Having said that, there is still an edge that keeps things exciting, while the rider aids to keep things in line. It is brilliant on track but, more importantly, has the perfect blend of performance and usability on the road. The 689cc parallel-twin engine with cross-plane crankshaft has the perfect power characteristics and the MT-07 chassis is the perfect handling platform to make it one of the most accessible sports bikes on the planet. Yamaha took the MT-07 package and re-purposed it into the YZF-R7 faired sports bike. Slowly, however, they have all disappeared - with the exception of the Honda CBR600RR - and a new breed of rider-friendly middleweight sports bikes has started appearing. They were hardcore machines and not for the faint-of-heart or beginners, but if you had the skill, they were immensely rewarding. If you didn’t know the difference, the Z400 looks exactly like the larger Kawasaki sports bikes which is to its benefit, and that alone will draw new riders to it, while the performance is good enough to satisfy long after the necessary skills have been learned and bigger-engined bikes are a possibility.Īt one point, the 600cc sports bike class was booming and every Japanese manufacturer had one in its catalog. Learning to ride the Z400 well will be a good building block for a lifetime of skillful riding. The 399cc engine puts out 50 horses which, combined with a capable chassis, is more than enough to give a new rider the experience of a sports bike that handles well and teaches them the benefit of good cornering speed.

Kawasaki’s Z400 differs from its direct rivals in having a parallel-twin engine, whereas others make do with a single cylinder. Having said that, they are also great bikes in their own right that even an experienced rider would enjoy. Happily, there are a few sub-500cc sports models that cater to just this section of the market.

Sports motorbike