Finished editing the video of the Ninja test ride. Still have to edit the concours. Working on uploading to Youtube now, then will add link.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONrKmvG9kVo&feature=youtube_gdata"]2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Test Ride - YouTube[/ame]
Shout out to Nismos after the pass!
This bike was AWESOME!!!
I basically stated everything in the video.
With the windshield you have 3 windshields in one. You push a little lever and you can raise or lower the windshield to 1 of 3 different positions. It does a very good job at wind deflection for me @ 6'2-6'4 in the high setting. Looks like might do good also in the medium one.
Nice height for someone my size, I can flat foot the bike at stops and my leg is ALMOST straight. On the 6R my leg is between 45-90 degree bend.
Seat is about as comfortable as the 6R, and considering this bike has 1150 miles on when I was done, it is probably close to broken in. So MAY want a different seat, but can get by.
My size it has a comfortable riding position. I was able to sit almost straight up, it felt like, and my arms were still bent nicely for ease of control.
Appearance. Bike looks very nice. The one down side for looks was the grips. The bar weights at the end are not flush to the grip so you have a bit of a gap, which makes it look a little cheap. However, they did very good with any vibrations.
Kick stand, would take a bit of getting used to putting it down. Where on the 6R you just reach back and put it down via that stub on the bottom, the exhaust blocks you on the Ninja. Instead there is a TINY stub between the peg and the shifter that you have to try and get your heal onto to get the kickstand down. There is not much resistance like on the 6R also..... SO ALWAYS LOOK to make sure your stand is down, DO NOT just start leaning the bike over.
Bike has a very strong clutch pull.
For taller people, the shape of the gas tank my hinder your knees. I got used to it, but with out it bulges out, it made shifting VERY difficult. By the end of the ride I had adapted and wasn't having a problem too much anymore. This ride was only about 30-40 miles and I figure with more miles it would become easier as I continued adapting to the bike.
The Rear brake fluid reservoir is in a location easy to get to for changes, unlike being hidden on the 6r and awkward to get out.
The chain being hidden by the dual side exhaust could make it more challenging for maintenance, but not impossible.
Cruising, as stated several times in the video, I was able to get good speeds are relatively low RPMs so I would believe should get respectable MPG.. I am thinking probably an average of about 40-42.. Not as good as how I am getting 50-53MPG lately on the 6R commuting to work.
Acceleration... WOW!!! You will see how excited I got when I passed a minivan and a semi! I think I was in 4th gear and I just ROCKETED by them! OMG that was SOO MUCH FUN!!!! I knew it would be faster acceleration than the 6R, but when I twisted that throttle and felt like I was thrown back a bit and then just launched it was AMAZING!!!!!
My Decision:
As stated above this was a dealer Rep bike, so after my test ride it has 1152 miles on it. As far as Kawasaki is concerned, it has never been in service, so if purchased you would get the FULL 1 year, unlimited mileage warranty AND you could still also get the Kawasaki Good Times Warranty. I could get this bike for $6990 + Tax/Title/License. Or he offered me $3500 for my bike, which he said after tax savings would actually be $3700 of value, reducing the Ninja down to only $3300 about, then after TTL he said it would be just under about $3900 left owing.
HERE IS THE DILEMA!!!!
I REALLY REALLY REALLY want this bike. BUT:
I LOVE the 6R!!!
The 6R is my 1ST bike, and I have heard MANY MANY stories of people missing their first bikes. They would be ok selling their 2nd bikes, but they always seem to say they wish they would have been able to keep the 1st bike.
I commute to work every day 102 miles per day. I typically get 50-53mpg, so I use lets just say 2 gallons a day. They Ninja probably gets lets say 40MPG, so that would be an extra gallon of gas every other day. Lets go with the high so far this year and lower it to $4/gallon and gas will probably go higher in the long run... That amount will add up over the long run, Accounting for wx that is probably atleast an extra $12-$20 every 2 weeks for gas.
I would absolutely love to keep the 6R AND get the Ninja, but I really don't think I can afford the payments on the full cost of the bike. I think to afford full bike cost I need to pay down/off several other things first!
Also, then I would be paying Insurance $29 on the 6R AND I think I was quoted $65 before on the Ninja.. So would have to figure that in my budget also....
Now if I hold off, I could get the FJR or Concours AND KEEP the 6R for only $4 more than the insurance on JUST the Ninja..
Dinner is ready! I will add more to my review later. Thank you.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONrKmvG9kVo&feature=youtube_gdata"]2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Test Ride - YouTube[/ame]
Shout out to Nismos after the pass!
This bike was AWESOME!!!
I basically stated everything in the video.
With the windshield you have 3 windshields in one. You push a little lever and you can raise or lower the windshield to 1 of 3 different positions. It does a very good job at wind deflection for me @ 6'2-6'4 in the high setting. Looks like might do good also in the medium one.
Nice height for someone my size, I can flat foot the bike at stops and my leg is ALMOST straight. On the 6R my leg is between 45-90 degree bend.
Seat is about as comfortable as the 6R, and considering this bike has 1150 miles on when I was done, it is probably close to broken in. So MAY want a different seat, but can get by.
My size it has a comfortable riding position. I was able to sit almost straight up, it felt like, and my arms were still bent nicely for ease of control.
Appearance. Bike looks very nice. The one down side for looks was the grips. The bar weights at the end are not flush to the grip so you have a bit of a gap, which makes it look a little cheap. However, they did very good with any vibrations.
Kick stand, would take a bit of getting used to putting it down. Where on the 6R you just reach back and put it down via that stub on the bottom, the exhaust blocks you on the Ninja. Instead there is a TINY stub between the peg and the shifter that you have to try and get your heal onto to get the kickstand down. There is not much resistance like on the 6R also..... SO ALWAYS LOOK to make sure your stand is down, DO NOT just start leaning the bike over.
Bike has a very strong clutch pull.
For taller people, the shape of the gas tank my hinder your knees. I got used to it, but with out it bulges out, it made shifting VERY difficult. By the end of the ride I had adapted and wasn't having a problem too much anymore. This ride was only about 30-40 miles and I figure with more miles it would become easier as I continued adapting to the bike.
The Rear brake fluid reservoir is in a location easy to get to for changes, unlike being hidden on the 6r and awkward to get out.
The chain being hidden by the dual side exhaust could make it more challenging for maintenance, but not impossible.
Cruising, as stated several times in the video, I was able to get good speeds are relatively low RPMs so I would believe should get respectable MPG.. I am thinking probably an average of about 40-42.. Not as good as how I am getting 50-53MPG lately on the 6R commuting to work.
Acceleration... WOW!!! You will see how excited I got
when I passed a minivan and a semi! I think I was in 4th gear and I just ROCKETED by them! OMG that was SOO MUCH FUN!!!! I knew it would be faster acceleration than the 6R, but when I twisted that throttle and felt like I was thrown back a bit and then just launched it was AMAZING!!!!!My Decision:
As stated above this was a dealer Rep bike, so after my test ride it has 1152 miles on it. As far as Kawasaki is concerned, it has never been in service, so if purchased you would get the FULL 1 year, unlimited mileage warranty AND you could still also get the Kawasaki Good Times Warranty. I could get this bike for $6990 + Tax/Title/License. Or he offered me $3500 for my bike, which he said after tax savings would actually be $3700 of value, reducing the Ninja down to only $3300 about, then after TTL he said it would be just under about $3900 left owing.
HERE IS THE DILEMA!!!!
I REALLY REALLY REALLY want this bike. BUT:
I LOVE the 6R!!!
The 6R is my 1ST bike, and I have heard MANY MANY stories of people missing their first bikes. They would be ok selling their 2nd bikes, but they always seem to say they wish they would have been able to keep the 1st bike.
I commute to work every day 102 miles per day. I typically get 50-53mpg, so I use lets just say 2 gallons a day. They Ninja probably gets lets say 40MPG, so that would be an extra gallon of gas every other day. Lets go with the high so far this year and lower it to $4/gallon and gas will probably go higher in the long run... That amount will add up over the long run, Accounting for wx that is probably atleast an extra $12-$20 every 2 weeks for gas.
I would absolutely love to keep the 6R AND get the Ninja, but I really don't think I can afford the payments on the full cost of the bike. I think to afford full bike cost I need to pay down/off several other things first!
Also, then I would be paying Insurance $29 on the 6R AND I think I was quoted $65 before on the Ninja.. So would have to figure that in my budget also....
Now if I hold off, I could get the FJR or Concours AND KEEP the 6R for only $4 more than the insurance on JUST the Ninja..
Dinner is ready! I will add more to my review later. Thank you.
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