This supercharged naked motorcycle was introduced as a new flagship for Kawasaki’s Z family for the 2020 model year, bringing the brand’s forced-induction technology into the upright streetfighter category. It was first shown publicly in late 2019 as a world-premiere model, then reached customers as a 2020 production model. The concept blended the aggressive stance and everyday road usability expected of a Z-series machine with the same supercharged 998 cc four-cylinder architecture that had already defined Kawasaki’s H2-performance line.
The model’s arrival marked an important expansion of Kawasaki’s supercharged platform beyond fully faired hypersport machines. Rather than being a pure track-focused halo product, it was positioned as a high-performance street motorcycle with a broader riding role, using a compact trellis frame and modern electronics to manage its power delivery. In Kawasaki’s own product and sustainability materials, it is identified as a 2020 model-year machine, confirming its earliest production model year.
A higher-spec SE version followed later, but the original nameplate continued as a separate, current production model and was still listed in Kawasaki’s 2026 lineup. That makes the model a single continuous production run from 2020 to the present, with no known discontinuation or revival period.