So-called standard streetbikes have always been user-friendly and reasonably comfortable. But theyve also been two or three steps behind true sportbikes when it comes to power, braking, flickability and wow-factor. Not any more. Kawasakis entirely new Z1000 turns conventional naked-bike wisdom on its ear with radical new styling and the sort of high-end technical hardware found on Kawasakis own Ninja sportbikes. Were not talking warmed-over, noncurrent technology here. Were not repackaging some old powerplant into some semi-new naked-bike chassis. What were talking about here is a newfrom-the-ground-up sport motorcycle designed from the very beginning to not only blow enthusiasts minds with power, braking and handling theyve experienced only on supersport motorcycles but to wow owners more practical sides with unseen levels of comfort, ridability and real-world practicality. Its cutting-edge sportbike features and user-friendly design carve out a clean new niche between old-fashioned standard bikes and our championship-winning Ninjas. What were saying is that superstandards will never be the same.
The coolest thing is that owners and the enthusiast press agree wholeheartedly with us here, with magazine and website testers writing glowing impressions of the new Z. Even better, new owners are sounding off with exemplary reports of their own. Theyre talking better handling. And nastier aesthetics. More usable power. Grippier brakes. Higher levels of confidence while aboard. A 600 Supersport price level. Easier insurability. And typical Kawasaki reliability. Bottom line? The new Z1000 is a hit, with owners and testers alike sounding off to an enthusiast market hungry for something a little bit different and a whole lot of fun.
Aggressive new styling horsepower 138 Radial front brakes with petal
Kawasakis new Z1000 is simply one of the most entertaining bikes in recent memory. This bike is one hell of a lot of fun. -Cycle World The 2010 Kawasaki Z1000 packs a mega punch for a modest price.

-Motorcycle.com

138 horsepower, 81 pound-feet of torque, radial brakes, fully adjustable suspension and killer looks for just $10,499thats just a few hundred more scratch than a 600! Power delivery from the new engine is nothing less than incredible

-Super Streetbike

-MotorcycleDaily.com
it lays down a mercifully smooth stream of linear power from 2000 rpm. Things get serious above 6500

-Motorcyclist

rotors front and rear Race-spec 6-inch wide rear wheel All-new 1043cc inline-four with monster midrange hit Alloy spar frame based on the ZX-10Rs Inverted, race-spec fork assembly New, linkless Uni-Trak rear suspension Relaxed riding position Low seat height Intoxicating intake howl Grippy radial tires
The Zed-1 retains its signature sporty-yet-relaxed riding position, which proves a sport rider can have the best of both worldsFactor in its striking new appearance and high levels of build quality and it becomes difficult to pass on the new Z1000 when it comes time to selecting your next street bike.

-Motorcycle-USA.com

(MSRP)

saki Kawa $10,Z1

$11,199 600RR CBR ,399 R $13 R1000R CB

i Suzuk

,399 $10 X-R600 GS $11,GSX-R $12,899 R1000 GSX-
le) l availab 09 mode (only 20

a Yamah

saki Kawa 10,499 6R $ 12,999 ZX $ ZX -10R
$10,290 FZ1 $10,490 F-R6 YZ $13,0) YZF-R $14,50 version: (LE

ELECTRONICALLY REPRINTED FROM JANUARY 2011

FIRST RIDE

WORDS: Tim Carrithers PHOTOS: Adam Campbell

2011 KAWASAKI NINJA 1000

The BIKE YOUve Been Waiting For
You just didnt know it yet
They say: A purpose-built sportbike for the street with no compromises. We say: The perfect sportbike for a decidedly imperfect world.
e know what youre thinking: Did somebody at Kawasaki kick sportbike evolution into reverse? Nearly naked 2010 Z1000 puts on slinky new bodywork to become a 2011 Ninja 1000 that weighs 66 lbs. more than a new ZX-10R and makes less horsepower? That might sound backward from where you sit, but somewhere between Fairfax and Stinson Beach on some of the most diabolically convoluted back roads in all of Northern California, its one giant step in the right direction. Call it an alternate route to the evolutionary trajectory toward smaller, lighter, faster Ninjas like the 2011 ZX-10R. Bikes that get closer to the track and farther from everyday reality year after year. Just dont call it a dressed-up Z1000, which wears too much plastic to be naked anyhow. Kawasaki rolled out the underdressed version first because the home office figures to sell more copies everywhere except here, but both 1043cc fours were fleshed out together. Once you peel back their dissimilar plastic skins, both bikes are pretty much the same. Same relatively long-stroke four tuned to lay down most of its muscle in the middle of the rev band.
Same gear-driven balance shaft squelching second-order vibration. Same stiff, five-piece, stressed-member, die-cast aluminum skeleton. Same 41mm fork and horizontally mounted shock. As a wise far-western philosopher once said, if it aint broke, dont fix it. Lighter, sixspoke cast wheels are new to the Ninja 1000 parts manifest, along with a list of functional touches that make life on the street a little more interesting and a lot more comfortable. Sculpted body panels and an easily adjustable three-position windscreen add effective wind protection and a suitably warlike Ninja demeanor. A ZX-6R-style instrument pod conveys vital information. Though the relatively upright riding position is nearly the same as sitting on a Z1000, cast-aluminum risers angle the clip-on bars 10mm inward, while rubber-covered pegs convey noticeably less engine vibration. A 5-gallon fuel tank carries a full gallon more than the Z1000, giving the Ninja a welcome bump in range. An extra 10mm of urethane seat foam and six buzz-
killing mounts under the pillion make this one a nicer place to spend the day. Despite that infusion of practicality and a sub-$11,000 sticker price, the new Ninja more than holds its own amid the Porches, Ferraris and Toyota Priuses favored by upscale Marin County motorists. Initial throttle response is slightly abrupt, along with a twinge of driveline lash and some stiffness shifting from second to third if youre looking for nits to pick. Otherwise? Steering is light and dead-on accurate despite the bodywork and fuel that make it 22 lbs. heftier than a Z1000. You feel that extra gallon of fuel sloshing around between your knees when the tank is topped up, but thoughts of going back to the undressed version disappear with the first stretch of open road.

FIRST RIDES

TRIUMPH

SPEED TRIP

LE STAR STRYKER RYCA MOT

TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE

ORS CS-1
KAWASAKI A LITTLE TOS NEW NINJA 1000 THE IMAGINATI LEAVES ON

NOT QU NAKED ITE

JANUA RY 2011 NOT QUITE NAKED: KAWASAKIS NEW NINJA 1000 | ALL-NUDE REVIEW: KAWASAKI Z1000 VS. YAMAHA FZ-1 | FIRST RIDES: TRIUMPH SPEED TRIPLE | STAR STRYKER

tech SPEC

| KAWASAKI ZX-10R SPORT-TOURER

motorcyclistonl

ine.com
| RYCA MOTORS CS-1 | BUELL TRIBUTE | RULE BRITANNIA! | BMW S1000RR NAKED BIKE
KAWASAKI E REVIEW Z1000 VS. YAMA HA FZ-1

ALL-NUD

BUELL TRI
tHE uLtIM BUTE AtE pLuS: ERIK StREEtFIGHtER BuELL INtER VIEW
FIRST LOOK SMART MONE : 2011 GSX-R PROJ s SURGERY: ECT: BMW S1000Y: BMW K1200R RR NAKED KAWASAKI ZX-10R SpoRt BIKE -touRER

RULE BRITAN SUCKER

PUNCH SALLYS

EVOLUTION

CAF RACER
Though it inherits its underpinnings from the Z1000, the Ninja 1000 is an entirely different motorcycle. RIVALS A pair of cast-aluminum risers angle your fists 10mm inward compared to the Z1000s one-piece handlebar. Otherwise, the Ninjas comfortably upright riding position is identical to its underdressed brother. The fairing and windscreen do an admirable job of steering oncoming air around your grateful torso, especially above 70 mph. Extending the windscreen to its most upright position provides more protection for the vertically unchallenged. But since that setting aims a stream of noisy, turbulent air right at a taller riders head, we left it in the middle slot. Theres a whiff of muted, inline-four buzz at socially acceptable freeway speeds, but nothing more. And while that extra seat foam puts the pavement about a half-inch farther away at every stoplight, its a blessing everywhere else. In between the radar-enforced 35-mph speed-limit signs, roving bands of militant bicyclists and a treacherous garnish of pine needles from the last weekend storm, the Ninja can carve this beautifully ostentatious chunk of Marin County into its own little sportbike heaven. The longish-stroke four is instantly obliging from 3000 rpm upa reassuring feature for making safe, quick progress on unfamiliar roads. And just north of 6500 An extra 10mm of foam makes the Ninja 1000s saddle more comfortable for extended play. More generous passenger accommodations get the same treatment, plus vibration-damping rubber pucks underneath. rpm, it pulls hard enough to condense time and space into a pleasantly addictive little neurological aperitif. Though fitted with a smaller, 41-tooth rear sprocket in place of the Z1000s 43, its electronically restricted to some undisclosed top speed for reasons that elude us. Radial-mount Tokico front calipers reverse the process with a two-finger squeeze, with or without any help from the rear brake. Z1000-spec suspension is still a bit harsh over the worst lumps and divots, but strikes an equitable balance between comfort and control everywhere else. Burn off that extra gallon of fuel en route to the twisty bits and youll never notice the extra weight. Besides, actual wind protection will be worth every last ounce on the ride home. In some perfect worlda few miles north at Infineon Raceway, for instancethat new ZX-10R would have been the better way to go. But at the end of a day in the real world we ride through every day, it doesnt get much better than the Ninja 1000. Honda Interceptor, Kawasaki Z1000, Suzuki Bandit 1250, Triumph Sprint, Yamaha FZ-1. TECH Price Engine type Valve train Displacement Bore x stroke Compression Fuel system Clutch Transmission Claimed horsepower Claimed torque Frame Front suspension Rear suspension Front brake Rear brake Front tire Rear tire Rake/trail Seat height Wheelbase Fuel capacity Claimed curb weight Colors Available Warranty $10,999 l-c inline four DOHC, 16v 1043cc 77.3 x 56.0mm 11.8:1 EFI Wet, multi-plate 6-speed 138 bhp @ 9600 rpm 110 lb.-ft. @ 7800 rpm Aluminum twin-spar 41mm Showa fork with adjustable spring preload, compression and rebound damping Showa shock with adjustable spring preload and rebound damping Dual Tokico four-piston calipers, 300mm discs Tokico single-piston caliper, 250mm disc 120/70ZR-17 Bridgestone Battlax BT-016 190/50ZR-17 Bridgestone Battlax BT-016 24.5/4.1 in. 32.3 in. 56.9 in. 5.0 gal. 503 lbs Ebony, Candy Fire Red Now 12 mo. unlimited mi.

Bright ideas abound: The fairing flares out aft of those vents on either side, directing engine heat away from your legs, then tucks in to merge with the frame rails. Two colors are offered: Candy Fire Red and Ebony.
Contact Kawasaki Motor Corp. 9950 Jeronimo Rd. Irvine, CA 92618 949.770.0400 www.kawasaki.com VERDICT The best sportbike $11K can buy for sporting around in the real world.
Posted with permission from the January 2011 issue of Motorcyclist www.motorcyclistonline.com. Copyright 2010, Source Interlink Media, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information on the use of this content, contact Wrights Media at 877-652-5295.