2014 Ninja 1000

I ride with two guys who have 2011 Ninja 1000 bikes, with the add-on bags from Givi. They both love the bike (I'm still a fan of V4 and shaft drive, even if it is a heavier ride). But, this new version, with the more integrated mounting position for the panniers, is excellent. Wouldn't surprise me if one of my buddies trades his in for a 2014. And BTW, both have opted for aftermarket exhausts -- nice look and a really GREAT sound. Not loud, just the promise of what this bike can do. It's the kind of exhaust sound an ST owner could drool over ...and I do.

Yes, the Ninja 1000 IS the bike Honda should have built ...maybe even as an ST replacement, with shaft drive of course. Just saying'
 
Looks to be a great bike other than the exhaust. Part of it looks like it's aimed right at the saddlebags. If I had this bike I'd have to replace the exhaust system and add a center stand. That's expensive and probably not available unless custom made.

I had a 1979 KZ1000Z1R that had a collector, and then to the muffler. Had problems with backfires in it. So I replaced it with an RC header which solved the problem. The new Ninja reminds me of it.
 
We've got one down in the service dept right now getting the hard bags installed. I will have to stop down again later this afternoon and see how they look in person.
 
I talked to one former ST1300 guy that downsized to the Kwak 1000 and he liked a lot about the bike but missed the wind protection of a sport tourer.
 
For me it's cruise control. The bike has long distance legs, but requires throttle input every inch of the way. On the positive side, I'd enjoy the scenery more if I could not be adjusting the speed every 30 seconds. It has been said the Wee 650 is 90% of the V 1000. Why not cruise control on the 650? Old guys like me see that less is more, and Cruise control is more with less.
 
Doh!! Just found out that the mounting brackets for those $1300 bags don't even fit on the bike. After trimming the plastic to mount the brackets, the bolt holes don't line up and the brackets are solid cast aluminum so there's no flex to get them to fit. We're now waiting for Kawasaki to send us another kit to see if the new ones will work. Also from reading the descriptions on Kawasaki's accessory page on their website there's serious question whether or not the top box is even compatable with the bags. I think I will stick with my ST for a few more years. :p
 
Yep that's pretty much the way I read it as well. That is just plain stupid engineering in my opinion.
 
I just sold my '12 Ninja 1000 to my son which I had for a little over a year. When I rode it I always felt like a bad a** when coming up on other riders. I would ride it back and forth to my country place 65 miles away and that was about as far I as I cared to go in one sitting. I ended up putting some risers on it I got from Murphkits which helped but with my arthritic wrist never got that comfortable on it. I also put a 16 tooth countershaft sprocket, one tooth more, on it to bring the rpm's down some. This was a popular thing to do on the Kawasaki Forum. To me the gearing could go even taller and that motor could probably pull it just fine. I know a lot of guys wouldn't mind running the higher rpms but it always made me uncomfortable and it had a slight vibration at highway speeds. I also had a throttlemeister on it so I could get some of the pressure off my wrist on the extended rides. I put spools on the swingarm, which comes with the threaded holes already, and used a rear stand. Trick was only certain spools would fit in the narrow space between the pipes and swingarm. Kawi forum also had a few '14 owners and some had said they couldn't tell the difference in the new 6th speed gearing compared to the older models. I really liked that bike but it just didn't fit me. I ended up getting a NC700X to replace it, yea big difference but it fits my newer riding style way better.
 
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