is 105 mph and the hybrid will likely be the same. 105 mph top speed is realistically enough for commuting while 75 mph top speed of BMW CE 04 electric scooter is enough for only urban use.
BMW CE 04 also is likely to only have about 40 miles of range on highway ( for which it isn’t even fast enough ) while Kawasaki hybrid is likely to have over 100 miles of highway range plus the ability to refuel anywhere and STILL get good economy.
and why am i so obsessed with commuting efficiency ? well because we are headed for some dark times where we will neither be able to live in a city nor drive a truck.
this Kawasaki Hybrid may be just the ticket.