The blast effect of the deflagration caused by the arrival of the Ducati Panigale V4 R was felt even within the walls of the Aksahi factory which manufactures Kawasaki. So much so that the four World Champion Cups acquired in Superbike fell off the shelf. As a result, the Greens assure that they will replicate to the reds with a motorcycle at least as elaborate which will also be worth around 40 euros. An infernal machine which, however, will not call everything into question…
The question is in fact whether the Ninja would move to a V4 architecture from which the Ducati currently benefits, as did the Aprilia RSV4 before. Certainly, but at the same time, Honda, BMW, Kawasaki, MV Agusta, Suzuki and Yamaha believe, like Kawasaki, in the in-line four-cylinder.
As Kawasaki has decided to counter-attack with a new missile, is this not an opportunity to seize to release a new mechanism? The man of art for Kawa who is Ichiro Yoda respond : " In my eyes it doesn't matter whether you choose a V-shaped or in-line engine, but rather how to build it. When I moved from Yamaha to Kawasaki, Valentino Rossi was the last rider I worked with. He arrived from Honda after the 2003 season, where he drove a V5 engine. He rode the Yamaha equipped with the in-line four-cylinder. Valentino then said that both concepts had their advantages and disadvantages but that the main thing was to put the power on the track ».
He specifies on speedweek : " I guess Kawasaki has a long history with the inline four, they want to stick to that philosophy. I have not had any negative experiences with this engine. We need to focus on the system that you have a lot of experience with. Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki have a lot of experience with the inline-four. BMW remains faithful to this architecture. For the inline four, there is a large customer base on the market, probably less for the V4. We stay with the engine online ».
