KAWASAKI NINJA 7 HYBRID (2024 - on) Review

The Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid is borne of pioneering thinking similar to that which brought us the supercharged H2 family, but with a diametrically opposed design brief: supreme economy and minimised tailpipe emissions from a petrol-electric hybrid, but still with a little bit of middleweight sportsbike sparkle to liven up your daily commute.

If you’re wondering why a 451cc twin is numbered ‘7’, it’s because Kawasaki say overall performance is similar to a 650-700cc twin like its own Ninja 650. It’s the first motorcycle with a hybrid motor: Piaggio’s MP3 125 Hybrid came before in 2009, but had three wheels, and was a scooter, so stretches the limits of the term ‘motorcycle’. A 300cc version released in 2010 had a mere 3bhp of electric power to call on, and couldn’t practically be used as an electric vehicle. They were also expensive, and were short-lived failures.

Cities around the world are banning internal combustion engines (ICE, for short) from some central areas where air quality is a top concern, and only pure electric, or ‘strong’ hybrids that can be powered solely by electricity can enter. Riders living and working in these areas will be part of Kawasaki’s target audience, but they’re also hoping to tempt commuters heading into towns that don’t yet prohibit fossil-fuel power. And the Ninja 7 could also find favour with economy-conscious riders looking to slash their fuel bills who don’t fancy the restricted range and performance of a solely electric machine.

This line of thinking is successful in the four-wheeled world – head to any urban environment and there will be countless Toyota hybrids in particular, both private owners and private hire drivers alike... However, the ubiquitous Japanese cars humming around for the last 20-odd years are comparable on price with ICE cars, but the Ninja 7 Hybrid is pioneering design in the bike world, with a premium (although not astronomic) price tag: Kawasaki have yet to nail an exact figure but it’ll be in the region of £12,000 when it arrives in Spring 2024. A Honda NC750X DCT (for closest spec parity to the automated transmission in the Ninja 7 Hybrid) is £8799 at the time of writing, and £800 less for a manual transmission.

That’s likely to reduce the audience to those invested in the idea of new technology, rather than fuel-misers looking to spend less at the pumps, unless it can deliver a significant MPG advantage over the NC750X, or even a 300cc-ish scooter, which offers similar speed/economy for urban use. The launch didn’t afford us opportunity to precisely measure economy ourselves, but a rough estimate based on the predicted range (which includes around seven miles of electric-only running at 40mph if you run it dry), would suggest 80-90mpg could be achievable, especially without the traffic light-heavy road planning of the Catalan city to contend with.

The claimed figure is 76mpg – good, but the Honda or even a Suzuki V-Strom 650 at little more than half the price can achieve close to that, so the Kawasaki will need to deliver those figures to demonstrate a practical (and environmental) advantage from the technology.

Value aside, the Ninja 7 Hybrid is an interesting, if not exhilarating experience most of the time. Pure electric mode is great below 30mph, in stop/start, heavy traffic situations. It’s smooth barring a slight clunk as it shifts itself from first to second, quiet and cool, too – our road test was basking in 25°c heat, and the total lack of heat washing up from the bowels of the bike made a marked difference to comfort.

The electric motor (piggy-backed on the crankcase, under the fuel tank) is liquid-cooled with its own radiator, while the 48v battery back under your backside relies on an air duct in the right side fairing for cooling. But that will only ever get warm rather than boiling hot like an ICE: performance is affected above 60°c and the bike takes measures to let it cool down. It’s unlikely to do so in normal use, but in Sport mode, there is an additional ‘Boost’ function, which gives a few seconds of enhanced electric thrust to supplement the petrol-fired side. It’s useful for overtakes, getting out of corners on country roads or getting the jump at the lights…

Eco mode – the one we think it’ll mostly be used in – gets the bike rolling as an EV, but at 12mph it’ll kick the ICE into life and they jointly thrust forward, shifting gears at no more than 3500rpm to keep the dinosaur-burner at peak efficiency. Come to a stop or a crawl, and it’ll cut the engine out, and switch to EV power to conserve fuel.

It’s an impressive piece of engineering, successfully scaling down an idea and adapting it to the needs and desires of (some) motorcyclists. There is room for improvement – after all, there’s no precedent for this bike, so some of the technical choices are based simply on the design team’s gut feel.

It’s a sportsbike rather than a naked, or a Versys-type all-rounder, because that’s what they wanted to build. It’s an automated manual rather than fully-automatic because they felt it was more exciting, and so on. There will be more bikes using the powertrain in the future – no doubt they will be technically different to an extent, as well as a different package to the sport-style Ninja.

For now, the Ninja 7 Hybrid offers a lot to the everyday commuter who doesn’t want to fritter their earning away on fuel duty, or feels pangs of guilt when they consider the gases they’re emitting. On merit alone, it can be recommended based on those needs and expectations – just don’t expect a thrilling ride.

The Ninja 7 Hybrid’s chassis is conventional and no-frills in terms of equipment. It has a tubular-steel trellis frame, is similar to the Kawasaki Ninja 400, but designed to house an extra 50kg of battery and motor. Suspension is simple with only preload adjustment at the rear, and twin-piston Nissin calipers are basic too.

That said, none of it feels desperately sub-standard or not up to the task at hand: although Kawasaki think owners will want to take it for some weekend fun as well as using it as daily transport, it’s unlikely it’ll be taken for a balls-to-the-wall thrash in one-piece leathers… Part of our test route was sub-60mph twisting hillside roads, with mostly smooth and grippy asphalt.

It stands up to being pushed plenty well enough, with good control from the suspension and plenty of grip from the Dunlop Q5 tyres. It’s not super agile, thanks to the 1535mm wheelbase (a full 165mm/6.5in more than the Ninja 400) that Kawasaki say is not only necessary to provide physical space for the battery pack but manage the extra torque. It turns in fine, but it can understeer in some circumstances.

It's unlikely customers will have the desire to ride it as hard as journalists on quiet, sun-kissed roads did however, so most buyers will live well inside the limits of it handling performance. This isn’t a bike that’ll spend its life at high-speed, and the braking performance too is all you need at law-abiding, fuel-conserving speed.

ABS is fitted, but the long, low chassis is very effective a loading the front, so the anti-lock response wasn’t triggered without intentionally squeezing the lever as hard as possible. When it does, it’s not too clumsy in its intervention, partially rather than fully releasing stopping power to keep the front tyre gripping. The rear brake is strong with fine feel – it’ll be worth owners getting used to using it, as it’s useful for subtle control on a bike that doesn’t have much in the way of engine braking to easily shed a little speed.

The one complaint owners may have will come around town more than the open road: ride quality. The simple suspension – particularly the shock – is on the firm side, and while not unbearably harsh, it could stand to provide a bit more cushioning. There’s no scope for adjustment either. Owners looking to treat their bike to accessories might wish to seek out an aftermarket shock when they become available.

The engine/motor is where the intrigue and potential appeal is. A conventional four-stroke parallel-twin provides much of the motive power (58bhp on its own): it’s a new development built in parallel with the new-for-2024 Eliminator 500, but it’s not just the same engine with an old washing machine motor tacked on... Crankcases, clutch, and the starting/charging system (a two-in one Integrated Starter Generator (ISG) on the end of the crank) are some of the larger differences, with plenty more smaller parts changed for the particular needs of the hybrid engine.

• Related: Find out how Kawasaki's hybrid engine works in detail

An electric solenoid controlled by the ECU operates the clutch rather than the rider’s hand, and a six-speed transmission is also shifted by the computer, either automatically or at a click of the up/down buttons on the left switchgear.

The electric traction motor is integrated into the top crankcase, and sends its drive to the input shaft via a chain. This design means that the ECU can disengage the clutch, and kill the ICE for fully-electric running as well as the stop/start function available in Eco mode.

EV mode is great around town, though it’s only quick enough to go with the flow of traffic and pick through stationary queues rather than thrusting through gaps like a motorcycle courier. It gets to 30mph briskly enough, shifting through the lower four gears as it goes. First to second/second to first is clunky, but the remaining gears are shifted smoothly enough, especially considering the drive is fed in after the clutch so it can’t be used to unload the transmission in order to swap cogs.

Power tails off over 30mph, reaching 40mph on the flat. The battery will only last for 12km (seven miles), before it’ll need to be topped up by the ISG which feeds 12v AC power to an inverter, which then converts that to a 48v DC feed to replenish the battery. We used EV for no more than five miles at a time, with battery level reduced to around 25% from full charge, but using Eco mode brought it back to 100% in about 12 miles.

Eco mode is likely to be the most used. You can opt for automatic gear shifting, or selecting them with the ‘paddles’. Auto mode changes up at 3500rpm, keeping the ICE engine at fuel-sipping rpm, and using the traction motor to take the strain when pulling away – a time when the engine is at it least fuel-efficient – before switching to hybrid drive over 2000rpm/12mph. We found this mode didn’t reduce battery levels on our test, as the charging levels balanced out usage.

It’s quicker than pure EV mode, but it’s still fairly leisurely in gathering speed. The best of the ICE’s power is above the gear shift point, and you’re in sixth gear by the time you’re doing 40mph. It rigidly adheres to the rpm/gear position/road speed relationship, not giving you any kind of over-rev or ‘kick down’ from the transmission, as you get with a Honda DCT system or most automatic cars.

It’s a shame the ECU doesn’t recognise large throttle openings as an unusual demand for extra thrust in this way – it can leave you frustrated and floundering. Our ride was during a Spanish national holiday, so traffic was light: it remains to be seen how it’ll perform in rush hour scenarios.

Manual mode lets you choose when you shift, which means you can access power at higher revs, but the TFT dash will flash the rev scale in orange to tell you that you’re being greedy with the fuel. The traction motor offers some assistance in acceleration, but using the extra rpm in Eco mode doesn’t give you full power.

For that, you’ll need Sport mode, which uses more traction motor assistance to get a lick on, and you no longer have stop/start or the option of auto-shifting – again, something we feel is an omission given many cars and Honda’s DCT have a setting that holds higher rpm to keep the motor on the boil in this way, with positive reviews.

Kawasaki’s engineers were surprised that we (and just about every international journalist in attendance) suggested this, presuming that we’d want full control in sport mode. But it isn’t truly full control, engaging directly with the mechanical elements as you do on a normal bike – it’s pushing buttons. Personally, I’d happily use a fully-automated sport setting that also lets you override it if you desire, if there are no levers to push and pull. DCT has such a setting.

Sport mode also unlocks the Boost function. Hold the button at a standstill, and it will flash and ready itself for throttle opening, where you’ll have the full torque of both drive systems at hand to win the traffic light GP. It can also be used on the move by simply holding it down. You get a limited period of this extra thrust, as the load on the battery raises its temperature, and it will lock Boost out when a threshold is reached and it needs to be left to operate normally while it cools back down. It’s handy for executing overtakes, or getting up to speed on short slip-roads, for example. It does eat through the battery though.

Kawasaki’s claim of 700cc performance is a bit misleading, as that’s only true when Boost briefly enhances drive. The rest of the time it’s a small-ish twin, one that also gets a bit buzzy above 60mph, with a realistic maximum cruise speed of 70mph unless you can grit your teeth through obtrusive tingling vibration, and disregard the plummeting fuel efficiency that’s the raison d’etre of the bike to begin with.

If you desire economical, smooth, low-fuss transport for daily commuting over power, speed and thrills, it could fit the bill. Commutes under an hour on a mix of A-roads and town centre traffic are likely to show it at its best, while you’ll want for more on twisties, or at motorway speeds.

Kawasaki has stamped the Ninja 7 Hybrid with the ‘River Mark’ previously only seen on the H2 supercharged models, signifying a corporate pride in the innovation within. It doesn’t have the same high level of finish seen on those models – the overall construction and finishes are simpler, more functional, in line with models like the Ninja 650 and Versys family. It should be reasonably resilient in terms of corrosion resistance, and the steel chassis isn’t built to be the last word in weight saving so structural integrity should be assured.

We’d have no reason to fear engine problems, either – it might be new, but the ICE side is an evolution of the Ninja 400 lump with tuning and design ideas filtered down from other models. Only the ISG can be considered out of the ordinary. The electric side should be faultless, as Kawasaki head-hunted new talent to help develop it, and the experience in the car world indicates trouble-free usage, helped in no small way by the gentler, economic driving style adopted.

It’s relatively simple and not subject to same strain and wear as an ICE and the self-charging nature means it’s never likely to be left totally flat. Should you ride home in EV mode, drain the battery completely and park it for six months however, Kawasaki say the battery won’t be affected like the 12v battery in your normal bike would be – run the bike, and it’ll charge as normal.

They also claim the 48v battery will operate at full performance for the first four years of its life, before peak output slowly drops. Again, in the car world, the Toyota system is known for needing no repair or replacement until over a decade, or huge mileages have been covered. Fingers crossed the same will be true here, though it’s a much smaller unit so the effects of deterioration may be more acute.

No special servicing is required, although Kawasaki dealers will receive some special instruction and kit to keep themselves safe – rubber gloves, and standing on a rubber mat and not poking the high-voltage system with a screwdriver will largely cover it, rather than anything complicated and beyond common sense.

There’s a big, big question over this – one we’ll have to wait to answer with a UK test to see if the effort was worth it. Many normal motorcycles and scooters are capable of stunning economy, and the Ninja 7 Hybrid still needs to burn petrol to get up the road, so tailpipe emissions are still a fact of life compared to an electric bike. It also needs the same materials to build the traction motor and battery as an EV, so its environmental footprint isn’t small in the first place.

Assuming it can offer economy of at least 80mpg, its most natural competition is the Honda NC750X, which at £8799 is much cheaper, though most owners see no more than 70mpg from the softly-tuned twin in reality. It’s very much about efficient, utilitarian motorcycling rather than excitment, like the Kawasaki, though the Ninja 7 is far more visually appealing.

Beyond that, there is little in the motorcycle world that offers a similar skillset: for big mpg on the daily run into the city, the only other option is a big scooter. The Yamaha X-Max 300 or Honda SH350i match the Ninja 7 Hybrid’s turn of speed and exceed its claimed economy figures at the expense of motorcycle dynamics – the Kawasaki might not be a supersport bike, but we’d still take it over a step-thru (as good as they are in relative terms) for any kind of fun riding. We’ll have to wait and see whether it can deliver economy to offset the price premium over the alternatives.

Tech aside, it’s a simple bike in the manner of the Ninja 650 or Ninja 400 models in the same range. It has a TFT dash showing the various mode options as well as both battery and fuel levels. Navigating them isn’t entirely intuitive – switching between Sport/Eco or HEV/EV isn’t always straightforward.

There is room for improvement in the way the system works – being able to scroll through or select an option, then be prompted to close the throttle to confirm/switch modes would be simpler on the move – as other marques do. It’s a step up from some of Kawasaki’s other frustratingly fiddly systems though.

There is Bluetooth connectivity, with an app to match – Rideology – that wasn’t available to try yet. It’ll allow you to see incoming calls/messages, but also nerd-out on various technical info – charge levels, mileages, fuel and so on. It can log your rides, and you can share all of the above. Most usefully perhaps, it allows you to view the service history – something second or third owners might find reassuring.

Accessory options are basic, from what we’ve seen so far – a taller screen and crash protectors among the most functional – but there’s no luggage according to Kawasaki.