Hello friends,
This review is of Kawasaki Ninja 1000 2017 model which I have purchased last week from Kawasaki Hyderabad. I want to keep the review short and simple as these are my initial assessment (only 350 kms covered) of the bike and I am far from being an expert:).
At the time of delivery.
History & Competition
To give a brief overview, my first bike was an Enfield bullet 350 AVL which I purchased in 1998 after which I upgraded to 2012 bullet 500cc desert storm. So basically rode a bullet my whole life. Somehow an itch of upgrading to a bike with better technology and more cc was always there.
Few pics of my Bullet 500 cc Desert storm.
Saw a lot of bikes over the years to upgrade, including Triumph, benelli and Harley Davidson but somehow although the bikes were tempting but they could never touch my heart as I feel buying a bike is more of a decision made by heart rather than head.
So this year, when I heard that Kawasaki z900 and Triumph street triple was getting launched I started doing research casually in my free time.
Decided to test ride both z900 and Triumph street triple and z900 won hands down as it looked and felt like a big bike. Technically Triumph street triple being lighter felt more nimble but Z900 felt quite powerful and who can resist 4 cylinders.
BTW, requirement for my bike was short city commutes(home to office and back) and for basically Sunday rides maybe once or twice in a month plus if time permits maybe longer trips of 1000-1500 kms.
Decision decision
I had initially booked a z900 in mid of June 2017. Somehow the commitment of delivery within one week got extended to more than a month by which time Kawasaki Ninja 1000 was launched with a mouth watering price.
Kawasaki Z900----9.38 lacs on road Hyderabad
Kawasaki N1000--11.7 lacs on road Hyderabad
The difference was 2.32 lacs approx.
It was a very easy decision as the increase in price justified increase in cubic capacity plus better suspensions plus the full electronic package. The pricing was so tempting that i called up the showroom and got my booking upgraded to ninja 1000. Special thanks to the Kawasaki manager Mr. Mohit for also pushing me towards Ninja 1000.
As far as my knowledge goes, Ninja 1000 is basically a faired version of Z1000 (or vice versa) which retails at about 18 lacs on road in India.
Points which tilted me towards Ninja 1000
1. Proper liter class bike 1043cc.
2. Quite powerful at 143 bhp.
3. Good rear seat comfort as compared to z900/ Triumph street triple, which offers very basic pillion comfort.
4. Better wind protection compared to z900
5. Icing on the cake was rider modes and traction control. We may think that the best traction control is our wrist but for someone upgrading from bullet to a liter class, I feel these small things makes a big difference as the kind of speeds these bikes are capable of doing, it's always better for some extra safety blanket. And for hard core riders there is always an option of turning it off.
6. It is supposed to be sports tourer, more bent on the sportier side with all comforts for touring 1000 plus kms in a day with a pillion seated comfortably. So, that flexibility of touring was also tempting.
7. Assist & Slipper Clutch
8. Super bright LED light.
9. Better and adjustable suspension than Kawasaki z900.
To be frank, from all the points listed above the most important point was the pillion seat being better than z900. After all one has to keep your better half happy.lol:
Unboxing
After nearly a month and a half of waiting and many commitments dates, finally the D-day arrived. I had told the Kawasaki manager very clearly that i would like to be present at the time of unboxing.
I was both excited and nervous at the same time as this was my first purchase in my life of any automobile where i had not even seen the model leave alone taken a test ride.
The second reason was that i had taken a leap of faith by booking N1000 in black and grey combination based on very few pics available in the internet. I was given an option by the showroom manager that i could book either green or black but somehow my daughter and wife convinced me otherwise and boy oh boy i was blown away when they started unboxing. There is something about this black and grey combination which i can't put in words. I'll let the photos do the talking.
This was the first view of the bike...phew.
Bike fully uncovered.
Never been i have been so happy with my color choice. Don't miss the saree guard.
Free barbecue grill which comes as complimentary with this bike, aka saree guard.
Design & Looks
The bike looks absolutely smashing from any angle you see. Its follows a proper sports bike kind of profile/stance. Initially was interested to book a green, as Kawasaki bikes are associated with GREEN, but found it too loud (my personal opinion, maybe I am getting oldlol:). Saw few picture of grey and black in internet and decided to take the plunge and book the bike.
The built quality is impeccable and everything seems well put together.
The front in the 2017 model is more sharper than previous years models and it definitely works. Moreover the wheelbase has been reduced than the 2016 outgoing model.
The side profile is a typical sport bike stance.
The rear profile is my favorite with those 190 section tyres and those beautiful 4 exhausts.
The designing is definitely more sporty as this bike is supposed to be a SPORTS-TOURER. As a matter of fact Ninja 1000 over the years have been one of the best selling sports tourer bike in Europe and America.
Please keep in mind the bike is quite big but still very manageable thanks to the seat height at only 32.1 inches.
The only downside are how big the side view mirrors are.
Typical ninja looks from the front.
Looks best from this angle.
Twin exhausts with the 190 section tyre looks smashing.
Can give Jlo a complex.
The overall design looks like a layered one with different shades of black.
check out how huge the rear view mirrors are. They are large but effective.
From the side profile looks like a proper sports bike. As you can see minimum Branding on the bike.
The rear foot pegs is a little too close for comfort to the exhaust pipes.
Engine & Performance One word---Siky smooth.
The bike feels as if its running on alien fuel cells, it's that smooth. The power delivery is linear and the bike keeps on pulling you. It's not abrupt or something one can't handle.
It idles at about 1500 rpm when you start the engine but it settles down at 1000 rpm afterwards. There is very very little engine clutter at idle but once you get moving its
smoooothhhh.
When you pick up the pace i feel the intake howl is better than the exhaust. The exhaust is quite tame thanks to the Euro-4 sound norms but once you gas it one can hear the lovely combination of intake sound and exhaust note. Unless someone wants to wake up the neighbors i would suggest retaining the stock exhaust.
The 6-speed gearbox is butter smooth and precise and all it takes is a little tap to change.
The specs are as below
Cubic capacity-1043cc
Horse power-142 @10,000 rpm
Torque------111 nm @7000rpm (This is where the beauty lies)
Top speed---electronically limited to 250 km/hr
0-100 km---under 3.3 seconds ( This is all moh maya and hardly matters unless you are taking bike on the track or are into drag racing )
Now, thanks to the peak torque at 7000 rpm one can ride from 30 kmhr to 250kmhr in 6th gear. I have been riding in city at 3-4th gear from speeds varying from 20kmhr right till 80-90 kmhr without any problem or any complains from the engine. That's how smooth the engine is. In 3rd gear it becomes like an automatic where no gear changing is required from 20- till triple digit figures.
I feel for city riding ninja 1000 is much more comfortable than my bullet. Even I was surprised how easy is the bike to ride at slow speeds as I was always under the impression that liter class bikes were not comfortable to ride at city speeds.
As far as heat is concerned i have been struck in bumper to bumper traffic twice for about an hour. The engine did emit heat but nothing too much to worry about. The fairings i guess helps in diverting the heat to some extent away from the legs. From what i have read about heat from other big capacity bikes, i can safely say heat management is much better in Ninja 1000.
Once or twice I have opened the accelerator in 1st-2nd gear till 7000 rpm and man I had to hold on for my dear life, so brutal is the power if required. Now the best part is the bike being 4 cylinder the actual power comes only after 7000 rpm till 10,500 rpm. I am waiting to experience that;).
For reference at 97 kmph the rpm is at around 4000 in 6th gear.
So, in short its good for slow speeds plus it can go mental whenever you want.
Please keep in mind since my bike is in running-in, i have not gone past 7000 rpm from where the actual fun starts.
Suspensions
Seems adequate and there is an adjustment knob giver in the rear for adjusting preloads if going out with a pilion. In city riding seems quite good. The front suspensions are adjustable for compression and rebound dampening and spring preload.
I will probably have to learn how to adjust the suspensions in future.
The rear suspensions are adjustable for rebound dampening and spring preload with good bump absorption.
Handling
It handles really well, but I guess its too early for me to comment on this. From the few rides which i have done, i can say at any speed lane changing is a breeze. The overall feel of the bike is very solid and it remains planted to the road thanks to the weight and aerodynamic fairings.
The bike hides its weight of 235 kgs quite well and seems very light when moving. Only at very slow speed below 10 km/hr does one feel little heaviness in the handles while turning, but once on the move it becomes smooth.
I will keep on updating this as i cover more kms.
Brakes
The brakes on this bike is really good with a positive progressive bite which inspires a lot of confidence. Unlike other models from Kawasaki which uses nissin, ninja 1000 comes with Kawasaki brakes. Plus, one of the best features is that it has got ABS+cornering ABS which helps in braking while cornering.
Dual 300 mm petal type rotors with radial mount 4-piston monobloc calipers with Abs
Single 250 mm petal type with single piston caliper and Abs
LED Headlights
The new Led headlights is new for the 2017 model and looks absolutely fantastic plus is very functional. By default both the headlights (low beam) stay on permanently. The high beam is one of the best i have seen and i feel its better than my car.
Low Beam
High Beam
Comfort & wind blast
This is the best part as you sit quite upright with a hint of forward bias. In short, the posture is such that one can go in full tuck for sports riding and ride in upright position whenever required. My riding the bike for 2 weeks I have not felt pain either in my wrist or shoulders at all.
The riding position is the best compromise both for sports and touring positions. I can see myself riding all day without any problem.
Coming to the seat now-
Front seat is quite broad and cushioning is on the firmer side. For people planning to use it as a tourer may have to consider a softer gel seat.
Rear seat is quite generous which is bound to keep your better half happy. It's completely in tune with the sports tourer image. Big Integrated grab handles for pillion rider adds to the comfort with provision for integrating panniers.
Refer to the below video with panniers fixed to the bike.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELB0CuR5Sbw 
Attachment points to fix panniers.
Wind blast is taken care by the fairing and 3 way adjustable fly screen which now is 15 mm higher than the outgoing 2016 model. The adjustability is very very easy as the screen is operated by a lever in front of the cockpit.
While riding I hardly felt any wind in the lower part of my body. At the highest position, neck down there is no wind when one is sitting in an upright position. If one were to tuck little bit, there would be no wind blast altogether. BTW, i am 6' tall.
But mind you, even in the highest position of the fly screen there would be some wind blast aimed directly at the helmet. Electronics and Console Meter
Very nice and functional. Love the old school analogue rpm meter. The digital console in the right displays all the function one needs. Visibility in sun is quite good.
This is the standard mode with traction control at 1.
Now, this is the fun mode with full power and traction control off.
KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control)
The 3-mode KTRC system covers a wide variety of riding conditions.
Mode 1 and 2 offer enhanced sport riding performance.
Mode 3 offers increased stability when traversing slippery surfaces or rain mode.
This mode can be switched off completely.
Power Mode selection
Riders can choose from Full Power or Low Power mode.
Because Power Mode can be selected independently of KTRC, riders have a number of available combinations to suit a wide range of riding situations.
Cornering management control from ninja 10rr with 6 axis lean sensor.
Whenever one starts the bike the standard mode is full power with traction control in 1.
Plus one thing to note is that one cannot change the modes while riding. The gear has to be in neutral in order to change the various modes.
Mileage( as shown by the bike)
CITY---15-17 KMPL
HIGHWAY----22-25 kmpl when driving at a steady speed.
So, with a tank capacity of i think 19.5 liters the range of this bike is around 400 kms, which i feel is quite good if anyone wants to do touring in it.
Moreover if the rider is sensible with the throttle (which is so difficult with this bike) and maintains a constant speed economy icon comes in the console to let the rider know that he is riding the bike economically. I find this quite useful as one can conserve fuel while on long rides.
Pros
Buy it if you are looking for a practical liter class sports bike (crazy power) with touring capability (comfort) with a pillion on good smooth roads. It's basically a dual personality bike. It's a bike which will keep up or better a superbike in terms of performance but you would still be smiling after 4-5 hours of riding.
Cons
Low ground clearance of 130 mm because of which one has to be careful while tackling big speed breakers.
Some wind blast at the helmet even if we put the fly screen at the highest position.
I would conclude by saying Kawasaki Ninja is the most affordable liter class bike available in India at this moment with power and features better than its competitors. Kindly bear in mind these are only my first impressions of the bike and i would be updating this thread regularly as i ride and get to know the bike more. 
Bike at the workshop for its first oil change at 130 kms.
clap:clap: Let me be the first to congratulate you on this wonder-beast! What a nice feeling to be a part of an Litre-class bike, as the first thing in the morning! You have got yourself an awesome bike and I am sure you'll do full justice to the purchase.
Do let us know the detailed cost breakup of the purchase, if possible. I am now seriously looking at Versys 650, but nevertheless, will be clued in on to your ownership updates.
Happy and Safe Biking!
Congratulations on an excellent choice of a bike Ashroy. Kawasaki seems to have made good progress after their divorce with Bajaj auto. Pricing on the Z900 and the Ninja 1000 are delicious. In fact, the the Ninja 1000 appears to be the most VFM liter class bikes in the market today.
The Ninja 1000 strikes the right balance between touring capabilities as well as sporty track riding if an instance may popup. I loved the riding posture on it compared to the lean forward position offered on may sport bikes in the market today. They end up being taxing on your wrists, elbows and eventually your back. Adjustable suspension is a boon on these given the fact that our streets or highways are always bumpy and full of potholes.
Very sensible choice to go for the Ninja against the Z900 since the Z is stiffly suspended, has significant windblast at high speeds and is an oven in stop and go traffic.
The old batch of ex-stock Ninjas were being sold for close to 12-13lakhs after all dealers ended up registering them in their name to avoid BS3 onslaught. The new variant just trumps the price and offers a great value proposition. The only other bike I truly adore from Kawasaki's stable is the Versys 1000 but the 4-cylinder config on an adventure tourer coupled with a de-tuned motor (same as your bike) takes away quite a big chunk of the smile away.
Highly recommend getting a radiator guard, aftermarket double bubble visor, some engine guards and frame sliders to keep your ride safe.
Did I tell you that the colour choice is absolutely drool worthy?
Enjoy your bike.
What a bike Ashroy_6! Never knew a Kawasaki would look so amazing in any other colour than Green! I am in similar situation where I have sold my Machismo 500 and looking at upgrading to a better Bike. While I was thinking of the z900, reading your review has made me think of the Ninja 1000.
Have a wonderful and safe bike ownership and do keep updating the thread regularly. Would be really interested to see how the bike behaves in the long run.
