Kawasaki Ninja 1000

[texcollect]

This morning a buddy and I took a ride up the the "Ticket To Ride" Kawasaki event at Sam Houston Race track here in Houston.Due to the number of people that turned out 1 ride was all that was really available.

I took the Ninja 1000 out. It has a very similar seating position to the FZ6. The adjustable screen was great and on the lowest setting gave me far less buffeting than the FZ6 screen does. The transmission was a dream, silky smooth with a very progressive lever action. the engine was almost lifeless below 4 or 5 K, but then came on like a train, but then I'm used to that. On the road I found the turn in very sluggish and had to really push the bike into the curve. I guess I am used to my FZ6 telepathic ability to know where I want to turn.

Unfortunately I am a big guy (6ft 6 and 245lbs) and the way that the tank is sculpted meant that my knees were up against the ridge in the tank.

From the demo ride we took the long way home and had some fun on the way home. It felt REALLY good to get back on the FZ.

I go through a period every couple of months when I start wondering what I would like to swap my bike for. The FZ6 isn't the fastest bike, best handling bike, prettiest bike, most comfortable bike on the market, but it does everything very well so I guess it's staying in my garage for the foreseeable future.

 

[dxh24]

That's pretty much what i've heard... actually just read another review on the versys forum, on the ninja 1k... General consensus is that the zx10r and the z1000 are better and that the Ninja was the least favored of the 3. ZX10r and the z1000 being much more nimble, better control in the corners with smoother throttle response and less buzzy areas.

 

[FB400]

I dunnow guys. sounds like you rode a different N1K bike than I did. I did the Ticket to Ride event 2 weeks ago in NJ.

I loved everything about it! Ergo's felt perfect and it pulled hard all the way up. If I could have one complaint about it it would be there is no temperature gauge, like WTF was kawasaki thinking when doing that??

I went and visited a few dealers and found this bike can be had for a pretty fair price and insurance is reasonable too. Ultimately I like my FZ6 too much to part with it too fast. But I don't think I could resist getting a N1K on the used bike market in a year or 2 either.

 

[marke14]

Thank you for sharing your perspective on the Ninja 1000. I totally love that bike and it's currently on my short list of "next bikes(s)." I am a bit smaller than you at about 5'9" and a buck ninety lbs.

I think that a lot of how people feel about a bike is how well they fit onto it. Many bikes are not the best for larger or smaller riders, obviously.

Yeah I generally go through these lusty periods about other bikes from time to time - several times a year. But then I go for a ride on the FZ6 and I remember that it's a very good bike (especially with a few choice mods) and that I enjoy the hell out of it. It's hard to justify the expense of buying a different bike when you already love what you have. And I've had it for (almost) four years now!

Still lovin' the N1000.

 

[Grainbelt]

I test rode the Ninja 1000 here in Minneapolis and came away very impressed by both the comfort/wind management and the chassis. In a world where sport tourers are growing ever larger, a truly competent literbike is a welcome entrant.

Having owned a Ninja 650R for four years, I'm familiar with the somewhat rough-edged nature of a Kawasaki. The fit and finish may not be great, but the bang for the buck tends to be fantastic. I've heard of Ninja 1000's selling for 9 grand out the door. At that price, it is a screaming deal IMO.