Kawasaki unveiled a supercharged engine at the Tokyo Motorcycle Show in Japan. No details about the engine have been released, although Kawasaki insiders have suggested the capacity could be close to 1000cc which would suggest a next-gen version of the ZZR1400. Kawasaki released a short statement that states: “Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. also has a long history of developing technologies for turbine engines. The lifeblood of these turbines is their blades, which need to be able to cope with extreme heat and vibration while spinning at high speeds.
“Know-how from years of designing turbine engine blades was instilled in the first supercharger developed by a motorcycle manufacturer. And of course, designing a motorcycle-use supercharged engine in-house means that maximum efficiency could be pursued.”
A modern, supercharged 600cc four could match the current crop of 1000cc normally-aspirated engines for power and torque while saving fuel, weight and space.
