Battery-powered off-roader follows similar machines from Honda and Yamaha

As long ago as 2021 Kawasaki promised that by 2035 its entire motorcycle range will be electric or hybrid electric – a date that already seems a lot closer than it did three years ago – and on route to that target it makes sense that the company will be investing in battery-powered off-road machines as well as on-road ones.

This patent application from the company reveals an electric motocross bike, which comes on the heels of Honda’s promising CR Electric Proto and an upcoming machine expected from Yamaha to compete against it.

Kawasaki already has an edge on both those rivals when it comes to showroom electric bikes, with the Ninja E-1 and Z E-1 models already on the market, as well as the Ninja 7 and Z7 Hybrid models, and some of the lessons from those bikes could feed into the electric motocross project.

The simplified images in the patent show steel-framed bike with the motor mounted underneath a battery box that looks very similar to the one used on the Ninja E-1 and Z E-1. That could imply that the batteries within will be replaceable – a sensible move for a motocross bike, allowing rapid changes for fresh cells when they’re needed. The motor is sandwiched between two structural aluminium plates that also provide mounting points for the swingarm. That motor’s drive is on the right-hand side, taking power to a chain that drives a transverse jackshaft via a set of sprockets that reduce its speed. The jackshaft takes the power back to the left-hand side of the bike where it drives the front sprocket and the chain to the rear wheel. It’s a simple setup that incorporates the reduction gearing needed for the high-revving electric motor while also allowing the motor to be mounted lower down in the bike’s frame than would be possible if it drove the front sprocket directly.

It’s a little too early to judge whether the patent illustrations are an accurate representation of a finished electric Kawasaki crosser, but it’s clear the project is one that’s underway at the company’s R&D department.