2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000
Making use of Z1000's engine and chassis, the new Ninja 1000 will be coming to Australia early in 2011If you think the stylised exhaust pipes on this new motorcycle from Kawasaki are familiar, you'd be right - they're from the Z1000.
Say hello to the 2011 Ninja 1000, a fresh-faced and fully faired version of the Z1000.
Launched at the 2010 Cologne motorcycle show, the new Kawasaki sports bike will be on sale in Australia in early 2011, most likely in February, the Ninja name bringing with it an aggressive sport-bike look and feel combined with sports tourer pragmatism.
Based on the Z1000 naked bike, sharing its 1043cc inline four-cylinder engine and aluminium frame, suspension and brakes, the Ninja 1000 adds full fairings, but also features a three-way manually adjustable windscreen, mounts for panniers and a top box and a revised instrument cluster with digital speedo and analogue tacho.
The fuel tank has also been increased in size compared to the naked version, now 19lt, up four litres on the Z1000's 15lt tank.
The riding position will remain relatively similar too, which bodes well as the Kawasaki Z1000 is a comfortable motorcycle to ride, by and large. "With a relaxed riding position that can accommodate everything from city riding to touring to sport riding, and numerous bike-life-enhancing features, the Ninja 1000 complements its street riding excitement with a depth not available on super-naked or supersport models," says Kawasaki.
The clip-on handlebars are situated relatively high and have been moved 10mm inward compared to the Z1000, and are attached to 41mm upside down forks that are adjustable for compression and rebound damping, not to mention spring preload. It should also be noted the revised rear seat features a pair of pillion grab handles.
The rear end retains the Z1000's horizontally-mounted shock, adjustable for rebound and preload damping rates.
In terms of performance, the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 appears to have retained the same engine tune as its naked sibling, outputting an identical 136hp (101kW) at 9600rpm and 110Nm 7800rpm. Top speed hasn't been quoted, but can be expected to be slightly higher than the Z1000's 255km/h v-max.
Kawasaki has added a 'cool air system' to the Ninja 1000, which "routes cool air to the airbox from ducts at the front of the side fairings, minimising performance loss due to heated intake air" but "should not be confused with Ram Air, where force-fed air becomes pressurised in the airbox," says the company.
Seat height has risen from 815mm to 820mm and kerb mass has also risen from 221kg to 231kg due to the fairing and larger fuel capacity.
The brakes are also carried over from the Z1000: dual semi-floating 300mm petal discs with dual radial-mount 4-pot calipers on the front and a single 250mm petal disc working a mono-potter at the rear.
Australia is also likely to be one of the markets where ABS is a standard feature. We've had no word on local pricing for the Ninja 1000, but if overseas prices are anything to go by expect a price premium of between $500 and $1000 over the Z1000's $16,499.
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