Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid

For 2024 Kawasaki have made and released their first and  proper hybrid motorcycle using the Ninja sports bike platform. I don’t know of any major or minor manufacturer releasing a hybrid powered motorcycle ever, so this is the first hybrid powered motorcycle in the world!  

In terms of looks the Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid is built on the Ninja 400 platform hence very similar. Overall it looks no different to any contemporary sports style motorcycle, which has it’s pros and cons. 

In terms of technology the Ninja 7 scores top marks for being electric and having a petrol engine at the same time. So it has can run on electric only or petrol only or hybrid with a variety of modes that combine the two including stop start and power boost. It is also an automatic and a push button manual transmission with an assortment of modes with a reverse gear. Now, the 7 on the badge implies that it somehow has 700 cc (or 1000cc according to some other official Kawasaki websites) of power from a regular engine – of course I’ve seen marketing materials for decades and they rarely reflect real life performance. The petrol motor is a 451cc engine version of the 250cc parallel twin that charges and charges the tiny battery that powers the electric motor and tech is from the Kawasaki e-1 series. 

The Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid is a half way step between petrol and going fully electric. Will motorcyclists care about the high tech power train – yes they will be drawn to the tech package of an automatic motorcycle and being able to ride on electric only power or petrol or both. So, if you are commuter rider in particular, the 7 Hybrid will entice you as it looks good and being as easy as a scooter to ride. For me the sound of a parallel twin engine is a little off putting.