Road test of KawasakiNinja 7 Hybrid 2024

A successful Kawasaki debut

There are already several tests on the web by motorcycle reporters and budding youtubers. But we wanted to make up our own mind, as simple motorcycle enthusiasts. We didn't want it to be a fast-paced, one-day test ride. We wanted to make up our own minds over several days, to find out what it was like to ride this world-first production hybrid motorcycle.

So as not to be biased by opinions, I preferred not to read up on the bike before picking it up. Without reading the technical documentation, it was difficult to get to grips with the bike properly.

Before we get to that, a quick tour of the beast, or should I say the beauty ! Let's face it, this sport-GT is a real looker, and with its grey and green paintwork, there's no doubt that it's a Kawasaki. From a distance, it's hard to tell it's a hybrid model, but it's got all the classic elements of a long-haul sports bike: the half handlebars are there, positioned above the fork crowns, suggesting a forward position, but not lying on the tank. The front fairing, with its flanged headlights, is a real eye-catcher. A beautiful bubble that rises up, but above all its superb design mirrors placed well forward of the bike, reminiscent of the brand's other sports bikes. Towards the rear of the bike, we find the not always very aesthetic exhaust system of recent years, due to anti-pollution standards. The small rear seat is really quite high in relation to the rider's position, and the absence of rear handgrips suggests a difficult time ahead for the companion. I was surprised by the size of the 160 rear tire for a bike of this displacement, which isn't bad considering that the Ninja 500 SE only has a 150 tire. Overall, the bike is imposing, with a very long wheelbase of 1535 mm, 16 cm longer than the 500 SE, that's how long it is. This dimension allows for storage of the internal combustion engine, and the battery, hidden behind transparent scoops under the rider's seat.

OK, now how does it work?

The salesman at Kawa Moto Shop 35 gives me a few pointers on riding modes, shifting gears with the triggers, the various buttons and how to switch the bike on, and then it's off to the drawing board. I get on the bike, switch to EV mode, that's electric mode, and off I go.

EV electric mode

A bit of city riding, before picking up speed. The bike makes a little electric noise to warn pedestrians that a vehicle is approaching. The bike shifts on its own, the first two gears slamming a bit, but gears 3 and 4 are much smoother; unfortunately, it's impossible to use the two triggers to play with the selector, everything is really automatic. What's more, the speedometer is locked, and you can't go faster than 64km/h, but in town; well, in town, it's limited to 50km/h, so we're not really going to complain about that.
Here I am, in the acceleration lane to the ring road, and it's time to switch to hybrid mode, with the internal combustion engine. I press the button, but nothing happens, and I'm stuck in electric mode, in 4th gear, at 64km! I try several times, but still nothing happens. I go into warning mode, on the ring road with other road users coming up full speed behind me. I get out immediately to return to town and change the setting. Once at a standstill, the eco mode is willing to switch, saving me and allowing me to drive..
But my first disappointment is that if you have to stop to change the mode, it's the last straw. I'll reassure you right away that this isn't the case, but for that you need to take the time to read the bike's manual, or do some research before setting off. Quite the opposite of what I did. In fact, that's one of its main shortcomings: it's not a standard motorcycle, so you have to take the time to research it, tame it and get used to the way it works.

Sport mode with petrol engine

Returning to those first moments on the road, in petrol mode, the bike defaults to sport mode, the 451cc twin makes itself heard, and pick-up is much more responsive to the throttle. A very small displacement when you consider that the beast weighs 227kg dry (including battery). The 59hp have no trouble pulling the bike off the ground, and as soon as you accelerate just a little, a big sign on the 4.3 " TFT screen flashes "e-boost". As I still haven't read the manual, I try to figure out how it all works, touching everything like a kid with a new toy; and I don't understand what's going on, of course. Everything is just abbreviations on the buttons, or on the screen, so without the translator or a good grounding in English, it's hard to make sense of AT/MT, HEV/EV and the like. In this driving mode, however, there's nothing automatic about it: if you don't want to make the suffering engine scream, you'll have to use your index finger and shift gears. It's an automatism you'll have to pick up, as I like to play with the selector and move my left foot up and down the gears. In this new driving mode, the thumb is used to downshift, and the index finger to upshift. It's really smooth and seamless, and even fun to shift gears without having to cut the throttle. Everything flows together quickly and smoothly.

During my two weeks of testing, and after reading the manual, the sport mode proved to be great fun, the ride is really pleasant, the engine sings, and asks for more. When shifting gears, the electric motor accompanies the internal combustion engine a little to give it more response. The e-boost mode is the icing on the cake, an injection of noz à la fast and furious, it pushes; It clearly gives THE boost to the "sporty" but still modest acceleration of this hybrid. Power increases from 59hp to 69hp. The combustion engine is accompanied by the electric motor, and for 5 seconds you can feel it! Kawasaki claims the acceleration of a 1000cc, but don't push it! Or the least powerful of the 1000cc models. We're talking about a good 800 roadster, torquey and powerful, but not demonic.
The boost is available again after a further 5-second wait, which isn't necessary, as the speed is already well over the legal limit. This boost is the solution for overtaking quickly, for getting out of a situation and regaining that feeling of safety with a touch of the throttle. Even with two guys on the bike (about 160kg more on the bike) and going uphill, the boost responds, and you're off without a second thought. And should you ever need to stop this thrust, don't worry: as soon as you cut the throttle or apply the brakes, the boost cuts in, and you're back in control of your steed. There are no speed restrictions for e-boost, so whatever gear you're in, or whatever speed you're in, the option will make you go even faster. I'll spare you the top speed, but it's a hair more than advertised on the data sheet..
If you're into wheeling, you'll have to pass. Although the e-boost gives the bike a strong start, the very long wheelbase and lack of a clutch lever will prevent you from lifting the front end, even if you pull like a donkey on the handlebars.

Mode change, a very precise operating procedure

It's perfectly possible to change modes while driving, but you have to be very careful. To switch from electric to hybrid mode, release the throttle for more than 2s, and press the HEV/EV button for a while. If you want to switch from sport mode to eco mode, or vice versa, it's the same technique. But if you want to switch back to EV (electric) mode, you need to be in a gear lower than 20km/h, and in a gear lower than 4. All these manipulations are not so easy, and force you to look at the motorcycle's display a little too long, to the detriment of the road. Which is a shame..

And what about eco mode? Is it economical?

For eco mode, there are two possible solutions: either you set the MT mode and keep control of the gears, as for the sport mode, or you opt for the AT, automatic solution. This setting gives you even more freedom to concentrate on the road. On the downside, if you're driving a bit hard, the gears will follow each other very quickly and you'll find yourself in 6th gear at 60km/h. Shifting gears in automatic mode is not as smooth as in "manual" mode, the clutch sticks a little too long, and the bike tends to dive and pick up again when the clutch is released. This results in a feeling of accoup on the gears, which is not very pleasant. But in ultra-cool mode, on a ride, or in the pursuit of economical or ecological riding, the gears are slightly smoother. If you know when the bike is about to shift into gear, I invite you to release the throttle, and pick it up again when the gear has been shifted. The clutch will be imperceptible and the ride will be much more pleasant. But before you do that, you need time to discover how it works.

Eco mode is really pleasant, as it allows you to drive at a leisurely pace, but still allows you to pick up when overtaking or inserting the car. In really quiet mode, you'll consume around 3.6 liters per 100km, allowing you to cover over 400km on a full tank of 14 liters.
Long distances don't scare it, it's still very pleasant to drive, and the forward position doesn't completely break your back. If I had to criticize it over long distances, it would initially be the saddle, which remains a little firm, and which will have you strolling around like a cowboy at the end of the day. But above all, it's the choice of rubber-free footrests for the rider. While the vibrations from the twin are pleasant, over the long haul, they creep up into the ankles and lower legs, which is rather unpleasant after 2 hours of riding.
At low speeds, the eco mode uses the battery to help you move forward, and even more so, the combustion engine cuts out (sometimes) at the stop, and starts up again in electric mode, until you reach 18km/h. Still, I regret that the Japanese engineers didn't opt for a slightly higher speed, so as to stay in electric mode for longer before hitting the gas. In town, although you don't drive fast, you only need to cover a few meters before reaching 18; it would be nice if they could revise their copy to allow you to drive silently up to 30km/h before the internal combustion engine takes over again.

Additional modes to discover

TheALPF (Automatic Launch Position Finder)option lets you stop at the stop in any gear, with the bike automatically returning to first gear when the vehicle comes to a complete stop. But even without this mode, as starts are assisted by the electronics and the electric motor, I've sometimes started from a stop in 5th or 6th gear. It's soft, but it doesn't graze.

TheWALK option is the gadget of choice, allowing you to maneuver the bike forward or backward at reduced speed. If you're small or have little strength, why not? But I'm so used to manoeuvring at a standstill that I didn't see any real gain. Especially when you turn the throttle to back off at full throttle (4 km/h), when you want to grab the brakes to stop, the bike starts moving forward again. Not what you wanted to do.

As for the mapping, there's no adjustment possible (or maybe I didn't read the instructions properly), which isn't a problem in itself, since we're dealing with a small-displacement bike that's already equipped with a host of new technologies.

A quick reminder of the settings

I also took a ride at night to discover how comfortable the ride is in all situations. The headlights are really bright, and the white LEDs are powerful and classy. However, if you start wanting to "tease" at night, watch out. Although the bike is there when you need it, it has a tendency to dive slightly when cornering, with the forks collapsing very slightly, thus reducing the field of vision (or rather the lighting zone), which can become dangerous. But at the same time, you'd have to be an idiot to ride at night ... and most bikes dive when you cut the throttle at the start of a bend ..

In the middle of the day, I didn't feel the front forks dive, even when I attacked harder in two or three corners. Or should I say: you pay less attention to these little details of dive when you're in full attack, when you're concentrating on your trajectory, your position and the surrounding traffic.

Moving on to safety and comfort

If you're a fan of on-board cameras and phone mounts, you'll be a little disappointed with this Ninja 7, because the mirrors are way out in front of the bike, but above all, the mounts aren't round. The only tubeless slot is on the left handlebar, except that by fitting a phone holder, you obscure a large part of the available commodos. Kawasaki has chosen to put everything on the left handlebar. On the right, you'll find only the bike's start button and the e-boost button.
Coming back to the mirrors, I regret that they chose mirrors which tend to increase distances. On several occasions during group rides, but also in city traffic, when I was checking in my mirrors, I realized that the person following me seemed to be a long way behind me, when in fact he was following me at a suitable distance.
As for the tires, they never failed me, no matter how hard I drove, never slipping or sliding. And the handling is really appreciable and reassuring. Even under emergency braking and when the ABS is activated, the bike holds its course, the tires grip, and the bike stops dead in its tracks, thanks to the 300mm-diameter double discs and two-piston calipers.

In terms of agility and overall handling, although the weight is considerable for a bike of this size, I never felt the dreaded heaviness. One corner followed another, and the bike rocked without a second thought. To tell you the truth, I love riding without my hands, and having the sensation of flying, of being free. With this Ninja 7, there are no nasty surprises: the bike lets itself be guided, and you don't have to force it to enter a corner without your hands. The bike handles really well, and not once did I feel like a dead donkey.

In conclusion, it's a great success, and quite a feat for Japanese engineers to design such a machine with so little space. There will surely be adjustments to be made, but for a first version, it's top-notch. Although Kawasaki is charging the price of technology by offering the bike at €13,159, the brand is still offering a reduction of €2,160, or €10,999, until the end of August 2024. Dealerships are starting to receive their Ninja 7 Hybrid models, as well as the roadster version, the Z 7 Hybrid, so don't hesitate to give it a try.