2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000

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Mike Kelly

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Traded the FJR on a new 2011 ninjas 1000. Before you roll your eyes, give it another 30 seconds read. The newest of ninjas isn't a back breaking proposition to riding sporty. It has upright ergos and knee-friendly foot controls. It also comes with very attractive hardbags!!

Since buying mine, I have added some Oxford HeaterZ grips that are atlesst as nice as the oem fjr grips and a soft bag option for commuting from sw.motec. The ninja has a 5 gallon tank and logs 40mpg. So it is a great option for those of us who want a shorter wheel base and a little more sport and only slightly less touring capability.

SEARCH 2011 Ninjas 1000 promote on youtube to see their ad showing two up riding and luggage, as well as sane ergos!! Those interested, mine cost me $9500. It is a leftover and they gave me $7k for the FJR.

Mike

 
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Traded the FJR on a new 2011 ninjas 1000. Before you roll your eyes, give it another 30 seconds read. The newest of ninjas isn't a back breaking proposition to riding sporty. It has upright ergos and knee-friendly foot controls. It also comes with very attractive hardbags!!

Since buying mine, I have added some Oxford HeaterZ grips that are atlesst as nice as the oem fjr grips and a soft bag option for commuting from sw.motec. The ninja has a 5 gallon tank and logs 40mpg. So it is a great option for those of us who want a shorter wheel base and a little more sport and only slightly less touring capability.

SEARCH 2011 Ninjas 1000 promote on youtube to see their ad showing two up riding and luggage, as well as sane ergos!! Those interested, mine cost me $9500. It is a leftover and they gave me $7k for the FJR.

Mike
Nice bike, you must be young, I was looking for a Ninja 1000 but finally change my mind and order a 2012 FJR for more comfort. :rolleyes:

 
Traded the FJR on a new 2011 ninjas 1000. Before you roll your eyes, give it another 30 seconds read. The newest of ninjas isn't a back breaking proposition to riding sporty. It has upright ergos and knee-friendly foot controls. It also comes with very attractive hardbags!!

Since buying mine, I have added some Oxford HeaterZ grips that are atlesst as nice as the oem fjr grips and a soft bag option for commuting from sw.motec. The ninja has a 5 gallon tank and logs 40mpg. So it is a great option for those of us who want a shorter wheel base and a little more sport and only slightly less touring capability.

SEARCH 2011 Ninjas 1000 promote on youtube to see their ad showing two up riding and luggage, as well as sane ergos!! Those interested, mine cost me $9500. It is a leftover and they gave me $7k for the FJR.

Mike
Thanks for the tip. It sure would be fun to take a little test ride weekend on one of those things to see whether that could fit the bill.

(You give Forum friends free loaner rides doncha?) :yahoo:

Or are you just here to rub it in.....<pokey smiley> :p

 
Good choice, I fell in love with the ergos of the bike and think it is a great alternative to the FZ1 with better looks. Would be interested in a review and ride reports when you get some miles on it.

 
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When I saw Rider's review of that bike, I wanted one bad. They're frigging sweet. I say buy what makes your heart sing.

 
I started this thread because several members asked for me to post my opinions of the new bike in the forsale thread I had going for the FJR...

Some pics of the bike:

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The SW Motec Blaze system and Oxford HeaterZ grips came in...

SW MOTEC System:

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Mount that the rod clips into:

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Push/Clip system:

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Rods on the bike:

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Bags Clipped in:

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Oxford HeaterZ Grips installed pretty easy. I routed all the wiring under the plastics that cover the gap between the tank and the frame/mainfaring.

Controller mounted to the Clutch lever:

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Wiring under the seat

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Shots of the controls/grips:

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Bags expanded on the bike

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Bags side shot contracted:

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Some initial riding impressions...

Looking at the bike, you think "It's a sportbike, bleh" and that's exactly what I did when I first saw it in the show room. However, Fit and finish are amazing and the bike looks every bit as good in person as it does in the pics. The exhaust, although abit "off-putting" in the pics is much better in person. And I like the sound it makes. I had to take some of the plastics off the bike to install the grips and found it very easy to work with and re-install everything. Although the "3 position" windscreen is a nice feature, you won't get near the coverage the stock screen on the FJR gives. And that goes for the bodywork as well. The Ninja is a lot narrower, so you lose some wind protection. What I really liked was not stretching out over the tank to get to those bars, though. The FJR left me feeling a bit more stretched out than I liked.

So, riding it...There is gobs and gobs of torque from this thing. Lugging it down to 40mph in 6th gear is effortless. The power delivery is amazing, and there is no "buzz" from the bars or the pegs. Cruising in 6th gear at 60 mph the bike is cruising at 4K Rpms. Running the bike through the twisties is effortless. Although it weighs 500 pounds, the weight is carried low and you don't seem to notice it, especially after coming off the FJR. I'm late apexing damned near every corner. And I really am enjoying the more upright "over the steerer" position. Want to play hooligan? 2nd to 3rd shifts will get the front end up if you get your arse over the rear of the seat. Transitioning from right handers to left handers you don't get slowed by the 190 tire on the rear. The tires seem to suit the bike well. And the suspension is very adjustable with its triple adjustable inverted fork. The brake pads don't have the initial bite I prefer, but I'm hoping they'll come in with time. So far I like a lot about the bike and don't like very little. As would be expected, I did have to add the heated grips ($80 and every bit as warm as the FJRs) and the cost of the OEM bags is pricey at $1000 for the pair with the hardware. It's on back-order so I've bought the SW motecs for light use for now, at $280. I will buy the hardbags for sure, though. I'll also wire in an AC outlet so I can power my GPS and charge my phone. According to the specs, the Ninja 1000 makes 138HP and with its 5 gallon tank you can get 40mpg of mixed riding. So as a sport touring bike, it should do well enough for most.

So this is an FJR owners site, why am I still here?

The main reason I got rid of my FJR is that it just lost its draw on me. It became an appliance, and nothing more. It has zero to do with the bike, as it was a great bike for its intended design. I just found that the long wheel base and the added weight are something I just don't click with. If not for that, I would have kept the FJR, as I still think its a better bike than the ST1300 or the C14. It's got better fit/finish and had the problems of heat soak and ergo adjustment sorted long before the C14. The standard and optional features are better and the luggage works far better on the FJR... how many threads are there of C14 bags flying off from improper installation? Quite a few actually... The valve adjustment intervals are longer on the FJR, and the bike does everything the C14 and St1300 do, equally well with more fuel range. I'm just not a sport "TOURER". I've found I'm more of a "SPORT" tourer.

Two wheels up and safe riding!

Mike

 
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Nice looking machine, Mike. Thanks for takin the time to post up all the pics. Enjoyed reading it all and wish you all the best with your new mount. You said 138 hp. Was that at the crank? I'm still trying to get used to those mufflers. Guess you younger fellers adapt to that sorta thing better than I do. For what it's worth, I have the same issue when looking at the new VMax mufflers. Oh well. To each his own. It does look a lot more like a crotch rocket than the FJR when looking at the rear of the bike.

Glad we're seeing some decent ergos available instead of the standard crotch rocket crouch. Is it pretty similar to the FZone in that regard?

Incredible price you got on that thing.

Ride Safe

Gary

darksider #44

 
Nice looking scoot and fun too! One of the PNW crew has a N1000 and has positive reviews about it as well.

Congrats on the purchase and enjoy the new ride! :)

--G

 
Gary, It's a whole lot like the FZ1. It reminded me a lot of the ZRX1100 ergos from the 99 model I sold to get into the FJR.

As I said above, not knocking the FJR. Like it a lot. Just didn't LOVE it.

Happy motoring...

Glad we're seeing some decent ergos available instead of the standard crotch rocket crouch. Is it pretty similar to the FZone in that regard?

Incredible price you got on that thing.

Ride Safe

Gary

darksider #44
 
I have done a couple test rides on this new Nija 1000, excellent ergos!!! I have been tossing the idea of trading my FJR in for one, if it had a drive shaft I'd done it already. I do have a Triumph 1050 Tiger that is very comfy and about the same handling and performance as the Ninja, but now there is a new 1200 Tiger out and it has a drive shaft, I will be looking at that now.

 
I had an extremely torquey Bandit 1200, kind of a similar bike. I did (do) a lot of power wheelies and would wear out the chains about every 10k miles. Like others have said if it was shaft drive I'd want one. I just got so damn sick of replacing a chain every year, despite oiling it every week and keeping it in spec.

I think this Ninja looks like a cougar ready to pounce, love it.

 
I actually was going to buy a Ninja 1000. I took one for a test ride last summer. It is a great bike. However, when I checked into insurance I changed my mind. I must have inquired with a dozen insurance companies. The cheapest insurance I found cost way more than I was willing to pay. I decided to go a completely different direction and get the FJR. Insurance on the FJR was about 1/3 of what it would have been on the Ninja 1000. The Ninja is the only bike out there that my wife likes more than her Bandit, so I'm hoping the insurance companies get their act together and stop treating it like a ZX-10. For the type of riding I do, the FJR is really a better fit for me, but I'd love my wife to get one so I can borrow it frequently.

 
CheesyRider, I also got sticker shock on it. Progressive/flo wanted $1000 more than I was paying for the FJR. I told them to pound sand. I'm now paying about $200 more per year on this bike with the same coverage through Allstate.

The problem is in the name... Price insurance for the Z1000 and you get a different story all together.

Mike

 
I was looking at that bike all through out last year. It was a big contender but I decided to roll with an FJR because I was more interested in the TOURER aspect of things..

I love the age comments hahah.. I am 23 and bought an FJR. Seems unheard of lol

 

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