I've sent the MCN fleet Ninja 7 Hybrid back to Kawasaki thanks to a recall that said 'do not ride'

Best laid plans… having just enjoyed the challenge of seeing whether Kawasaki’s eye-opening marketing claims were true, the firm whipped the rug out from under me with a recall. The official letter states:

“On units of 2024 Ninja 7 Hybrid (CX500AR) and Z7 Hybrid (CR500AR) models, there is the potential for the motorcycle to shift to neutral when the operator attempts to shift from 1st to 2nd gear due to improper programming of the shift control system. This can cause the motorcycle to lose drive.” 

Read more

• Update one: First impressions
• Update two: My thoughts on the styling
• Update three: Fuel economy testing
• Update four: Is a Ninja 7 Hybrid really faster off the line than a ZX-10R?

It follows with the ominously bolded: “It is important that you do not use the motorcycle until the repair is completed.”

I’m told this is a software fault: the shift control system in the automated manual gearbox needs reprogramming. 

Now, this didn’t come as an earth-shattering surprise, because the bike had been jumping out of gear on me. It wasn’t between first and second, but more from fourth to fifth in my case, and nowhere was this more evident than on the runway where we were pitting the Hybrid against its ZX-10R superbike stablemate to do our speed tests. 

Given the full tin of beans in Sport (fully manual) mode with the e-boost button activated, every now and then it would hop out of gear after selecting fifth, meaning I’d need to flick the finger trigger gear lever again to select another ratio. This was accompanied by a total loss of drive, and while only losing a second or so, that feels like a very long time when you’re committing to an overtake and it happens at the wrong moment. 

Thankfully that only occurred once during road riding, but it’s enough for me to understand the ‘do not ride’ message. Received, loud and clear! The bike’s back with Kawasaki as we speak. 

Ninja 7 Hybrid vs ZX-10R

It’ll surprise precisely none of you that I preferred the ZX-10R to the Ninja 7 Hybrid. The former is a wonderful thing in so many ways, feeling lithe and hugely exciting, but the factor that really stood out for me was its assuredness. 

Riding both back-to-back, I found the ZX inspired more confidence. Beautifully calibrated brakes and suspension make a huge difference here, offering the type of feedback that makes you feel totally immersed in the experience. It’s where the Hybrid starts to feel its smaller, cheaper bike underpinnings, too.