Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/103759
VOL. 48 ISSUE 23 JULY 19, 2011 cal bike with high-end parts and performance. And it was designed to be comfortable so that you could enjoy riding it for more than just a few hours at a time. Although the Ninja 1000 is a new model, it's not really completely new. For all intents and purposes, the Ninja 1000 is a Z1000 with clothes on. In 2010, the naked Z1000 was completely redesigned and was later joined in 2011 by its fairingclad brother, the Ninja 1000, no doubt a move to keep the American crowd happy - in general, we're a bit slow in accepting naked bikes. But we are coming around, thanks to bikes like the Z1000. Throw a leg over the Ninja 1000 for the first time and you'll quickly discover that it is indeed a very comfortable motorcycle. The individually mounted bars are tall and the narrow seat is relatively low at just 32.3 inches. The handlebar/seat/ footpeg relationship yields a fairly upright and relaxed seating position that puts very little strain on your arms, shoulders and back. My 6'1" frame slipped right into the Ninja's cockpit just fine, and I never felt an ache or pain anywhere in my body after any one of my one-hour-plus commutes on the bike. Adding to the bike's comfort is the Ninja's small three-position, manually (but tool-less) adjustable windscreen that does 72-74 JOY RIDE.indd 73 a decent job of deflecting wind blast off your chest, even in the lowest position (where I preferred it), and it produces little turbulence. Kawasaki didn't add a fairing to the Ninja just to make the bike look good, it's also functional. It was designed to direct wind and hot air off the rider, which it does quite well - something I found out riding this bike in the middle of the summer. The heart of the Ninja is its ZX10-based 1043cc, DOHC, 16-valve inline-four motor that is tuned for street performance more than the track, meaning it's got refined torque and less revs – not to mention less peak horsepower - than the ZX10, but don't worry, the Ninja 1000 is still plenty fast. You won't be disappointed, even if Kawasaki did chose to put a top-speed limiter in the aerodynamically faster Ninja 1000. The naked Z has no such device. Thanks to a smooth-working clutch, plenty of bottom-end and tons of torque, the Ninja launches off the line almost by itself – very little throttle or rpm is needed to achieve a smooth and quick getaway. Accelerating through the Ninja's six gears is exciting to say the least. It pulls hard right from idle and doesn't stop pulling until you say so. Luckily, the Ninja has an electric-like power delivery, making it extremely easy to manage all of its claimed 130-plus horsepower. Overtaking other vehicles P73 SPECIFICATIONS 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ENGINE: ......... Liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, inline-four DISPLACEMENT: ............................ 1043cc BORE X STROKE: ............ 77.0 x 56.0mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ......................11.8:1 FUEL SYSTEM: ............Fuel injection, four 38mm Keihin throttle bodies, oval sub-throttles IGNITION: ..........TCBI w/digital advance TRANSMISSION: ....................... Six-speed FINAL DRIVE:..........................X-ring Chain FRAME TYPE: ..........Aluminum backbone RAKE/TRAIL:........... 24.5degrees/4.0 in. FRONT TIRE SIZE:.................120/70 ZR17 REAR TIRE SIZE: .................. 190/55 ZR17 FRONT SUSPENSION: ...................Inverted cartridge fork; adjustable compression/ rebound damping, spring preload. FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL:....................4.7 in. REAR SUSPENSION: ................. Horizontal monoshock; adjustable rebound damping, spring preload REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ..................... 5.4 in. FRONT BRAKE: .....................Dual 300mm petal-type rotors with radial-mount four-piston calipers REAR BRAKE: .................... Single 250mm petal-type rotor with single-piston caliper WHEELBASE: .................................56.9 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ...............................32.3 in. CURB WEIGHT: .......................... 502.7 lbs. FUEL CAPACITY: ...........................5.0 gal. COLORS: ... Candy Fire red/Ebony black, and Ebony black MSRP:.......................................... $10,999. 7/15/11 4:25 PM