Kawasaki at EICMA 2026 with Versys 900 and KX327

For me, Kawasaki is one of the manufacturers with the most impressive novelties for the 2027 season, and I notice that at EICMA 2026 in Milan after just a few steps. On the way to the stand I walk past many leiwand bikes without a second glance, and I almost feel sorry about that. But some things simply outshine everything else. I immediately get a spot in the front row, right in front of the new Versys 900. Behind it waits an adventure bike I've long hoped for, the return of the supercharged Ninja, a robot on four legs, and a two-stroke that completely blows me away in the end. What impresses me most is the breadth: Kawasaki, once mainly a racing brand, is today positioned from the road to off-road like hardly any other manufacturer.

The Versys 900 is built on the four-cylinder engine of the Z900, an engine with a legendary reputation. The inline four-cylinder with 948 cc produces, according to Kawasaki, 122 hp and 97.3 Nm, and sits in a completely new steel trellis frame. You don't need to be a psychic to guess that this bike will be a best-seller. I almost fear that Kawasaki dealers will again order too cautiously, and then it'll be sold out immediately, just like when the new Z900 was introduced. Of course some things are different from other sport tourers: the base was a naked bike, and the frame houses an inline four-cylinder. You shouldn't let that put you off, Kawasaki has changed a lot. It's meant to run stable and composed while still staying nimble. With 900 cc it plays in the upper middle class, really already close to the litre bikes.

What makes the Versys 900 special is the electronics. It's the first Versys with radar: adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, and blind spot assist are all part of the package. On the handlebar sits a complete control center for setting the distance and navigating the menu, heated grips are included too. One important note: the adaptive cruise control maintains speed and adjusts it to the vehicle ahead, but it won't do an emergency brake for you. Right next to it stands the fully equipped Versys 1100 SE, and I find it intense how much the 900 takes away from its big sister. At the stand it's available in red and green, as an SE with more touring equipment and with pannier sets from accessories. In Germany it costs 13,270 euros including delivery, available at dealers from April 2027. This will be a banger, order books will be smoking.

Then the moment I've been waiting for: the KLE650. The well-known twin-cylinder with 649 cc now sits in a proper adventure bike with a 21-inch front wheel, the SE rolls on tubeless tires. At the stand I get to sit on a white KLE650, and the wide handlebar sits in the hand like a conductor's baton. According to reports, the European version produces 70 hp, so there's more to come. Spring preload is adjustable, the trellis frame feels robust, and I can well imagine inhaling the odd gravel stretch with it. In Germany it costs 8,920 euros including delivery, cruise control comes standard. What I looked for but didn't find was the KLE500 SE Smartride. Its centrifugal clutch handles starting and stopping without a clutch lever, shifting is still done manually, for 8,195 euros including delivery. For me, the KLE650 in particular is a fantastic addition.

Then I briefly lose my breath. At the stand stands CORLEO, a robotic four-legged vehicle in which, according to Kawasaki, a 150 cc hydrogen engine works as a generator. The concept is supposed to be production-ready around 2035. Everyone is lining up to climb aboard, I can't even get near it. I still want a test ride, that's for sure. As a guard dog in the garden, nothing would get past this beast. My dog Akira already hides when the alarm system goes off at home, with her stuffed toy in her mouth under the cabinet in the bathroom. If I bring this robot home to her, she'll pass out. Right next to it is the real supercharged machine: the Ninja H2 has Euro type-approval again. It produces slightly less than before, with Ram Air it's still 209 hp at 238 kg ready to ride. In Germany it costs 33,050 euros including delivery.

My cheat sheet does a full job, because the Ninja 650 is on it too. It gets an upside-down fork from Showa with 37 mm stanchions, radially mounted four-piston brake calipers, and a new 4.3-inch TFT. That immediately looks leiwand, and 8,470 euros including delivery is not a bad price. The ZX-4R, which already caused an avalanche with its small four-cylinder, I can't find at the stand. Overall I'm blown away by this variety. Anyone who still thinks of Kawasaki as a pure racing brand will rub their eyes: road-oriented Versys models with an upright riding position, plus the adventure bikes KLE500 and KLE650, which go straight to the heart. In Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, Kawasaki has fought its way up insanely in registration numbers in recent years, simply with leiwand engines. That genuinely pleases me, because Kawasaki is advancing there very ambitiously.

I almost forgot why I was so wound up all day. Behind a barrier stands one of my highlights of the show: the KX327X, a brand-new two-stroke from Kawasaki. According to reports, it's the first Kawasaki two-stroke over 250 cc in more than 20 years, with 327 cc. According to Kawasaki, it has fuel injection, an electric starter, and exhaust port timing control. The KX327 is the motocross version, the KX327X the cross-country model. Frame, swingarm, engine, everything about it looks genuinely awesome. And this is not a bit of a dressed-up motocross bike: more flywheel mass, matching gear ratios, built for off-road. It's intended mainly for America and Australia. But anyone who rides cross-country in Austria or Germany, say in the German Cross Country Championship, can grab one too. Everyone says combustion engines are dead, and Kawasaki delivers a completely new engine generation. I'm sure it'll sell like crazy, because many have always loved riding two-strokes.

How wound up I really was at the Kawasaki stand is shown by my four-hour walk through EICMA 2026 on the 1000PS YouTube channel. After about an hour and a half it's about Kawasaki, this link jumps straight to the stand. You can see the Versys 900 from the front row including the control center on the handlebar, the Versys 1100 SE next to it, my seat test on the white KLE650, the robot CORLEO with the line in front of it, the Ninja H2, and the Ninja 650. At the end I stand in front of the barrier at the KX327 and KX327X and can barely calm down. Anyone who sticks around afterward gets more than 40 other stands, from Honda to Ducati to KOVE, with seat tests, stand conversations, and clear verdicts. Four hours of EICMA to watch, without the crowds and without paying admission.

• Versys 900 / Versys 900 SE: 948 cc inline four-cylinder, 122 hp at 9,500 rpm, 97.3 Nm at 8,000 rpm, seat height 825 to 845 mm, 20 l tank (according to reports), ARAS radar assistance, price Germany 13,270 / 14,170 euros incl. delivery, from April 2027
• KLE650 / KLE650 SE: 649 cc inline twin-cylinder, 70 hp (according to reports), 21-inch front, 17-inch rear, seat height 870 mm (according to reports), cruise control standard, price Germany 8,920 / 10,420 euros incl. delivery, from March and February 2027 respectively
• KLE500 SE Smartride: centrifugal clutch for starting and stopping, wheels for tubeless tires, price Germany 8,195 euros incl. delivery, from December 2026
• Ninja H2: 209 hp with Ram Air at 11,000 rpm, 238 kg ready to ride, price Germany 33,050 euros incl. delivery, from April 2027
• Ninja 650: Showa USD fork with 37 mm, radial four-piston brake calipers, 4.3-inch TFT, 68 hp (according to reports), seat height 785 mm, price Germany 8,470 euros incl. delivery, from November 2026
• KX327 / KX327X: two-stroke single-cylinder with 327 cc (according to reports), fuel injection, electric starter, exhaust port timing control, prices for Germany to follow
• CORLEO: concept on four legs, 150 cc hydrogen engine as generator, production readiness around 2035