2013 Kawasaki Ninja 250R uncovered

When Honda launched its all-new CBR250R entry-level sports bike in 2011 it shook up the 250cc market, forcing almost all other 250s in the Australian market to drop their price to compete.

But the bar appears to have been raised once again with the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 250R breaking cover in Japan overnight, showing off a new look and sporting a new engine and chassis.

When the Bikesales Network contacted Kawasaki Australia, the company said it had no information on the new model, and when questioned over whether it would be coming to Australia, were told that an announcement would be made in the next few months.

Price is the biggest motivator for buyers in the learner legal 250cc market and while the Ninja 250R has previously held the mantle of Australia's best-selling motorcycle, the Honda CBR250R has now taken the top spot in Oz.

For the first half of 2012 the Honda CBR250R sold 1258 units, up 41.5%, while the Kawasaki Ninja 250R recorded 943 sales for the same period, down by 13.7%.

Style is also a major factor for buyers in the 250cc market, and in this respect it appears as though Kawasaki could turn around its sales slide with the new model.

Drawing inspiration from Kawasaki's range-topping superbike, the litre-class Ninja ZX-10R, the new bike shows off an impressively integrated look, boasting flush-fit front indicators, a 'big-bike' exhaust can and aggressive fairing design with a sporty rear seat cowl.

Throwing down the gauntlet to its rivals, the contemporary new look for the 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 250R is not at the expense of mechanical upgrades.

On the contrary, Kwaka engineers have matched the Ninja 250R's fast image and taken to the new bike with gusto, deploying an all-new engine, a stiffer frame, wider tyres and uprated suspension.

Though exact specifications are not yet clear, we do know the engine will remain a parallel twin, but it's an all-new unit claimed to deliver more low and mid range torque. This boost in twist is thanks to a dual-throttle valve and lots of new components -- cylinders, pistons and crankcase.

The DOHC eight-valve liquid-cooled 249cc twin-cylinder unit will feature digital fuel injection -- in "some markets" says Kawasaki -- and will hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox.

Total weight is 172kg, and 174kg for the ABS model.

Other changes include a stiffer chassis, featuring more rubber bushings to reduce NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels, and suspension components have also been updated. Slightly wider 140 section tyres have also been added.

The instrument cluster has also been updated to match the renewed fairing design. Colours appear to be green, white, red, grey and black.

The current Kawasaki Ninja 250R is Australia's second highest selling motorcycle after its Honda rival, and though Kawasaki hasn't nailed down a price yet, we don't expect it to deviate too much from the current $5999 price.