Update, October 4, 2020: A video teaser shared by Kawasaki Motors on October 1 confirms that a slew of models will be unveiled on October 12, 2020, followed by the second wave announced for the following November 23. 

The launch date on Kawasaki's U.S. site remains unchanged. That could either mean that the group of six will be split between the two dates in Europe and the North American specs will only be revealed in full in November, or that the October 12 event could cover models that have yet to be updated in Europe. Based on the Kawasaki U.K. site, there are several key 2021 model-years missing from the lineup as we write this.

The teaser obviously doesn't reveal much about the models we can expect to see on October 12. 

Original story follows. 

On September 29, 2020, Kawasaki confirmed (almost) all the models returning to its street lineup for 2021. Most staples of the Team Green family are back, including an entirely new selection of colorways, and a few equipment upgrades such as the Versys 1000’s Showa Skyhook EERA technology.   

There is, however, one conspicuous absentee from the 2021 roster—the Ninja ZX-10R. If you’re partial to the liter-sized ZX, worry not—Kawasaki isn’t done with its 2021 lineup. Now that the foundation blocks for next year have been laid down, it’s time to add more bricks—six of them to be specific.   

Kawasaki confirmed that on November 23, 2020, it will unveil six new models—three track-oriented ones, one trail-specific, and one dual-sport. That’s a lot more models than what’s missing from the 2020 to 2021 carry over so here’s what we think we’ll see.   

First off, of course, we can expect the ZX-10R to be under one of those tarps. That’s one track bike down, two more to figure out. Another possible addition to Team Green’s sports lineup is the ZX-10RR. Rumors that Kawasaki would update the RR have also been making the rounds for well over a year. After all, the model’s last model-year was 2019.  

The third track bike has us a little stumped. Could it be a more premium version of the Ninja H2 SX, equipped with the adaptive cruise control technology that showed up in a patent this past summer?  

There is also an off-road specific and a dual-sport model teased. The trail-oriented model could potentially be the 2021 KLX250—another model missing from the updated Kawasaki listing.  

As for the road and trail model, could it be—gasp—the long-awaited descendant of the KLR650?Back in February, 2020, our colleagues over at OmniMoto mentioned that “one of their sources” suggested the new mid-size adventure Kawasaki would be the KLX700, rather than a KLR. The rumor notably placed a new twin-cylinder engine to replace the 650’s thumper, something our KLR enthusiasts were on board with.   

All we have to work with at the moment are the wheels—asymmetrical on some of the bikes—and the trail slash road slash tracks visuals showcased in the trailer. It’s not much to go on but if all the Team Green-related rumors from the past year are true, we’re in for a real treat.  

 

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