Kawasaki Ninja  Review

Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review 2014: Oriental Swiss Knife

IMAGE CREDITS: Yatharth Singh Chauhan

From dreary single cylinders to high revving parallel twins, from exotic Italian L-Twins to torquey V-twin rumblers, we’ve experienced it all. But there is nothing that attacks your senses as an inline four between your legs! It doesn’t matter if it’s humming away at a stoplight or taking the fight to the wind over 200 kilometres an hour. The sensuous symphony blaring out of those pipes stimulates the rider’s brain like no other.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (29)

It’s been indeed long since we had a full blown 4 pod litre class motorcycle in the Motoroids stable. This time it’s the 140 bhp mercenary draped in green armour ready to dart into the winds. An exhaustive 300+ kms ride under the hot sun- from the traffic infested Pune roads to the thrilling Mutha ghats and mesmerizing twisties of Lavasa to late night high speed runs on the Pune-Bangalore highway. Gentlemen, it was time to put the 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 under the scanner and paint the town GREEN in envy!

So here we go with our 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review.

STYLING, FEATURES & BUILD QUALITY

The Kawasaki Ninja 1000 evokes the memories of its previous gen younger sibling- the 650R from the frontal view, but that is where all the similarities end. Built around the Z1000 architecture, the Ninja 1000 might not possess the aggressive design language of the menacing ZX10R, but Kawasaki hasn’t deprived the 1000 of the usual Ninja genealogy. Where the front fascia might not set hearts racing, the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 does manage to get your eyes hooked from rest of the angles, reeking of that trademark Ninja styling.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (46)

The beaky front fairing gives the Ninja 1000 a crouched and restless feline profile that’s ready to leap with all ferocity. The slats at the edges, the angular fuel tank, body panels draped in a mix of black and green, and the split seats all lend to the aggressive upswept design philosophy of the Ninja 1000. And then those gorgeous integrated twin pipes in a classy brushed aluminium finish which you can’t help but ogle at. Not many motorcycles in the world today succeed in carrying over the aggression of the front end to the rear, but the Ninja 1000 is an exception here.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (33)

The 11-LED tail-light flanked by an integrated set of grabrails ensures that the Ninja holds onto its demonic notion even at the far end. The LED-tail, the striking stubby exhaust unit, the slim rear fender and that fat rear tyre- taking a few step backwards and viewing it in entirety, the 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 is sure a mean looking machine.

It’s no easy feat to incorporate various motorcycle traits into one, and yet let the final product have its own, beautifully unique character. But Kawasaki has very successfully managed to deliver a well sorted all round package. And with the feature list that the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 boasts of, it wouldn’t be out of place to say that its three different motorcycles rolled into one.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (2)

The 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 features twin headlights where the unit on the right serves as a daylight running lamp. A three step adjustable windscreen can be adjusted for both sporty and long haul riding by a release button located below the instrumentation panel. The mirrors are widely placed and work well to keep an eye on the trailing traffic. But with 140 bhp at your disposal, you’d most probably be more interested in looking ahead than bother about what’s happening behind your back.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (3)

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (25)

The high placed clip-on handlebars render a comfortable riding position, and are mounted with the necessary switchgear that performs duties ranging from starting the motorcycle to toggling between power and traction control modes. The cockpit might not be the most modern looking unit, but displays the important numbers with ample clarity.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (47)

The front blinkers are integrated into an aerodynamic fairing which not only reduces drag, but the fairing keeps the heat off the rider’s legs. Recesses on the 19 litre fuel tank provide a tucked in riding position and combined with the upright handlebars and a broad urethane seat makes the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 a comfortable machine to ride long distances.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (44)

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (26)

Getting to the technicalities, the 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 is suspended by 41mm inverted front forks which can be adjusted for compression damping, rebound damping and spring preload – while at the rear you have a horizontal monoshock setup with step-less rebound damping and linkages mounted above the swingarm. The monoshock comes with a remote rear spring preload adjuster placed on the co-rider’s right footpeg and is extremely easy to operate. An ABS equipped Nissin braking system comprises of radial mounted 4 pot braking calipers floating over dual 300mm petal rotors at the front and a single piston caliper mounted over a 250mm petal disc at the rear. Rubber specs read 120/70-ZR17 at the front and a low profile 190/50-ZR17 tyre at the rear.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (23)

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (19)

The 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 comes with a new KTRC Traction Control system featuring three different modes under varying riding conditions. Also the Ninja 1000 offers two selectable Power Modes with first offering full thrust and the second cutting down engine power by as much as 30 percent. No guessing as to which mode we were riding on 😉

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (7)

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (40)

Coming to the rear- as mentioned above, the 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 has to be one of the meaner looking motorcycles when looked upon from this angle. The LED tail light with a red transparent lens, in addition to imparting a vicious appearance to the Ninja offers optimum visibility to the trailing traffic during braking. The integrated grab rails provide hold for the co-passenger during sedate riding speeds. The 4-into-2 exhaust cans are the highlight of this Ninja’s rear appeal and the raucous note pouring out of those four pipes at high speeds is pure symphony.

2014 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review (12)

On the quality part, we are frustrated to report that we couldn’t really find any flaws. Finishing on the motorcycle is absolutely top notch at even the minutest of places. But if we had to really complain for the heck of it, we would have wished for a better set of rear blinkers. Overall, for a motorcycle costing INR 12.5 lacs ex-showroom- the Ninja doesn’t give the buyer an opportunity to complain.

NEXT PAGE FOR PERFORMANCE

9 thoughts on “Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Review 2014: Oriental Swiss Knife”

  1. Dheeraj jathan

    Deepak it was really a delight to read your reviews.

    You really dig deep into i=single screws in the machines.

    Prce is only the issue , then everything deserves standing ovation

    Thanks man

  2. @Vikram/ Nishant: Thanks a lot for the kind words. Yeah I did love riding the Ninja 1000 a lot 🙂

    @Sidharth: Thanks a lot for the comment. Regret of not posting a side angle of the motorcycle. In fact we had clicked a lot more pics of the Ninja. Unfortunately our other camera was flicked by a localite during the shoot 🙁

  3. Dear Ed, at least post one side profile shot (no fancy angles) of the bike to give an idea of it's design and proportions. Thanks

  4. Deepak it was a delight to read this review either its because of my love for this machine or yours which is evident in your writing.

    Any ways thanks for a wonder full read.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top