Contributor of this blog
Saurabh Mayekar
Fellow Motorcycle enthusiast, Long time Riding Partner
- My bike history
I learnt to ride the motorcycle on my elder brother’s Pulsar 220, which was a very capable bike back then and later as soon as I turned 18, I picked up a 2015 KTM Duke 390.
2. Why ninja 1000?
It all started in the year 2013 when my elder brother picked up a brand new Kawasaki Ninja 650, I didn’t have much interest in bikes back then but after seeing this green beauty, I instantly fell in love the way it looks and the green colour stands out and made an identity in my head and that day I dreamt of having one in future.
- What were the other options?
I have Duke 390 which I bought in 2015, After riding it for almost 2 years and clocking around 25k kms, I saw an opportunity of getting a Ninja 1000 in 2017. There were no plans of an upgrade but an opportunity to get a 1000cc litre class Sports tourer knocked on my door. Previously I had a bit of experience in riding big bikes thanks to my elder brother who bought quite a few bikes (Kawasaki Z800, Triumph Street Triple) and I got a chance to ride them for a good amount of time and developed a good feel and control on these bikes. Upgrading to Ninja1000 was a complete surprise move. I always eyed the Triumph Tiger 800 because of the trend of ADV bikes as well as Mumbiker Nikhil (on YouTube) made me love that bike. But Anzen Kawasaki Mumbai got a deal for me which I couldn’t resist and eventually booked it.
4. How I bought it?
As soon as I made up my mind to get the Ninja1000, I wanted to see the bike in front of me in the showroom and as well as ride it. But the bike was a BS3 model which they had only 2-3 in stock and was difficult to get a test ride, but folks at Anzen Kawasaki were good friends who arranged the bike in the showroom in just 2 days and allowed me a test ride of it. I instantly fell in love with the bike as soon as I got on the bike. It was so comfortable, I couldn’t believe I was sitting on a 1000cc superbike. Later I rode it for a while and loved the way it handled and that inline 4 eargasm! I was instantly sold to it. Convincing my parents wasn’t difficult, they always trusted my decisions and I convinced them through all my previous rides about the safety which I look into before every ride. In the end, parents want us to be safe. After getting the test ride, I booked the bike the next day itself and was just waiting for the formalities and get her home as soon as possible.
5. What I like about ninja?
Well, it is a bike which will make you like everything about it but here are some of the key points which I absolutely love about My Ninja 1000
a) Comfort: people have a mindset that 1000cc’s aren’t very comfortable to ride but being a sports tourer, It is very comfortable to ride.
b) Handling: The bike handles very well, in spite of being 230 kgs heavy, moving her and taking right U-turns isn’t a very big task. The weight distribution is spot on which makes it very easy to handle.
c) Engine: The 1043cc inline 4 engine is on the best engines Kawasaki has ever produced! The power delivery is spot on, the bike won’t ever throw you off the bike, the power comes in the mid-range and makes the bike Extremely rider-friendly.
d) Fuel Economy: Despite being a 1043cc inline 4, Ninja gives a superb mileage on long rides (highways where the bike belongs) it gives a mileage of around 19-20 kmpl on highways which is very decent for a litre class sports tourer.
6. What I dislike about the Ninja?
Well, there are very few points which I have to pinpoint about the Ninja which I dislike
a) Footpegs: Footpegs are mounted high, well I won’t blame Ninja, I would rather consider this as a problem with me. Because of my height, while riding for long distances my legs used to get cramped because of the distance between the seat and the Footpegs, which is not an issue for short rides, but gets uncomfortable when riding long distance.
b) Ground clearance: the ground clearance on this is very low thanks to the big catalytic converter in the exhaust setup, which gives some issues on high-speed bumps which are very common here on the streets of Mumbai.
- Touring review
The bike is just made for touring. You can easily munch miles and miles on this Motorcycle without getting tired as well without stressing the motorcycle. You can easily maintain speeds of 100-120 on highways and maintain a good mileage also the brakes on this Motorcycle are one of the best by Kawasaki which makes it very easy to control during high speeds or any emergencies.
- How much distance have I covered on Ninja? I have covered 20500 kms on this Motorcycle in 3 years.
- What is the longest distance I have covered in one day? I have covered 750 kms in a single day effortlessly on this Motorcycle while doing Mumbai to Udaipur in January 2019.
10. What all places you have taken your ninja?
After getting the Ninja, I did a few weekend rides to places like Igatpuri, Charoti, Lonavala to complete the break-in period and as soon as I completed the initial stage of getting used to the bike, there are the long rides which I have done on my Ninja
a) Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar & Tapola (around 600 kms in total)
b) Mumbai to Goa for The India Bike week (1200 kms)
b) Mumbai to Rann of Kutchh (around 2200 kms in total)
c) Mumbai – Udaipur – Delhi – Nainital – Agra –
Ranthambore – Indore – Mumbai (3300 kms in total)
d) Mumbai to Statue of Unity (800 kms in total)
11. My Favourite Place amongst all these
Nainital was the most favourite place I have been on my Ninja!
That ride was the best ride of my riding career! I have always loved the mountains and taking my motorcycle to the mountains was a dream and I did it when I did a ride to Nainital!
- What all modifications have I done on my bike?
To start with I have changed the entire look of my bike, I have had few wraps changed on the bike, as I get bored of how the bike looks so always decided to give it a new look. Here are some of the modification which I have done over the course of time ⬇️
- Custom wrap from SahilKhanDesigns.
- Zero Gravity Double Bubble Windshield
- Custom tail tidy to enhance the look
- Puig Radiator Guard
- DMV Frame sliders
- Custom integrated tail light
- Yoshimura R77 Carbon Exhaust
- Akrapovic Full system Headers.
Different looks of my Ninja over the time (click to enlarge)
13. Any Issues ever faced with the bike
I only faced one issue with the bike that, at the end of 2019 monsoon the bike started overheating. When I took it to the service centre for diagnosis of this, it turned out the radiator was full of muck due to riding in the rain (as I believe the bike should be ridden in every season despite being it a big/small bike) after cleaning the radiator it was back to normal. Other than this I have never faced any issue with the bike and it’s been a hassle-free ownership experience.
**Most Important Part**
14. What it is like to maintain a litre class bike like
ninja 1000? how much approx. cost annually are we looking at?
There’s always a myth revolving around 1000cc bikes about the maintenance. People think it is very difficult and expensive to maintain a litre class bike, but let me break it down to you
a) Service Cost: The service interval is 7500 kms, and one service is estimated to be around 8k ₹ – 10k ₹ depends on the consumables.
Service technician Mehul 🙂
b) Parts: Essential parts like brake pads, air filters, oil filters are easily available in the service centre. Others parts can be ordered. Kawasaki Air filter easily lasts around 10k -12k kms so doesn’t need to be changed in every service.
Brake pads: 3500 ₹/set
Chain sprocket: 22k ₹ (which I’m yet to change, still using stock)
c) Tyres: Bridgestone Battlax are the Stock tyres which come on the ninja! They are one of the best tyres available for a superbike! They are super grippy, good in corners and give immense stability on highways. The stock tyres lasted 9300 kms, could have lasted more but they had an uneven ware on them New set costs around 22-25k ₹ depends on the dealer you are getting them from. After Bridgestone, I changed the tyres to Metzeler M7’s which cost me 24k and later after completing 20k kms, I switched to Pirelli Rosso 3 which costed me 25600₹
d) Insurance: Insurance is generally between 12k to 14k, depends on which insurance provider and cover type you are opting for.
Verdict:
A VFM, forgiving and friendly 1000cc Bike which can take you places.
You can check other Pictures of my entire journey below (click to enlarge)
Note From Roadrunner16: The whole process of creating this blog was very special given that Saurabh and I ride together almost all the time. so if you liked it be sure to share it with your friends and while you are at it. follow me on Instagram for the latest updates.
Really amazing !! Loved it
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