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/168405
P24 IN THE WIND by improving breathing and reducing pumping losses. The upgraded Ninja also gets a taller sixth gear that will allow for less rpm and thus a smoother ride at highway speeds. While work has been done to improve the Ninja 1000 ABS's powerplant, engineers also went the distance to improve the stopping power of the updated bike by fitting one-piece "monobloc" radial-mount front brake calipers to grip the 300mm petal-type rotors. The rear brake is a single 250mm petal-type disc with a single-piston caliper. The chassis on the Ninja 1000 also underwent some changes with a new subframe designed for Kawasaki's new accessory saddlebag mounts. These are designed to house the option Kawasaki Quick Release 29-liter hard saddlebags. According to Kawasaki, the hard bags can be removed in seconds. Another bonus is that the new sub-frame no longer needs side covers so it's a bit narrower between the legs, allowing for a shorter reach to the ground (the seat height is still 32.3 inches). To help riders fine-tune their ride, the 1000 ABS gets a new rear spring preload adjuster that allows for quick tuning based on passenger and/or luggage weight. Instrumentation on the bike has been changed to include the KTRC and power model levels, ABS and the Economical Riding (ECO) indicators. The Ninja 1000 ABS will be offered in Candy Lime Green and Candy Cascade Blue and will carry a suggested retail price of $11,999. FIRST LOOK: 2014 YAMAHA FJR1300ES Y amaha introduced a bunch of new models back in July, but it didn't stop them from doling out a few more last week in a second wave of introductions. The latest 2014 models from Yamaha include the Yamaha FJR1300ES – ES as in electronic suspension. The newer ES version of the FJR1300A that was introduced last year has all the goodies that its predecessor model boasted to make long rides more enjoyable: Cruise control, traction control, ABS, electric windshield, heated grips, etc., but now it has the added technology of electronic suspension. The system adjusts the damping force of its upside down front fork as well as the preload and damping of the rear suspension. You can quickly make these changes with the switch on the handlebar and then confirm the resulting settings on the instrument display. And they have given you some choices with four options for preload modes: one-up, one-up with luggage, two-up, and two-up with luggage. Each of those modes has three additional settings: hard, medium and soft. The FJR1300ES is available in Candy Red and the MSRP on the new model is $16,890 – or $1000 more than the standard model.