Yesterday, we told you Kawasaki was reportedly working on a new scooter, possibly in conjunction with Kymco. Now, Team Green has confirmed that rumour.
A statement from Kawasaki says the machine comes as an answer to “an obvious gap in its product offering.” The suspicion that this machine was designed in conjunction with Kymco is correct; Kawasaki says they worked on the styling, but Kymco worked on the drivetrain and chassis.
The scooter (known as the J300) will be available at European dealers in late 2013, but there’s no word yet as to whether it will make it to North America.
Kawasaki says they will officially unveil this machine at EICMA.
Scooters are small urban commuters, less than 100cc. That’s not a “scooter” – it’s a cruiser for old people who can’t get a leg over a regular cruiser.
They still share basic technologies with Suzuki and Kymco on their V-twin ATVs BUT all three companies have their own permutations. I’d expect the same will happen with the scooter.
Inter-company co-operation worked out real well for Kawasaki back about 10 years ago when they decided to share several small-bore dirt models with Suzuki.
Oh wait, no it didn’t … Better luck this time.