2024 Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid Review – First Ride

The world’s first production hybrid motorcycle has a lot to offer – but does it make any sense in America?

Like it or not, regulatory agencies around the world are cracking down on vehicle emissions and imposing some of the strictest rules we, the motoring public, have ever seen. One of these rules includes restricting, or even banning, petrol-powered vehicles through portions of some European cities. Naturally, rules like this hit the auto industry the hardest and present a fundamental change in how the industry as a whole operates. As a result, it seems as though all of the world’s major auto manufacturers have decided to abandon the internal combustion engine and are phasing it out over time in favor of purely electric vehicles.

2024 Kawasaki Ninja 7 Hybrid

There is a glimmering sliver of hope, however. The introduction of e-fuels, and other alternatives to refining fossil fuels, presents other avenues besides pure electric vehicles that can help sustain human transportation. So much so that the EU has at least paused its initial recommendations to ban new ICE sales within the next two decades.

The First Hybrid Motorcycle

The motorcycle industry is responding to these changes, too, and Kawasaki’s approach to finding a solution is to leave all avenues open and present a multi-pronged lineup. First there was the Ninja E-1 and Z E-1 all-electric models Kawi introduced, and now comes the all-new Ninja 7 Hybrid – the first production “strong” hybrid motorcycle – meaning it can run on gas, electricity, or both. Beyond the Ninja 7 hybrid and E models, which Kawasaki will continue to develop, Team Green is also keeping its options open for future power sources of propulsion to reach a carbon neutral future, which includes fuel sources like hydrogen.

Rest assured, petrol heads, one thing Kawasaki reps were sure to tell us was that the company is not abandoning the internal combustion engine. In fact, Kawasaki sees these technologies coexisting, as EVs (at least in current form) offer sufficient short-range solutions while a hybrid can cover most everything else. In not placing its future in any one technology, Kawasaki’s positioning itself to be ready for the future – whatever it may look like.

So, who’s the Ninja 7 for? If you’re reading this from the US, the answer is not you. At least not yet. Simply put, this is a solution primarily for Europeans looking for a fun, fuel-efficient daily rider that, in full EV mode, can also bring them into restricted areas a gas-powered vehicle can’t. Having spent two days in and around Barcelona to try the bike out for myself, I can say it really does present a strong use case and some benefits I originally didn’t consider, even for those of us on this side of the pond. More on that later. First, let’s talk tech.

How It Works

To get an understanding of the overall layout of the Ninja 7 Hybrid, head on over to Dennis Chung’s First Look piece. He gives a great overview of the bike there. However, there’s still a lot to cover, so buckle up.

From a performance standpoint, Kawasaki was roughly aiming at its own 650 family (think Ninja 650, Z650, etc) as a benchmark. To start, Kawasaki lifted its own 451cc parallel-Twin straight from the Eliminator, but gave it a few tweaks like a different exhaust system, revised intake system, shorter velocity stacks, and different ECU tuning, including a higher rev limit than the Eliminator which, according to the tachometer, is now at 11,000 rpm. On just gas power alone, we’re now looking at roughly 58 horses, which is more than the Eliminator offers. Structurally, the bottom end, including the crankshaft and transmission, are different to accommodate the electronic shifting (whether automatic or manual) – there is no traditional clutch or shift levers.

To reach – and actually surpass – 650 levels of performance, there’s the electric motor providing an extra 9kW (max, 7kW nominal) power surge. The motor itself is situated above the engine, fed via a 1.3kWh, 48V lithium battery placed, effectively, below the rider’s seat. A smaller, secondary radiator sits just in front of the primary one and provides liquid cooling to the motor, while dedicated air channels scoop air towards the battery.

So far, this is all fairly straightforward. The impressive bit of engineering is how Kawasaki managed to make the two work together in the tight confines of a motorcycle. First off is the mechanical interconnectivity between the engine and the motor (a friendly reminder that the two terms are very different, despite them often being used interchangeably).

Here’s the part not explained in the First Look teaser. The ICE is connected to the six-speed transmission, but since there aren't clutch or shift levers, the engine’s drive force is passed through a primary reduction gear and then to an electro-hydraulic clutch that engages and disengages via the ECU. This also allows the transition from pure EV to hybrid power. Unlike Honda’s Dual-Clutch transmission, Kawasaki uses a traditional single clutch which also helps keep weight down.

The real clever bit is that the electric motor is also connected to the transmission via a chain to the input shaft. No matter which mode you’re in, if you’re in automatic mode, proprietary Kawasaki software in the ECU tells the transmission when to shift. If you’re in EV mode, only automatic shifting is available and you’re limited to the first four gears.

If this sounds pretty complicated, that’s because it is. And we haven’t even covered everything yet. Kawasaki’s Japanese staff are a friendly group who generally remain very humble, but during one particular conversation between them and the assembled journalists (Yours Truly included), there was a comment about losing track of the number of patents held by Kawasaki in the four-year process of bringing the Ninja 7 to life. Talk about a humble brag.

From a packaging standpoint, the Ninja 7 is all-new, even if it looks a little like a bloated Ninja 400. The trellis frame itself is “inspired” by the Ninja 400, says Kawasaki engineers, but it is in fact different. Primarily because of the unique challenges of housing a traditional engine along with an electric motor and battery – each of which, we’re told, weigh 29 lbs (13kg) a piece. Despite the addition of a motor and battery, there was still a priority on keeping the bike as slim as possible, hence the small battery containing LiFPO 21700 type cylindrical battery cells.

Aside from the engine and motor, the ISG (Integrated Starter Generator) combines the starter and generator into one unit and is placed to the engine’s left, the ISG inverter (to convert the 48v to 12v to power the bike’s systems) above the ISG, and the ECU in the tail.

A standard non-adjustable 41mm fork and Uni Trak preload-adjustable shock are borrowed from the Ninja 400, but spring rates and valving are different to account for the extra weight. The shock is also attached via a new linkage.

Due to the battery placement under the seat, however, the swingarm is longer than the Ninja 400’s. This is primarily for clearance reasons, but Kawasaki reps also pointed to the extra stability the longer swingarm provides. Considering the extra power and torque the Hybrid 7 makes compared to the Ninja 400, I can’t totally discredit that thought.

The rest of the supporting cast is pretty standard fare. Two 300mm discs and two-piston calipers in front, and a 220mm rear disc and single-piston caliper in the back help slow you down. You get rubber lines and an axial master cylinder here.

As far as styling goes, you get familiar Ninja styling with a nose section that has clear influences from the Ninja ZX-10R. Looking at it head-on, you can see scoops under the headlights leading to the radiators. From the side profile, this gives an appearance of slightly broad shoulders, but in reality it’s narrower than it seems. An air funnel starting from the top of the green belly pan makes its way all the way to the battery, which itself adds a little width to the tail section of the bike. It’s not a big bike, but you’ll notice it’s a little wider than, say, a Ninja 400. From where the rider sits, the fuel tank is nearly identical to the Ninja 400’s, which means it’s slim and narrows even further when it meets the seat.

And being a new, innovative motorcycle from Team Green, Kawasaki’s River Mark is placed front and center on the nose.

What It Offers

With the nuts and bolts of the Ninja 7 out of the way, we turn our attention to what the bike can do. Being a hybrid, the Ninja 7 takes advantage of its multiple power sources by offering three drive modes: Sport-Hybrid, Eco-Hybrid, and EV.

In Sport-Hybrid mode, the gas engine is always on and the electric motor provides roughly 2% assistance on initial throttle openings and 2% again when the throttle is wide open, as these are the areas where a gas engine are the most inefficient. In between, the internal combustion engine is doing all the work. When the engine is spinning at or above roughly 5,000 rpm, it’s also sending a little bit of charge back to the battery, if it needs it. You can choose between automatic or manual shifting, with the latter using + or - paddles on the left bar to control shifts up or down.

A special feature of Sport-Hybrid mode is the ability to get a quick burst of power with something called E-Boost. Like a cheat code straight from Mario Kart, pushing a dedicated button on the right bar can trigger an extra 12 horsepower and 12 lb-ft of torque for up to five seconds. E-Boost can be triggered on the fly or at a stop, and when used from a standing start it delivers enough punch to beat several bigger bikes off the line (partially because the Ninja 7 rider doesn’t have to worry about feathering a clutch).

For a slightly tamer, more economical pace, there’s Eco-Hybrid mode. This might be a more familiar mode for those of you who also own hybrid cars. In Eco-Hybrid mode the gas engine shuts off at a stop to help conserve fuel and the electric motor is solely responsible for getting you moving. After about 2000 rpm (or roughly 11 mph in my experience), the gas engine will come back to life and take over. Here, however, E-Boost is not available.

You can choose to shift gears yourself in Eco-Hybrid or you can switch it to automatic mode and let the bike do it for you. Should you choose auto shifting, the ECU will prioritize economy and try to reach sixth gear as early as possible. While efficient, it can be a little annoying should you need some passing power. You can manually downshift to get around this (which then switches the bike to manual mode unless you switch it back), but it’s not quite the same. Auto shifting also takes advantage of ALPF, or Automatic Launch Position Finder, which automatically finds first gear at a stop so you don’t have to.

EV mode is exactly that – all electric power, for situations where gas engines aren’t allowed or you simply want to ride without noise, vibrations, or engine heat. You can’t go particularly far in EV-only mode (the actual distance depends on your riding habits), but it’s entirely possible to ride around through a congested city since EV mode still utilizes the first four gears of the transmission, which tops you out at about 44 mph.