Kawasaki->ke299 has something brewing under the sheets. The company hasn’t divulged exactly what it is and the only thing we know at this point is that it has registered the name “Ninja->ke1738 R2” with the US Patent and Trademark office, among other patent offices around the world, specifically Europe and Japan.

No details were given on where Kawasaki will use the Ninja R2 name, but given its recent trend of loosening up its production platform, there is reason, if only a little, to believe that the Ninja R2 name is being prepared for some kind of high-performance bike. What that bike will become is also a matter of debate and it really would be getting too ahead of ourselves if we starting naming new bikes without knowing what Kawasaki's plans are.

But it is worth noting that Kawasaki also registered a handful of names in Japan, including Ninja R2-R, Ninja E2, Ninja E2-R, Ninja S2 and Ninja S2-R. A lot of ‘2’s’ in those names, right?

Ok, so here’s what we know so far. We know that Kawasaki has become more aggressive in building new models recently. Whether its small-displacement sports bikes or supercharged monsters, the Japanese motorcycle maker hasn’t held back on the aggressive run of new models hitting the market these days.

Kawasaki has also hinted on using shared technology for its bikes in the recent past, having done so when it created a supercharged technology for the H2R. At that time, it appeared that the project was exclusively tied into the H2R, but Kawasaki nevertheless added that the technology could be used in “future projects”.

Perhaps the Ninja R2 qualifies under “future projects”?

Click "continue reading" to read more about Kawasaki's trademark of the "Ninja R2" name.

Why it matters

There's a lot of speculation going on right now regarding what these trademarks will mean in the bigger scheme of things. I personally don't mind seeing a Ninja R2 in Kawasaki's future. It would be even better if it's prepared and developed to be a more powerful version of the Ninja H2. It might be going out on a limb to think that this model will be even more powerful than the H2R, but something a little more performance-oriented than the H2 is entirely plausible.

Outside of the Ninja R2, Kawasaki trademarking a bevy of other nomenclatures like the Ninja R2-R, Ninja E2, Ninja E2-R, Ninja S2 and Ninja S2-R suggests that the Ninja family is going to get bigger. A lot bigger.

It is a little curious that Kawasaki only trademarked these names in Japan, but if there was ever a place to do it, the company's home country is where it should be. How it will translate to other markets, though, is another matter entirely.

There's just not enough information here to get a good gauge on what Kawasaki's plans are. But rest assured, the Japanese bikemaker isn't sitting idle anymore. It's rolling out a fleet of new models, which should make its Ninja line that much more intriguing, to say the least.