Kawasaki Ninja 1000

The Kawasaki Ninja 1000 (in some markets the Z1000SX) is a sport touring motorcycle introduced in 2011. Other than its name, it is unrelated to the Ninja 1000R produced from 1986–89, or to other Ninja motorcycles.

It is generally characterized as a fully faired sibling of the Z1000 streetfighter, sharing the same 1,043cc liquid-cooled, electronic fuel-injected, 16-valve four-stroke inline-four engine and aluminum twin-tube backbone frame, but with ergonomics, storage, and other design elements more oriented to the sport touring market. The Ninja 1000 is also fitted with an electronic speed limiter, as its fairing gives it improved aerodynamics over the Z1000.

Kawasaki has positioned the bike as a "sport bike for the real world." As the model will not be homologated for racing purposes, the designers were free to make compromises for street performance. The Ninja 1000 thus has an upright seating position, large fuel tank, and adjustable windscreen among its features, as well a transmission geared for street-riding as opposed to racing. Nevertheless, it retains the large engine and aggressive styling of a sport bike, and its performance characteristics remain on the sport end of the spectrum, placing it more in competition with bikes like the Honda VFR1200F or Triumph Sprint GT as opposed to the Kawasaki Concours or Yamaha FJR1300.

Kawasaki Ninja 650R

The Kawasaki Ninja 650R (or ER-6f or EХ-6) is a faired standard motorcycle made by Kawasaki since 2006. The 2012 model drops the R suffix from its name. It is a middleweight, parallel-twin engined motorcycle, designed for normal use on paved roads. They have modern styling and features, with low-seating ergonomics and a low center of gravity. The engine has a 180° crankshaft, resulting in an uneven firing interval of 180° and 540°.

The 650R and faired ER-6f were introduced in 2006. The unfaired ER-6n was not sold in North America until the 2009 model year. The motorcycle fits above the Ninja 250R and Ninja 500R models, which already existed in Kawasaki's sportbike lineup, which includes the Ninja ZX models. For 2009, Kawasaki released an updated Ninja 650R which includes new bodywork, mirrors, gauges, lighting, and a new tune on the same 649 cc (39.6 cu in) engine.

Other versions

In Europe the Ninja 650R is sold as the ER-6f ("f" denoting faired), the "naked" roadster version is sold as the ER-6n. In 2009, Kawasaki introduced the ER-6n in the USA. The ER-6f differs slightly from the Ninja 650R as it features the passenger handlebars as standard (as does the ER-6n). In addition, the option of ABS brakes were made available for both the ER-6n and ER-6f. There is also a derivative of the ER-6 called the Versys which utilizes many of the same component. In many European countries the 6n naked version has proven more popular than the ER-6f; however in other countries, such as Australia, the faired Ninja 650R has proven to be more popular than the un-faired ER-6n, becoming the most popular 'sports-tourer' in the Kawasaki lineup.

Kawasaki Ninja 300

The Kawasaki Ninja 300 is a 296 cc (18.1 cu in) sport bike introduced by Kawasaki in 2012 for the 2013 model. It is currently sold in Europe, North America, Australia and elsewhere. In some markets, the Ninja 300 replaced the Ninja 250R, while in others the two were sold alongside each other and some sold the Ninja 250R only.

Performance

The Ninja 300 has a 296 cc (18.1 cu in) straight-twin engine.Dynamometer tests showed that the Ninja 300 produces more power than the 250—34.77 to 34.95 hp (25.93 to 26.06 kW) compared with 25.48 hp (19.00 kW)—and higher torque across the rev range at 17.45 to 18 lb·ft (23.66 to 24.40 N·m).

The motorcycle's top speed has been recorded at 180.9 km/h (112.4 mph) and acceleration at 5.6 to 6.41 seconds from 0 to 97 km/h (0 to 60 mph), and around 14.5 seconds 141.14 to 145.77 km/h (87.7 to 90.58 mph) in the quarter mile.

Stopping distance from 97 to 0 km/h (60 to 0 mph) in the ABS model was 38.0 to 41.1 m (124.6 to 135 ft).

Fuel economy was measured at around 70 mpg_-US (3.4 L/100 km; 84 mpg_-imp), while other sources reported it at 54.1 mpg_-US (4.35 L/100 km; 65.0 mpg_-imp), though regardless of the methodology, the 300 showed improved gas mileage over the Ninja 250R.

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R

The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is a 600 cc class sport motorcycle built by the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki. It was introduced in 1995, and has been constantly updated throughout the years in response to new products from Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha. The ZX series is what was known as the Ninja line of Kawasaki motorcycles in the 1980s and still carries the name today.

History

Kawasaki introduced the ZX-6R in 1995 with very similar looks and features like the 1994 introduced ZX-9R, including the ram-air intake that had been developed by Kawasaki since the 1992 ZX-11 (ZZ-R1100). The first ZX-6R had a dry weight of 401.2 pounds (182.0 kg), wet weight of 454 pounds (206 kg), and was capable of accelerating 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 97 km/h) in 3.6 seconds.

There was a major revamp of the ZX-6R in 1998 with the Launch of the G series. The G series saw no increase in displacement but power went from 100 BHP to 108 BHP thanks to the newly designed airbox. Fairing was revamped, but retained a similar design as far as the headlight, air intakes and screen were concerned. In 2000, the first J series replaced the G, increasing power to 112 BHP by increasing the compression ratio from 11.8:1 to 12.8:1. The J series sported a couple of modernisations including a 180 section rear tyre, second headlight, uprated generator and stick coils (coil on plug) replacing the traditional coil with HT lead.