After some rumors[1] and the announcement at the end of January,[2] the bike was presented for the first time at the beginning of February 2023 in the United States, Asia and Australia.

[4] The engine is mounted in front of the gear and is powered by a multipoint indirect electronic injection system having 4 injectors with 16-valve DOHC distribution, four for each cylinder; it delivers about 57 kW (77 HP), 42 Nm of torque and can reach 15,000 rpm.

The Special Edition is characterized by the colors and graphics inspired by the bikes of the official Kawasaki stable that races in the SBK championship and offers as standard the Quick Shifter, the Smoked windshield, the USB socket and the frame protections.

The chassis, partially derived from that of the smaller ZX-25R, has been redesigned and features a diamond-shaped high-strength steel trellis structure supported by a curved rear swingarm.

[7] At the front, the upside-down telescopic fork is a Showa SFF-BP (the ZX-4SE and ZX-4RR also have a preload adjustment mechanism), while at the rear there is a horizontal back-link suspension partially derived from the larger ZX-10R; the ZX-4RR variant has the same Showa BFRC-lite rear shock as the Ninja ZX-10R.