2019 Kawasaki ZX-6R Gets Slightly Less Power

Kawasaki will be unveiling a 2019 model of the supersport Kawasaki ZX-6R sometime in October this year. The 2019 Kawasaki ZX-6R will be announced for the US on October 11, possibly at the AIMExpo, but the bike may have an international unveil even before, possibly at the Intermot motorcycle show. Kawasaki has submitted a 2019 model information to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which states that the ZX-6R will continue to be powered by a 636 cc, four-cylinder engine, but the listed power output is shown to be slightly less than the outgoing model - from 129.3 bhp to 127.4 bhp.

The California Air Resources Board has also certified the 2019 Kawasaki ZX-6R, which now receives a three-way catalyst and Ho2S (heated oxygen sensor). The result is that the certified exhaust emissions for the 2019 model are lower than the outgoing model, with hydrocarbon emissions dropping to 0.2 g/km from 0.3 g/km. Certified HC+NOx (hydrocarbon plus nitrous oxide) levels decreased from 0.4 g/km to 0.2 g/km, while carbon monoxide emissions decreased from 2 g/km to 1 g/km.

No other details are available as yet, on what other changes will be made to the 2019 Kawasaki ZX-6R, other than the emissions measures and resulting dip in power. Also likely are minor design updates inspired by the Kawasaki ZX-10R or the Kawasaki Ninja H2, and even the introduction of a new full-colour TFT instrument panel.

The news about the 2019 Kawasaki ZX-6R is certainly interesting, given that most manufacturers seems to have lost interest in the supersport class, with decreasing interest in middleweight sportbikes and more consumer interest in litre-class superbikes. Honda isn't expected to update the CBR600RR in Europe where it does not meet Euro 4 regulations, and Triumph has quietly discontinued the Daytona 675, and there's no news on if a new Daytona with the 765 cc triple engine will be launched anytime in the future. The only other manufacturer which continues to support a production supersport is Yamaha, with the YZF-R6, which was last updated in 2017. The Kawasaki ZX-6R is not available on sale in India, so it's unlikely that the updated bike will be introduced here. Even the Honda CBR600RR and the Yamaha YZF-R6 are not offered on sale in India. The only middleweight supersport offered in India was the Triumph Daytona 675, which has now been discontinued.