[KarthikK]

Accessories for Safety and Protection

The word 'Accessory' is an oxymoron here in the big bike world, because some 'accessories' are not accessories anymore. As i learnt during my purchase experience, they become 'mandatory' particularly because these accessories safeguard some part(s) of your bike in one way or the other. And so, as silly as it sounds, there are some 'Mandatory Accessories' that every big bike owner invests in during purchase time. Some examples are crash protection from minor falls, radiator protection from stone hits, etc. I used to wonder, if these things are so essential to the safety of the bike, why don’t the bike manufacturers make it themselves? Then I realized that there are big players even in that (accessory) space, and they have to thrive on biker paranoia and get a piece of the sales pie too!

There are other kinds of accessories which are not mandatory, they exist to serve some other purposes. Some offer convenience of some form, while some others visually enhance your bike compared to how the stock vehicle looked, or do something else to enhance your comfort or touring / riding experience.

I broadly classify accessories into three categories:

• Accessories for safety and protection

• Accessories for convenience and aesthetics

• Accessories to enhance touring experience

Believe me, when I was doing my research as a layman, I found it hard and felt stupid to keep googling what each of these does, when you hear such jargon thrown around in biking circles and don’t know what the heck some accessories meant. Told ya, I was stepping in from the car world and knew zilch about any of these.

In case it helps, all my accessories were sourced from:

• Retrorides, Delhi - This venture is run by a nice chap called Deekshit. Got most of the protectors / sliders and visor stuff from him. No-nonsense experience, he was very prompt in communication and he shipped the entire package neatly protected by multiple layers of bubble wrap on priority when I told him my delivery date was around the corner. For all the stuff procured from Retrorides, the installation was done at Gear-Gear motorcycles, Wilson garden, after the bike delivery.

• Rideventur Kawasaki (dealership itself) - The in-house team for accessories is very efficient. I mentioned earlier in the review as well, about one Mr. Akshay who is very prompt and communicative. Some of the accessories were chosen here and he ensured they were retrofitted on the bike prior to delivery (except for the panniers which were installed later during first service). I skipped Rideventur for the protection accessories because they were almost 1.3 - 1.5x of the cost of the same items in Retrorides.

Some more additional accessories were purchased from AliExpress because they were either trivial or not made / sold by other vendors or dealers here. A few others were sourced from my friendly neighbourhood riding store - Orion motors whom I have been buying stuff from for more than a decade now.

I’ll go over each category and within that, list the accessories that I purchased. I’ll include a picture and a brief description of what each of these does, and where it was sourced from.

We’ll start with the first category, which I fondly refer to as the oxymoron 'Mandatory Accessories'. These offer safety and protection for the bike.

Puig Frame Sliders (Retrorides) - for frame protection from falls, and protects body work in case of minor drops

These are very rugged and attach to the frame here right behind the fairing



They protrude out to be able to take the impact on side falls and prevent damage to the frame itself



The extent to which they protrude can be seen here



Evotech fork sliders (Retrorides) - protection for front forks




Another view



Evotech Radiator guard (Retrorides) - this is a well engineered piece of metal mesh which protects the radiator fins from accidental stone hits and the ensuing coolant leakage, without obstructing the air flow needed for the radiator

The black mesh is an added protection. Wait I didn't get that dark area right. Let me try again with flash.



Ah - there you go!



Exhaust sliders (Ali Express) - protection for the exhaust end cans from abrasion during minor falls. Take a look from various angles at how they protect the end cans from damage. They may even protect the rear footpegs!










Motografix faux carbon fibre tank pad (Retrorides) - protects the bottom end of the fuel tank from paint abrasion with the belt / zipper area of the riding pant when leaning and riding. Also adds a unique style element






Puig fuel tank cap faux carbon fibre cover (Retrorides) - prevents scratches on the metallic surface of the circular fuel tank cap.






Full body Self-healing Paint Protection Film (PPF) + self-healing ceramic coating for the fuel tank (Feynlab Detailing Studio) - offers total protection from stone chips and scratches on the PPF covered areas and all swirls on the PPF / ceramic coated area are self-healed to look like new when subjected to heat such as sunlight. The entire bike has PPF from visor to headlamps to fairing to the taillamp.




The fuel tank has been ceramic coated with the self healing variation and is glossier than ever.



Look closely to observe a PPF layer on the entire paint surface all over the bike. Freedom from scratches and swirls! Even if the PPF accumulates swirls, I just need to park a clean bike under the sun for a few minutes and the swirls self-heal.



Protection film for instrument console display (Ali Express) - prevents the instrument console display from swirls and scratches over time. It seems to be coming off near the edges though after two years, and I may have to reorder and re-fit this sometime later



R&G full body water-resistant bike cover (Rideventur Kawasaki showroom) - high quality, long-lasting bike cover which fits perfectly well, covers the entire height of the bike and protects against all the elements (especially important for me because I park in a partially exposed portico). It has aged really well and shows no signs of any wear and tear even after almost 2 years.

[KarthikK]

Accessories for Convenience and Aesthetics

The second category includes accessories which are for enhancing convenience or for enhancing visual appeal in some way.

Eazigrip tank grip pads (Retrorides) - to help the knees to firmly grip the tank. Unfortunately Techspec which is the authority brand in tank grippers, was out of stock so I had to settle for these.






Puig Extended Touring Visor in Dark Smoke (Retrorides) - slightly better windblast protection compared to the stock visor, plus enhances the visual appeal of the bike with a sporty black tinted color. Anyway I am too tall to be able to see through the visor, so there is no risk of the tint blocking my vision when none exists at all!






Couldn't help shooting this glossy black crown in the detailing store



Paddock stand (Rideventur Kawasaki) - for long term parking at and basic DIY chain maintenance at home. These have the rubber cup type holders and do not use the spool sliders



RAM mount for fork stem + associated phone holder X clamp (Rideventur Kawasaki) - for GPS navigation with a phone while touring

Fork stem mount for the X-mount to clamp onto






This is how it looks with the phone connected.





USB 12v adapter with dual USB charging slots (Rideventur Kawasaki) - can simultaneously charge two phones or any other USB dependent device such as a power bank or even the Sena communication device. In the dark it has a blue glow ring to locate it easily






Ninja branded keychain (Ali express) - just a nice-to-have trivial add-on for feel-good factor



Sena 20S Evo helmet bluetooth system (Orion riding store) - for self. I use it to listen to music in the background while riding, or can receive phone calls on the move. It is a stellar bulletproof product, albeit overpriced just like all Sena products.

The Sena 20S evo control unit



This is how it looks when attached to the helmet



The helmet adapter clamp which connects the rechargeable control unit to the helmet base, and this is what powers the speakers and microphone inside eventually using the control unit's battery. In case the rider uses multiple helmets, this clamp kit can be purchased separately and installed in other helmets and the same control unit can be used across all helmets



The rear of the clamp kit adapter has an aux slot and the eject button helps to disconnect the control device after the ride



Sena Handlebar Remote (Orion riding store) - for self. I am someone who creates custom playlists before each travel journey, and I have an annoying habit of sifting through or tampering with the tracks if I get bored of the order or song. I prefer not to keep lifting my left hand to keep operating the sena control device on the helmet side. This remote allows my (free) left thumb to operate all the sena controls while both hands are still naturally on the handle bar.

The Sena handlebar remote I use



I forgot to take a snap with it on the bike, so here is an illustrative picture of where the remote sits without hindering the use of regular controls on the left side of the handlebar, you better have longer fingers to say this though! It is very convenient to toggle between songs and handle other BT features without having to lift hands off the handlebar everytime.



Sena 3S standalone helmet bluetooth system (Orion riding store) - for my wife. She likes to listen to her own music playlists and / or is able to receive calls on the move. But she doesn’t really want any of the bluetooth mesh or group communication features that the higher Sena models offer, so she opted for this simple system from Sena which caters to only the core basics (single phone and music) as a standalone BT system. She also liked it because this does not have a detachable control piece, and instead the control unit is basic and concealed within the helmet cushion itself. I believe this model is now deprecated within the Sena portfolio and has been replaced by something else.

[KarthikK]

Accessories for Touring

Let’s move over to the touring accessories I got.

Kawasaki OE Panniers system (Rideventur Kawasaki) - Dual 28 litre pannier boxes with body colored panels, neatly paired to work with the bike’s ignition key. Easily attachable / detachable with the rear part of the bike's body and frame in seconds.








They can be carried like a suitcase easily.



The maximum weight per pannier box is rated at 5 kg as per the instructions



They attach to the frame at a dedicated slot just above the rear foot pegs. This is the primary weight bearing point. It is a rubber bush which is part of the panniers parts set and does not come on the bike by default



The boxes have extensions at both ends which secure through these 'arms' into dedicated slots under the grab rails.



These 'arms' are what allow the panniers to be locked onto the frame when you remove (thereby lock the notches under the grab rails) the ignition key from the boxes.





With the panniers locked on to the bike, all luggage is secure and we can peacefully stop for our meal at a highway restaurant and eat to our heart’s content without needing to worry that someone will try to open / steal the luggage or steal the boxes themselves.



The bike's ignition key is paired to work with both the boxes. Freedom from having to carry another set of keys for luggage - one key for everything!



Can be locked in place on the bike and only the boxes can be opened and closed for quick retrieval of anything.



Or I can leave the panniers locked in place on the bike, and only carry the inner bags (explained later in this post) and go to our hotel room.



The volume might look small in some angles but is actually quite sufficient. It can easily accommodate a full face helmet and some more!



With both boxes loaded, that rear is almost as wide as an autorickshaw!



Although they make the bike very wide at the rear, note how they stay visible in the standard OE mirrors’ range of vision, so you can know when someone or something is too close to the boxes.



Another example of nice OE integration which makes life easy for the rider - and this is somewhat related to the previous point. The panniers are not wider than the mirrors. When you are zipping through some highway traffic gaps, if the mirrors clear the gap, so will the panniers. No extra effort to be put there to worry about the panniers clearing gaps.



You need to be careful in places with tight traffic though. Other vehicles might bump into the boxes if they mistake your now 'autorickshaw' width for yet another bike and misjudge the dimensions. You also need to be careful in occasional toll plazas where, sometimes the bike lanes are very cramped and the boxes can obstruct or even refuse to clear the bike lane concrete separators / railings on either side.



In such cases I have funnily had to resort to using a car lane and request (sometimes even bribe) the toll operators to open the boom barrier manually. This is quite rare though, and the only places where I have faced this are - one is BETL and another is the JAS toll plaza at Nelamangala, closer to Bangalore in the past 2 years over multiple highways.

An example of a 3-day trip luggage neatly stashed away with a couple of sets of clothes, a pair of shoes, a drone and a gopro kit. The other pannier similar stashes away more clothes, toiletries and essentials, medicines and some more electronics such as chargers, etc.



Overall, these panniers have great integration with this bike since it has been designed from the ground up for this purpose. One more advantage over aftermarket luggage options - it can take on higher cruising speeds with ease and won't compromise aerodynamics or safety.

Under the panniers the metal heat shields help to dissipate the exhaust heat and prevent the fibre material from getting too hot.



These metal shields also prevent from scratches on the underside when you rest these boxes on the floor or some such surface (say when you reach your hotel room)



Kawasaki OE Inner bags for the OE panniers (Rideventur Kawasaki) - These are high-quality waterproof bags paired to the OE pannier system and make travel easier by keeping luggage clean and separated to one half of the pannier’s volume. Using this technique helps free up the other half volume of the pannier for other things, rather than mess up the entire space with multiple things.



They come in the shape of the respective pannier(s), and have a depth equal to half the volume of that pannier



The bags themselves have a mesh separation with a zipper on the inside. This helps separate the luggage inside.



We generally stash away clothes. Two sets of clothes are comfortably possible, and a third set can be squeezed in if we try harder. That makes a 3 day trip possible with considerable ease



If we use every nook and corner of the available volume in both boxes, 3 nights of luggage (and hence a 4 day trip) would probably be the maximum possible that can be managed with these panniers. Nothing more.

Grip Puppies - cushioned handlebar grips for extended riding comfort and minimal vibrations. I also use them for better grip in both wet and dry. I have large hands and palms too, so these make the handlebar thicker and chunkier, better to hold than stock size. As a result, I use these grip puppies on all my bikes.



Ride-on-Air additional cushion seat for pillion - It is an adjustable air cushion which can be strapped on to the pillion seat to make it softer. Wife rarely uses this nowadays because she is not comfortable with the height addition and loss of feedback that this brings with it.



GoPro curved adhesive mounts for helmet chin (rider’s view) - for capturing GoPro footage from rider’s point of view

GoPro helmet side mount (pillion’s view) - for capturing GoPro video footage from pillion’s point of view

Motorola X4 - IP 68 rated water resistant phone for all-weather touring with GPS navigation. This is not exclusive to our bike, we always use a dedicated travel phone with BSNL connection (separate from our personal phones) to be able to access the network even in remote areas, even on our car trips.



We had some other cheaper android phone earlier, and upgraded to the Moto X4 when we started touring on the bike, due to its IP68 all-weather protection . This phone has minimal heating issues, the battery lasts long, GPS receiver is of great quality (works even in dense jungles), and we have used it even in heavy rains on the bike.

ResQTech portable tyre inflator - Very nifty tool and as compact as a power bank. I do have a bigger Michelin rapid inflator at home for the cars, but I always carry this little fella along on every bike trip, with a tubeless tyre repair kit. In case we face any punctures en route, we can self-heal and resume the journey without hassles.This can also be used to top up tyre pressures on a long trip.



Decathlon hydration backpack - Like I mentioned earlier, we do travel round the year in all kinds of weather conditions. This is a handy accessory which has boiled down from our cycling experience to our big bike world. It is handy to carry along and wear on day-long rides in the hot sun, and is obviously a part of our riding gear on long distance summer rides.

[KarthikK]

Riding Gear - Rider and Pillion, head to toe

Before the Ninja’s purchase decision, we did have basic and outdated riding gear that we were using on the Karizma for our tripping. For this new innings, both of us did not want to take any chances compromising on riding gear both in terms of safety and in terms of comfort, fit and finish plus longevity (indirectly boils down to quality). The comfort and fit/finish part is often overlooked and due to this I’ve myself experienced chafing and bruising due to abrasion in various areas of the body when doing day-long rides with certain brands of riding gear.

We were casually visiting riding gear shops and looking at different brands and price points, trying everything to check what worked best. Getting something for my size wasn’t an issue, but my priority was to find good riding gear for my wife first. Finding good riding gear for women is a big task in itself as I found out. Firstly the brands which had ladies’ collections had very limited or gaudy designs, most of which she didn’t like. Secondly, the fit was mostly baggy even if she tried the regular men’s collections, and even the smallest S size was too big for her. Some of the reputed brands such as Alpinestars which had good designs for ladies, were out of stock and needed importing and waiting for weeks/months together. Neither of us travel frequently outside the country on work, nor did any of our friends around this time so importing was out of question. Net result was we hadn’t finalized or purchased anything yet after weeks of research, barring our helmets.

I’d heard about Dainese being a premium riding gear brand and their showroom was in the other corner of town. All along I’d not gone there, fearing it would be prohibitively expensive to buy 2X full sets from head to toe. Prior to the visit to the Kawasaki showroom one Saturday morning to make the booking for the Ninja 1000, CrAzY dRiVeR told me that the Dainese store was just flagging off their year-end sale like they usually do in November every year, and he suggested me to visit the place once. And that Saturday happened to be the first weekend of November, voila! So there was a glimmer of hope that the good stuff wouldn’t be sold out yet.

We went to Dainese Bangalore and checked out the product range in everything we wanted. Not only did we find our desired levels of quality and fit and finish, we also got mouth watering deals on the pricing - all of the gear had between 20-50% off, from head to toe. The ladies’ section in fact had most of the stuff at 50% off on the uncommon sizes and products. There was obviously less choice in the women’s range, but at least the missus found what she liked. The staff there, especially one Mr. Srinivas and one more person whose name I cannot recollect now, were incredibly helpful and supportive and helped us try out many products before we finalized our choices on jackets, pants, boots and gloves. I got my boots, while her size boot choices weren’t great so we got her boots from Orion riding store later that evening. Both of us (unintentionally) ended up getting a color coordinated Red-Black theme to go with the black bike.

We ended up overshooting the budget considerably, but we were happy with the comfort and quality, and relieved that least we were able to get something in both our sizes Almost two years later, I can comfortably say we made the right choice and these have served us very well over 10,000 km of touring in different conditions, hot, cold and wet.

Tip for purchasing Dainese: If buying locally, please buy from them only during the November - December annual sale period when the prices are somewhat sane. The prices are ridiculously high by middle class standards during the rest of the year. Alternatively, get it through someone flying in from abroad (not sure how feasible that will be in the post-corona world though)

Following is a complete list of all the riding gear we use on the Ninja. I won’t be going into the specifications of each item because it is out of scope of this review. Curious folks can always google the model names and dig more. Apologies for not being able to photograph riding gear as nicely as how the studio shots look on online portfolio sites and catalogues. I don't have the infrastructure, knowledge or patience to photograph riding gear properly.

Rider (Me):

Jacket: Dainese Tempest D-Dry touring jacket. Has multiple waterproof pockets for document storage and multiple air vents for ventilation. Looks bulky but has fantastic comfort and airflow even in 40 degrees summer heat. Comes with a removable thermal lining layer and another wet lining layer. I believe there is now a Tempest 2 facelifted version of this jacket.





Pants: Dainese Tempest D-Dry touring pants. Extremely comfortable, zero chafing or discomfort even after 12-14 hours of riding, and has a very long zipper in the bottom to accommodate a wide range of boot sizes, plus multiple air vents just like its jacket (tempest) sibling.



Gloves: I use one pair of gloves for regular fair weather and one pair for cold and wet conditions.

Dainese Druid D1 Full gauntlet leather gloves with carbon fibre protection. These took a while to break in but now they feel like second skin and offer very good comfort and feedback, while offering adequate ventilation as well for hot days.



Dainese Tempest D-Dry Long gloves. These are primarily for wet and extreme cold weather. I carry them along when there is no predictable fair weather (such as during monsoons) and switch to these if there is rain or early morning cold. As with most rain gloves, they are quite bulky and lack the feedback that the Druid offers. When the rain stops, I switch back to the Druids.



Boots: Dainese Torque D1 out Gore-Tex. Supremely comfortable to wear all day long and walk around almost like a regular shoe. Breathable on hot days and very good water ingress protection even in heavy rains. The only grouse I have is - when it is new it makes a squeaky sound when walking, similar to the shoes that 2-3 year old toddlers wear. That sound has reduced considerably in the past 1.5 years but I still get trolled for it by my riding group friends.



Back protector: Dainese Wave D1-G2 insertable Spine Armour. Both of us use this additional back protector which fits into our jackets (the jackets have an inbuilt zipped compartment for this)



Helmet: Shoei RF1200 / Z7 Parameter. Very lightweight and proven veteran model from Shoei. I am not a fan of inner visors and the additional weight they add to the front. This helmet is very light, comfortable and silent with minimal wind noise even when cruising at high speeds. I use a dark smoke tinted OE (Shoei) visor because I am used to that during the day, and (carry it in the luggage and) switch to the OE transparent one if travel entails late night / early morning riding. I initially used to use an AGV K series helmet (as you might have seen from some of the review pictures), but later upgraded to this Shoei around a year ago. BHPian ethanhunt123 was kind enough to procure this helmet for me from Singapore, taking some time out from his business trip. Super thanks to him!



Inner layers: Komine inner suit - individual upper body suit and pant with sweat wicking material. This really helps on warm days and avoids the annoying sticky feeling during/after rides.





Balaclava: Six2 full face balaclava. Works well in hot, humid, dusty and cold conditions and dries out quickly if accidentally drenched on rainy days.



Ear plugs: No-Noise ear plugs. These filter out only the wind noise to a large extent, yet allow you to listen to other sounds which need your attention. These could be vehicle horns, ambulance/cop sirens, people’s voices, animal sounds, or even music from the helmet bluetooth speakers.



Pillion (my wife):

Jacket: Dainese Hydra Flux D-Dry Lady. Comes with a removable wet weather lining and my better half heaps praises on its all-day comfort and stylish looks.



Pants: Dainese Drake Air-Tex Lady. Has nicely built-in ventilation slots for good breathability. No need to mention this again - very comfortable for all-day riding



Gloves: Dainese Corbin D-Dry gloves.



Boots: Falco Liberty 2.1 Touring boots



Helmet: HJC C70 Canex. Finally found one with great difficulty in S size which fits her properly without being too loose or too tight.



Rain protection: We do not prefer to carry the bulky wet weather lining which was supplied along with the jacket(s). Instead we prefer to snap on simple rain-cheater jackets in +1 size more than our actual fit, which we picked up from Decathlon (Quechua branded). These hardly occupy space or weight, and can quickly be worn over the existing riding gear (that’s why one size larger) with the only disadvantage of feeling stuffy for a while. They can be folded up into a small lump and stashed away if not needed.

So how much did everything come up to finally? We’ll check that out in the costs section in the next post.

[KarthikK]

Expenses and costs:




While I go ahead and compile all the expenses incurred on this bike, no matter how big or small, do note that these encompass almost every single thing that I have spent on, which we actively use and / or might ever need for our purpose of touring on this bike.

Obviously everything here is subjective to my/our choices and thought process. There is a plethora of different options for every buyer and every budget be it for accessories or riding gear or for enhancements or essential things such as covers, etc.

The big bike world as I found out the hard way, is like quicksand. When you buy your bike, it will pull you in first under the pretext of getting some must-have safety accessories such as crash guards and riding gear and such things. Slowly as you ride more and interact with more of your biking community, there is always a better product you hear of, a better accessory than what you have, better riding gear than what you have, and so on. If you’re not careful on where to draw the line on splurging, it is easy to get addicted to biker-shopping and seriously siphon out your bank balance.

Now there are two ways to approach this problem:

One way is - as a continuous process, you can keep buying bits and pieces / subsets of your wishlist and keep incrementally adding stuff to your cupboard (gear) or the bike based on priority/need every now and then. This is easier on the wallet over time, but the wishlist might be pending forever and might even keep expanding.

The other way is - you have one exhaustive wishlist that you prepare for and swear by even if it overshoots your initial budget. Delay your purchase if necessary but finally attack and get everything you need in 1 shot preferably close to purchase time or in the immediate weeks or months following the vehicle purchase, and then religiously use what you have without the itch to upgrade anything.

I chose the latter, delaying the purchase for many months so that I could save up some moolah to buy everything together happily. I am guilty of overspending during purchase time but got an exhaustive list of whatever I thought was needed on all fronts (accessories and riding gear), and I drew the line later. After a helmet upgrade and adding Sena kits for both of us early last year, I don’t recollect having spent anything new on the Ninja for more than a year now, barring general service or maintenance.

So in short, if you’re a prospect, be careful, do your research, choose your approach and plan your budget properly. Just be informed, unlike buying a car, buying a big bike needs a lot of budget planning to even account for riding gear purchase and accessories purchase. There is no right or wrong when it comes to budget / price points, but there is a silver lining in the cloud - there is something for every budget point. On a side note, if you thought luxury car brands sell overpriced accessories, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet! Every darned accessory or riding gear from reputed brands is expensive. If this is your first time in the big bike world (like it was for me coming from the car world), be prepared to be shocked by the numbers

Coming back to my views, I believe in purchasing reputed brands purely from the point of view of assured quality and longevity so that I don’t need to keep replacing/upgrading frequently after that. This is an exhaustive list and I have categorized it into different realms based on type or purpose. I have listed down in detail, the expenses for:


Accessories for safety and protection of the bike



Accessories for rider convenience and aesthetics



Accessories predominantly used for touring / trips



Riding gear and all its components



As you can see, the expenses can be quite high for someone who currently owns very little gear or wants to buy everything from scratch. The number is quite astounding by middle class standards and my wife was even joking that the cost of these cumulatively exceeds the cost of a smaller capacity bike from Kawasaki itself! I reiterate - if you are buying a big bike, please factor in at least 10-20% of the bike cost for safety accessories and good quality riding gear. If you are short on budget, at least get the must-have safety accessories and riding gear first and incrementally get the other nice-to-haves once you get moving on the road.




Hopefully this helps to give a totalitarian picture of expenses when buying a big bike. Unlike the car world, it is not just the on-road price, downpayment and insurance, but also all these extras which eventually help you complete the entire picture to be able to conveniently use or do justice to the bike.

For completeness of the expenses section, here is a break-up of the on-road pricing when I purchased this bike. As I mentioned in the purchase experience section, taking the insurance policy privately outside the showroom helped save around 21k INR over the showroom-listed on-road price.

[KarthikK]

After sales service experience and the way ahead:




This is one of the more frequently spoken about topics on the forum and off it. By now, you might have known that Kawasaki isn’t particularly known for its stellar service network or fantastic service experience in the country.

In reality, Kawasaki bikes are generally bulletproof, reliable and don’t face any major niggles or issues. They are fuss-free, built well and continue to work well for a long time dutifully. That remains the same for the Ninja 1000. What if things don’t go the rosy way? Oh well, let me not wish for bad things now, touchwood!

The standard warranty on offer is for 24 months or 30,000 km from the date of purchase, whichever is earlier. The battery carries a 12 months or 10,000 km warranty from the date of purchase

There was NO extended warranty policy from Kawasaki when I bought this bike. I am not sure if there has been any extended warranty scheme added to their portfolio in the past ~2 years, correct me if I’m mistaken.

The service frequency is as follows:
1st service: 30 days or 1000 km from the date of purchase. This is mostly an inspection service with oil change
2nd service: 6 months from previous service or 6000 km on odo.
Thereafter: 6 months from the previous service date or 6000 km from that service

The oil and oil filter replacement frequency is 12,000 km, and air filter replacement is generally done if it is needed, usually also around 12,000 km (it is listed as 18,000 km on the owner’s manual though). If the bike is going for service on the basis of timelines and not odometer readings (as is the case with most big bikes used only on weekends), Kawasaki service folks usually are lenient and don’t force you to unnecessarily replace the oil or filters to make a quick buck, they will advise you to push it some more and get it done during the next service. They are also very lenient in terms of adherence to service due dates, and will not make a fuss about it or threaten warranty consequences over these silly matters of going there a month or two later than the due date.




I have been through 3 routine services and on the way for a fourth one by the end of the year. My experience has mostly been good with respect to the service quality, efficiency of the staff and service costs. Not outstanding, just good. But then, the bike didn’t need anything much apart from routine services, so I can’t judge completely. Customers waiting on uncommon parts for accidental damages may have a different story to tell. The service centre seems to be understaffed and the ones who are working do their job well, while the rest of them seem to unwillingly progress through their routine day, albeit in a lackadaisical manner. This reflects in the timelines.

My bike during the first service



And during the next service



Even simple tasks take hours to finish, and one has to be mentally prepared to be patient once you give the vehicle there, you need to just let them do their job. I don’t think they can stick to promised timelines effectively, and this should be a major improvement area for them in my opinion.


The staff at Rideventur working on key-pairing for my OE panniers



Service at Rideventur is a patience test



The service facility is a mess of a place by the way, and does not look anything like a premium bike dealership. Think of it as a rented 1000 sq ft. 2 BHK house, with one of the bedrooms converted into a billing area and lounge, drawing room converted into a work bay with 3 bike work bays, kitchen and storeroom converted to spare parts store, bathroom converted into bike washing area and in the rest of the space, 20-25 customers’ bikes (all waiting on parts or insurance after accidents) are parked in every nook and corner of space one can squeeze a bike into. It is so cramped that you have to watch your way or can stab your mid section into some protruding Ninja’s handle bar or get slapped by a Versys mirror if you’re walking around while looking down at your phone. I’m not exaggerating by this description, fellow Kawasaki customers would know what I’m talking about






Coming to the service costs by itself, here is a compilation of my first three visits to the service centre, and I have clocked roughly around 10,000 km at the time of writing this review.




On an average, one needs to factor in around 7000-8000 INR as the cost per service, which is once in 6000 km or 6 months, give or take another ~2000 INR in case you voluntarily insist that they replace the air filter. This is more or less in-line with other premium bike brands or maybe better than most of the other big bike brands. An exception would be Honda which has by far the least service costs (costs around 80% of Kawasaki’s routine service costs by what I’ve heard) and the least complaints by customers as well.


What is the way ahead?

I believe I would be sticking to the company service centre until my warranty expires. After that I would wait and watch. It seems some of the core management staff has changed at the dealership and they are apparently bringing in a lot of changes for the better. If this fixes any of the earlier grouses, it would probably make sense to continue going there.

If not, there are competent third party garages which can handle servicing and in fact do a better job than company service centres, even handling intricate tasks at maintenance and having the patience to do those properly. One such place is Gear gear motorcycles which I have visited to get accessories fitted. The superior quality of service in such places can be attributed to reduced workload and an increased commitment to the biker community since they are run on a 'By the bikers, for the bikers' principle (owners themselves are bikers). For now, I shall be sticking to the company service centre until my warranty runs through its expiry date, and shall then take a call on what to do. I’ll update the thread if and when there is any change.


Credits

Thanks to you fellow enthusiasts, content co-creators and to the biker community on Team-BHP in general, for always keeping my spirits high. You guys have been relentlessly inspiring fellow riders with superb threads on various topics, ownership reviews and travelogues. It would be unfair if I didn’t mention the influence (no matter how small or big) many of you had on my motivation to live this (big bike) dream.

Coming from an amateur biker world, a big big thank-you to BHPians and experienced bikers CrAzY dRiVeR (he also helped me with the rider+bike shots in the review photoshoot), rbp, ebmrajesh (who I call the Ninja 1000 encyclopedia) and ethanhunt123 for the countless hours of advice, chatter and information exchange on various topics which led to my bike choice and eventual purchase of the bike and other accompaniments, significant or insignificant.

Thanks to BHPian deepfreak15 for shooting a couple of the 'masala' pictures for the review, and for the 2-up pictures, taken during a pre-covid era ride we went on together. Folks should consider hiring this guy for car and bike photoshoots - he has an uncanny knack of bringing out the best features of any vehicle he shoots.

Last but not the least, thanks to you the reader, for having the patience to go through my ownership review. Hope to see you in person someday and ride/drive together!

P.S - Some of the shots were from a planned photoshoot in a picturesque meadow, while some (later remembered) shots had to be done in my house portico during the covid-19 lockdown(s). Apologies for that .

Signing off until my next update.
Until then, Ciao

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[deepfreak15]

Woah! Now this is a comprehensive review indeed! Well worth the wait. I think my favourite section is the accessories break up. For a first time big bike buyer that added cost can come as a huge sticker shock.
Ninja 1000 suits you perfectly. For your build its either that or the GS 😉. Wishing you many more kms of pleasurable riding and considering you have an enviable garage of bikes from almost all segments you truly are spoilt for choice.

[shan_ned]

First, very happy to see how your dreams evolved and many riders can connect to it.

Buying the bike that you love the most cannot be descrbed so easily. Still you have written this post with beautiful thoughts. Comprehensive review !!!
The only part that I disliked is seeing the flowchart The amount of details captured is extrordinary. I think Kawasaki can take this ownership thread and publish a brochure for Ninja 1000.

Coming to the machine, the black Ninja looks so elegant. I am not a big fan of aftermarket exhausts. The exhaut note of this machine sounds silky smooth and sweet without being a rowdy. This is my subjective opinion, but I like the sedate exhaut note. Though I havent ridden this machine, I hear great feedback about the beautiful midrange power. As you pointed out, my only concern about the bike is the kerb weight. Even other wise, it is a lovely machine.

Last, I am not a big fan of tampering either the electricals or the mechanicals. I hope you too remain the same. Wish you a safe and happy riding

[Amey Kulkarni]

Lovely review KarthikK. The scenario is very similar to what I'm going through right now. I've sold my Street Triple 675 and eyeing a supersport but again is it worth it all that money when you know you won't be doing track often to utilize her full potential.

That's why Ninja 1000 sx MY 2021 has made a break-through of "Best of Both Worlds" as Kawasaki calls it as well.

All the bells and whistles required and such below test riding reviews have been outstanding and inspiring for a 235Kgs meat.

I'm yet to TD the bike and hope she doesn't disappoint.

https://www.mcnews.com.au/2020-kawas...1000sx-review/

Ride safe and wish you many happy miles on her!

Cheers,
Amey

[anshumandun]

Many congrats Karthik for the beast and achieving the dream of owning a big bike. Isn't it amazing when your partner understands your passion and pushes you to go for it!

Originally Posted by KarthikK

What is the way ahead?

I believe I would be sticking to the company service centre until my warranty expires. After that I would wait and watch. It seems some of the core management staff has changed at the dealership and they are apparently bringing in a lot of changes for the better. If this fixes any of the earlier grouses, it would probably make sense to continue going there.

If not, there are competent third party garages which can handle servicing and in fact do a better job than company service centres, even handling intricate tasks at maintenance and having the patience to do those properly. One such place is Gear gear motorcycles which I have visited to get accessories fitted. The superior quality of service in such places can be attributed to reduced workload and an increased commitment to the biker community since they are run on a 'By the bikers, for the bikers' principle (owners themselves are bikers). For now, I shall be sticking to the company service centre until my warranty runs through its expiry date, and shall then take a call on what to do. I’ll update the thread if and when there is any change.

I think it is wise to stick with Kawasaki ASC until you have warranty although with Kawasaki's reliability, there is hardly a chance of anything failing anytime soon.

If you plan to go to an outside garage, you may consider Motospark near Bannerghatta road. I've been going there since they opened. The owner name is Yassar and he rides a Z800. He is a passionate technician and a very knowledgeable and honest guy. Just message me if you want to get in touch with him.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Truly benchmark thread, KK. It feels good to see you back and active on the forum.

Covers all the details a prospective Ninja 1000 owner would ever need to know - the accessories and gear costs especially is eye watering, when seen all together. Lol! Though it is also common knowledge that many European brand owners spend multiples of this amount on branded accessories and matching gear.

Last week - there was a discussion on good biking forums. After reading //M's passionate Tiger 800 thread the previous weekend and this epic thread of your's now- I guess we can confidently say that our biking content is well above others in terms of quality.

Looking forward to regular updates on rides and maintenance - and also reports on all the other beautiful machines in your garage.

[Hells_Fury]

Excellent ownership experience thread man, you've covered everything possible.

I've sorted out the ground clearance issues by switching to aftermarket headers only and retaining the stock end cans. This way you won't get in trouble with the cops also.

Just a quick tip in case you have OCD like me. The circled part in the below pic can be removed (It weighs nearly a kilo I felt). It's only use is to attach the saree guard. It is a DIY job but unnecessarily complicated. PM me if you need details.


Here's what it looks like once removed.

[balenopower]

Dear Lord, Thats one of the most comprehensive review I have laid my eyes on. Going to take a week to go through it

I was in a similar dilemma too, and upgraded from an RC390. But considering my need was for a more agile and aggressive motorcycle, I jumped on to the 790 Duke bandwagon. Fantastic pictures and great buy. Happy and safe riding.

[neil.jericho]

My goodness, what a comprehensive thread! I thought I knew quite a bit about the N1000 but this thread opened my eyes to so many different aspects of the bike. Those headlights are positively amazing, for early morning rides they look to be just perfect. Now please do justice to all the other motorcycles in your garage and create similar threads on them!

I will say this, your ownership thread will do more to promote and help the sales of the Ninja 1000 than the uninterested sales folks in the Kawasaki showrooms