THIS is Kawasaki's new Ninja 150RR and yes, it's a two stroke.

Set to be officially launched next month, it's aimed at the Asian market, and is an update on an existing model that's already sold in that part of the world.

Just as the Ninja 250R is based on the age-old GPZ250, the latest mini-Ninja is pretty ancient under the skin, but its powervalve (KIPS – remember that from the old KR-1S days?) two-stroke puts out 30bhp from just 148cc.

The steel frame is also carried over from the previous model, but that bike's ZX-7R-inspired styling has been replaced with something more in keeping with Kawasaki's current line-up.

Obviously, the Ninja 150RR isn't ever going to be sold in Europe, or any country where there are strict emissions limits.