Japanese two-wheeler maker Kawasaki on Friday launched the 2017 edition of its Ninja 1000 sports bike in the Indian two-wheeler market at a price tag of Rs. 9.98 lakh (ex-showroom). Besides this, the company has also introduced its naked street motorcycle Z900 without the additional accessories to sell it at a more attractive price tag of Rs. 7.68 lakh (ex-showroom). To recall, the Kawasaki Z900 naked bike was first launched in March 2017 at Rs. 9 lakh (ex-showroom), when it came along with optional kits such as engine casing cover, fly screen, crash bobbins, 12V charging socket, pillion seat cowl, and radiator guard. But now the revised version of the Z900 sans the additional accessories, making it a more economical naked tourer in the Indian competitive market.
However, India Kawasaki Motor (IKM) has already started taking bookings for both the Ninja 1000 and the Z900 through company’s 13 authorised dealerships across the country. The Japanese two-wheeler maker has brought its updated BS-IV Ninja 1000 in the form of Semi Knocked Down (SKD) version, then it is being assembled at the company’s brand-new Chakan facility, near Pune, Maharashtra.
Design wise, the 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 gets a new front and two-piece side fairings with sharper design. The two-piece fairings on the new Ninja 1000 are now 28mm wider than before to offer modern styling and better wind protection. The Ninja 1000 also comes fitted with sharper dual LED headlamps, a new three-way adjustable windscreen, a 19-litre fuel tank, 5-way adjustable clutch lever and a new seat. The LED headlights on the bike are significantly more powerful than the previous version. The company claims that the improved headlight setup consumes 50 percent less power than before but delivers excellent brightness and better performance in the dark. Apart from this, the bike also gets a new Instrument panel that features a large analogue tachometer and a multi-function LCD screen along with a gear position indicator.
Talking about its mechanical department, the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 is powered by a 1043cc in-line, Euro-IV compliant, 4-cylinder liquid-cooled motor that generates 140bhp of peak power @ 10,000rpm against the peak torque of 111Nm @ 7,300rpm. The engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox that sends power to the rear wheel. The engine also features a secondary balancer on the crankshaft to eliminate excessive vibrations.
In terms of safety, the 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 offers various safety features including Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System (KIBS), Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC), Power Mode and Kawasaki Corner Management Function (KCMF) along with a three-stage adjustable windshield. The Ninja 1000 gets 17-inch alloy wheels that are shod with a 120/70 R17 tyre at the front and a 190/50 R17 at the rear. Safety features on the bike also include 2 x 300 mm petal-type front rotors with radially mounted 4-piston monobloc calipers and ABS as standard equipment for ensuring maximum safety. Further, its rear brake comes with a 250mm petal-type rotor with 1-piston calliper and ABS as standard equipment.
Suspension duties are handled by a pre-load adjustable 41mm inverted cartridge fork with step-less compression and rebound damping at the front and a remote adjustable, horizontal monoshock with stepless rebound damping at the rear. Talking about its dimension, the new Kawasaki Ninja 1000 measures 2100 x 790 x 1185 mm (Length X Width X Height) and weighs about 239 kgs. The sportbike offers a ground clearance of 130 mm and has a 1,440mm wheelbase.
In the Indian two-wheeler market, the 2017 edition of the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 sportsbike will compete against the Suzuki GSX-S1000F and BMW R1200RS. The new updated Kawasaki Ninja 1000 is available in Metallic Spark Black and Metallic Graphite Grey colour options and if you are planning to buy this super sports tourer, please visit at your nearest Kawasaki showroom as soon as possible because the company has allocated only 20 units of the new Ninja 1000 for the Indian market.
