Classic Livery, Kawasaki Style
From our friends at Kawasaki:
In the 40 years since its inception, the Kawasaki Ninja® moniker has become one of the most recognizable motorcycle names in the industry. Since first arriving on the moto scene in 1984, and officially rebranding the famous GPz900R, the Kawasaki Ninja line of motorcycles continues to illustrate the pursuit of high performance in every displacement class. To celebrate their historic run in the powersports industry, Kawasaki has announced and debuted their 2024 Ninja 40th Anniversary Edition motorcycles.
A pristine 1992 Kawasaki ZX-7, in that iconic livery. Photo by Bring-A-Trailer.
A Racing Pedigree
In the late 1980’s, there was one Kawasaki machine that stood out in the United States: The Ninja ZX-7. Embracing Kawasaki’s relentless pursuit of innovation on the racetrack, the Ninja ZX-7 became the brand’s flagship in the FIM Endurance World Championship, finding its way to the top step of the podium in 1991, 1992 and 1993. Stateside, Kawasaki continued its championship run in AMA Superbike, adding four additional titles in 1990, 1992, 1996 and 1997 to make nine overall championships in the series. In 1993, Kawasaki rider Scott Russell captured the WorldSBK Championship aboard his Ninja ZX-7R, further proving the Ninja’s prowess. Inspired by one of the iconic bikes that reshaped the motorcycle road racing scene, a special Ninja ZX-7-inspired color scheme will be available on the Ninja ZX™-4RR ABS, Ninja ZX™-6R ABS, Ninja ZX™-10R ABS and Ninja ZX™-14R ABS.
The ZX-10R and ZX-14R, in 40th Anniversary livery. Photos by Kawasaki.
Commemorating 40 Years Of Ninja
A specially reproduced three-color livery will be featured on each 40th Anniversary Edition model, with a large throwback “Kawasaki” logo on the fairings. All logos featured on the motorcycle were reproduced from original artwork, and the various other elements were specially designed to harken back memories of the Ninja ZX-7 series’ historic list of wins. A special 40th Anniversary emblem designed to resemble a championship sticker can be found on the top of each fuel tank, and the displacement numbers featured on the tail cowl are based on the fonts used in the 1980’s and 90’s. Specially painted lime green wheels on all models, silver-painted frame and swingarm on the Ninja ZX-10R, Ninja ZX-6R and Ninja ZX-4RR, and gold-painted front fork outer tubes on the Ninja ZX-10R and Ninja ZX-6R complete the iconic throwback look.
The ZX-6R and ZX-4RR, in 40th Anniversary livery. Photos by Kawasaki.
Here’s the breakdown of price and availability of each bike in the 40th Anniversary lineup-
2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR 40th Anniversary Edition ABS
Color: Lime Green/Pearl Crystal White/Blue
MSRP: $10,299
Availability: Winter 2023
2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 40th Anniversary Edition ABS
Color: Lime Green/Pearl Crystal White/Blue
MSRP: $12,649
Availability: Winter 2023
2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R 40th Anniversary Edition ABS
Color: Lime Green/Pearl Crystal White/Blue
MSRP: $19,149
Availability: Winter 2023
2024 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R 40th Anniversary Edition ABS
Color: Lime Green/Pearl Crystal White/Blue
MSRP: $17,249
Availability: Winter 2023
These are stunning motorcycles, and for those of us who still remember those championship machines of the 80’s and 90’s, these anniversary editions are spot-on. Congrats to Kawasaki for 40 years of a legendary motorbike!
For more info on each bike in the 40-year anniversary line, click here:
My friend Mike Vaughan is the man responsible for the name “Ninja” when he was at Kawasaki. I met him many years later as the head of Triumph Motorcycles and he was the man most responsible for launching my motorcycle journalism career.
I’ll get some pictures of Scott Russell’s WSBK winning ZX-7R next time I’m at his place.
Was not aware of that. Very cool! Yeah, I’d love to see some pics of Scott’s WSBK champ bike.