Introducing Kawasaki Ninja 1000

A purpose-built sportbike for the street.
Kawasaki’s simple objective when developing its all-new 2011 Ninja 1000 sounds easy enough.Riders will always demand production racebikes, and success on the racetrack drives the development of Team Green’s ZX-10 and ZX-6 flagships.
Riders familiar with the raucous character of the Z1000 will not be disappointed with the new Ninja 1000.performance. Just look at Kawasaki’s own ZX-10R.
Enter the Ninja 1000, which Kawasaki shills as an answer to genre dissatisfaction. Its research indicates riders forced onto naked standards or performance cruisers for the forgiving riding position, will come back when they see the Ninja’s sporty lines.
The Ninja 1000 aims to deliver sportbike thrills to the street without the compromise in comfort.
Kawasaki pitches its new Ninja 1000 as a do-it-all sportbike, with relaxed ergos inviting long-range comfort and touring.

Without any racing regulations to please, the displacement is a satisfyingly irregular 1043cc. Tuned for street performance, gone are the sky high redlines and top-end biased powerbands of the track-oriented Ninjas.

Where the ZX-10R redlines at 13,000 rpm and the ZX-6R screams up to 16,500, the new Ninja 1000’s redline is 11,000 rpm.

The Ninja 1000 eats up the curves, with its Showa suspension featuring a three-way adjustable fork and the rear horizontal-link shock adjustable for preload and rebound.

The Ninja’s transmission is almost complaint proof.
The Kawasaki brakes feature radial-mount four-piston Tokico calipers up front clamping down on a pair of 300mm petal-style rotors.
Handling wise, the Ninja craves high-speed flowing terrain, where it can stretch its legs. Heading down the mountain, the Ninja’s 502-pound curb weight feels more than manageable. The natural riding position leans, metaphorically, toward the upright standard variety – similar to the position on the Ninja 650R. Unlike the single piece handlebar on the Z1000, the Ninja sports individually mounted handlebars. At 32.3 inches, the Ninja’s perch may be on the high side for shorter riders, and the seat comfort we rate only average after our 150-mile testing rout.
The Ninja 1000′s full fairing keeps the rider protected from the wind, along with its three-
position adjustable windscreen. Aside from the intrinsic aesthetics it conveys (is there a more distinctive sportbike feature?), the Ninja’s fairing is quite effective at directing air away from the rider. A tall windscreen offers three positions to further maximize rider comfort.

The overall comfort factor makes the Ninja an intriguing touring mount.
In the looks department the latest Ninja may not sport the uber-sleek lines and full unbroken fairing found on the “real” Ninja ZX sportbikes. But much like its smaller-displacement kin, the 650R and little Ninja 250, it delivers legit sportbike styling despite lacking a full track pedigree. At $10,999 the Ninja 1000 delivers versatility and exhilarating road performance, without compromising comfort.