2011 Ninja 1000 - Anyone buy one yet?

[knuckledonkey]

Reading all the posts, has anyone pulled the trigger yet?

Interested in your experience and what you paid.

Looking to do it at the end of the month.

Thanks!

[falconati]

check out the thread with 30some pages - there are a few owners in there

[Squidlius]

Reading all the posts, has anyone pulled the trigger yet?

Interested in your experience and what you paid.

Looking to do it at the end of the month.

Thanks!

Got mine in December. I like it a lot and probably paid too much to have one of the first in the country at $11,600 otd.

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[JSharp]

Got mine in December. I like it a lot and probably paid too much to have one of the first in the country at $11,600 otd.

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I probably paid too much for mine too. Had I sold my old bike outright and driven a little harder bargain I might have saved a few hundred.  Mine was the first one at the most local dealership. I  rode the bike and wanted it, and now that I have it I'm not going to let it bother me.

It's certainly NOT on my mind when I ride it.  

[ray916mn]

Nice bike. Very 2nd generation VFR like but with good power.

Bought in February for $9150 not including TTL.

[falconati]

Nice bike. Very 2nd generation VFR like but with good power.

Bought in February for $9150 not including TTL.

Wow, which dealer did that?

[ray916mn]

Wow, which dealer did that?

Moon Motors in Monticello. Matched the price of a St. Cloud area dealer ($9400) and used Kawasaki factory International Motorcycle Show promotion dollars to beat the price by $250.

I get the sense that dealers were being very aggressive in the first quarter to ensure that they would have the volume necessary to get good allotments from the manufacturers in the prime selling season. The dealer that lost the business was not happy.

[OKC-N1K]

I purchased mine on Ebay from a dealer in W. Virginia and it was delivered this past Wednesday. The certificate of origin is in the mail so in order to put some miles on her I took a plate off of one of my other bikes. So far I have put 280 plus miles on her and I am very impressed, It's exactly what I have been waiting for.

Several years ago I owned a VFR 800 and I loved how comfortable it was but I kept wishing it had more torque down low. I ended up replacing it with a 2010 C14 and as good of a sport tourer the Connie is, it is still heavy and did not handle as well as I would have liked. Plus for a liter bike it lacks the grunt down low you would expect, the Connie does not really start to get going until about 5-6K. When ever I would go to pass slower traffic on the highway I would find myself down shifting to 4th in order to get the motor in it's sweet spot. I once rode a Suzuki Bandit 1250S and thought that motor would make a great sport touring motor because the torque it developed. So I kept saying to my riding buddies that I would love the VFR with a motor like the Bandit's.

Well, turns out Kawasaki answered my prayer and gave me the looks, ergos and the right kind of motor I have been pinning for going on three years now. I love the fact that in sixth gear I can just roll on the throttle and wham! I around the slow ones and down the road.

The only complaint I have is the seat, after about 80 miles of sraight seat time it is causing me some discomfort in the buttocks. I am looking to send my seat off to either Sargent or Saddlemen to have them rework the seat for better touring comfort. I'm pretty sure I will be able to get the seat the way I want it. The only other things I would request from Kawi is ambient temp display and gear indicator, the motor pulls so well n any gear that you easily loose track of what gear your in.  

[knuckledonkey]

Well that's great.  

I can't wait. I am not getting the deal like the guy above , but I think it is quite competitive.

Kawasaki is doing a Ticket2Ride tour of the US where you can get $500 in "DemoDollars".

http://tickettoride.kawasaki.com That will definitely help.

I am coming off of a 2001 CBR929RR for my sport touring needs. I really think the N1K is the ticket. I can deal with the seat.

I've always wanted a late model VFR, but I really didn't want to downgrade my power from the 929.

I am curious Ray, can you elaborate on the 2G VFR "feel". I have never ridden a one, so I have nothing to compare.

Nice bike. Very 2nd generation VFR like but with good power.

[ray916mn]

...

I've always wanted a late model VFR, but I really didn't want to downgrade my power from the 929.

I am curious Ray, can you elaborate on the 2G VFR "feel". I have never ridden a one, so I have nothing to compare.

I got my VFR reference wrong, it should have been 5th generation VFR (VFR800 non-VTEC)

The VFR800 feels bigger than a sportbike, but smaller than a full size sport tourer in terms of ride. It's suspension is fairly compliant and softly sprung so bumps and road imperfections are less noticeable on it than on a sportbike, but road feel isn't as remote as it is on a full size sport tourer. The VFR's relatively light weight makes it feel more agile than a full size sport tourer but even though its' wheelbase is very close to that of a sportbike it isn't quite as agile.

In addition to having better power than the VFR, the Ninja also feels a bit better balanced than the VFR which feels a bit top heavy.

About 5 years ago, I needed to replace a ZX11, and it came down to a 5th gen. VFR and a CBR954RR (very similar to your CBR929RR). The VFR felt bigger, cushier, a bit less agile, more remote and of course much weaker than the CBR, The Ninja 1000 is closer to the VFR than it is to the CBR, but it is in between the two. It is reasonably close to being a VFR with CBR power.

Hope this helps.

[Squidlius]

Having owned a nicely set up 929 and ridden a few VFRs, I believe my Ninja is lighter than a VFR and makes more power than a 929. It's an absolute sweetheart and I like it more and more every time I ride it. It has a big grin factor.

[knuckledonkey]

Having owned a nicely set up 929 and ridden a few VFRs, I believe my Ninja is lighter than a VFR and makes more power than a 929. It's an absolute sweetheart and I like it more and more every time I ride it. It has a big grin factor.

YOU, my friend, are the guy I have been waiting to hear from. Someone with 929 experience.

I am glad to hear you say that. AND you live in the Bay Area.

I am going down on Saturday to the San Mateo Kawasaki Demo ride to take it for a spin.

As you are an apparent long time Honda fan, how was it going Green?

[kevin_stevens]

No, I'm waiting for the 2012 Ninja 2011.  

KeS

[knuckledonkey]

No, I'm waiting for the 2012 Ninja 2011.  

Why is that?

[Squidlius]

YOU, my friend, are the guy I have been waiting to hear from. Someone with 929 experience.

I am glad to hear you say that. AND you live in the Bay Area.

I am going down on Saturday to the San Mateo Kawasaki Demo ride to take it for a spin.

As you are an apparent long time Honda fan, how was it going Green?

First and for the record: let me say that I have never been brand loyal (oh the shame!)

I buy whichever bike snaps my shorts the best at the time. My 929 was one of my favorite bikes. It was just fun to ride all the time. Other bikes (Hondas, Yamahas, Suzukis, Triumphs and Kawasakis) have been faster or lighter or both but none as fun for me overall. This new Ninja is another sweetheart. Not the fastest or the lightest but man is it fun to ride. So far I have no "Kawasaki" issues but it is still early. If you get a chance to ride one give it a shot. I know the bike won't be for everyone but if you're like me, you'll like it a lot.

Sorry for the dribble, just my perspective.

Cheers.

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[Squidlius]

Why is that?

I'm guessing he either doesn't have the money yet or is waiting for the first year gremlins to be addressed.   =0)

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[motormike]

Why is that?

Because he is making fun of the thread title: "2011 Ninja 2011".  You have the year in there twice.

[Squidlius]

Because he is making fun of the thread title: "2011 Ninja 2011".  You have the year in there twice.

Hee.  Hadn't noticed that.  Real observant, not!

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[knuckledonkey]

HA. I didn't even notice that.    

Guess I just wanted to make sure you knew what year model I was talking about.

The best part is, you all knew what I was talking about!

[Squidlius]

No, I'm waiting for the 2012 Ninja 2011.  

KeS

That's pretty funny.  Sorry motormike had to explain it though.  

[knuckledonkey]

So Squidlius, whats the first thing you are going to do to that thing?

[Squidlius]

So Squidlius, whats the first thing you are going to do to that thing?

AIS blockoff and a PCV.

When I can afford it I'll throw on an Akrapovic 4 into 1 system only so I can get to the chain for maintenance and shed a few pounds in the process.

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[knuckledonkey]

AIS blockoff and a PCV.

When I can afford it I'll throw on an Akrapovic 4 into 1 system only so I can get to the chain for maintenance and shed a few pounds in the process.

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Forgive me. I think I know what the AIS is (Air Intake System?), but what is a PCV? Where did you find these products?

EDIT: Power Commander! I so smart.  

[Squidlius]

Forgive me. I think I know what the AIS is (Air Intake System?), but what is a PCV? Where did you find these products?

EDIT: Power Commander! I so smart.  

You got it.  

I think it's more commonly referred to as "Air Injection System" where they "inject" fresh air into the exhaust tract just after the valves to lean out the mixture in the exhaust to help burn any unburned particles. This is what causes the major popping with aftermarket exhausts and makes delevoping an accurate map for the Power Commander impossible.

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[ninjaboy84]

Are there any interested parties for an Elka shock - theyll do 10% discount for ten orders.....

I need one

[knuckledonkey]

Are there any interested parties for an Elka shock - theyll do 10% discount for ten orders.....

I need one

How much?