The new Kawasaki Ninja 1000 is one powerful sport's tourer, here's a quick ride review
Two power mode selections are offered, with Low mode delivering gentler power for more tricky conditions, and Full power mode enables you to enjoy all the motorcycle's power, with sharp, lightning quick throttle response, always just a twist of the wrist away. The N1’s gearbox, just as with the Z1000 we recently rode, feels equally precise and accurate to shift up or down. Performance is zippy on the Ninja 1000, and yet as simple to come to terms with as possible on a powerful litre-class bike like this.
The big new Ninja comes with a riding posture that’s upright, and reasonably comfortable to live with when covering long distances. The saddle is 5mm higher and wider than on the Z1000, and feel so immediately, with both the rider and pillion seated in comfort. Ride quality is decent, better than available on the more firm, tauter feeling Z1000, and the N1 comes with a remote preload adjuster for quick, simple tool-free tweaking of the rear suspension, a simple feature that works out as big bonus. The heavy bike handles with neutral feel to steering inputs, but requires a bit of effort to manoeuvre around in city. Straight line stability is excellent and the Ninja 1000 corners smartly, with reassuring feel and grip from the Bridgestone tyres. There’s also sharp and responsive ABS-enabled brakes with ample bite, engaging to bring the bike down to manageable speeds without excessive lever play.
Overall, the Ninja 1000 is an easy, practical motorcycle with more than enough power and performance for even the best of Indian roads, a handsome looking superbike to get along with on a regular basis, with its fair share of riding aids all working effortlessly to enhance your riding confidence. Detailed review upcoming soon.