Only a handful of 400-cc fours have trickled into Canada over the last few decades, from Honda (CB400F Super Sport, CB1), Suzuki (Bandit 400) and Yamaha (FZR400). Their high-revving engines, light weight, nimble handling, and exclusivity have since made these rare machines desirable among collectors, and they have developed a sort of cult following in North America. While Kawasaki has produced 400-cc inline-fours for other markets, especially its home market — where licensing is more stringent for larger-displacement motorcycles — none of them have ever made it to Canada, other than perhaps as individual import models, for collectors.
That has changed this year, as Kawasaki joins the 400 club with the introduction of the 2023 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R and ZX-4RR. We’re focusing primarily on the latter, which we rode exclusively at the technically challenging Thunderhill Raceway Park in California, though we also rode the 4R briefly on the road.
Like its bigger Ninja stablemates, the ZX-4RR features aggressively angular styling, and a ready-to-pounce, nose-down attitude. Unlike its supersport
