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22 Posts
After my first long(ish) ride on my new Ninja 1000, I wanted to introduce myself and provide my initial impressions.
I am from the Bath/Brunswick area in Maine. I bought my leftover 2011 Black/Red Ninja 1000 for $10,400 OTD from a dealership here in Maine on March 22nd of this year. It has been cold here in Maine but I finally had the chance to go for a long ride.
My prior bikes are an 1998 EX-500 and a 2007 SV650/S. The N1k is infinitely more comfortable than the clipons of the SV650. I could never really enjoy that bike purely from the numb hands and cramped leg positioning. After riding 2 hours straight (yeah okay, not the longest ride but about all I could handle in 45-50 degree weather with crappy gloves) , my wrists, hands and knees felt no discomfort. The seat isn't the most comfortable after some saddle time, but it's not as bad as I have heard from posts on this forum. Later on down the road I will likely get another seat, but for now its not completely necessary. There are a couple of distinct riding positions on the Ninja to freshen your back and butt; right up on the tank and back against the rear seat.
The N1K inspires much more confidence in the corners than my SV650 ever did, probably due to the stronger suspension and possibly better OEM tires. I did replace the front springs on the SV but I never did replace the tires (only put 5000 miles on it). I definitely notice the lack of turn-in as some have described on the OEM tires, but it isn't terrible. When I replace my tires I will try the 55 rear tire.
At first, there was a definite WOW factor to the engine compared to the SV, but I am getting more used to it. Granted, I am still on the break-in period so I haven't opened it up past 7 or 8k RPMs and that was only for very brief periods. The N1K has almost twice the horsepower of the SV, so I am sure there is a pleasant surprise in the higher RPMs waiting for be opened up after break-in. Initially I was couldn't see wanting to increase the horsepower with an aftermarket exhaust, but I can see the potential.
Aesthetically, the only 2 things I don't care for on the Ninja are the windshield and the exhaust (which has actually slightly grown on me from my initial impression.) The windshield seems very cheap and looks like it isn't really the right size for the bike. I am hesitant to pick up an aftermarket until further research; I don't want a large gaudy looking screen, but I don't want to lose any wind protection either. The exhaust doesn't look as bad as I originally thought, but they could certainly be improved upon. Maine has cracked down on loud exhausts, so I am a little leery about buying cheap slip-ons such as the V&H Urban Brawlers even though I do enjoy the look for the black ones. The OEM exhaust is loud enough, the V&H would seem obnoxiously loud. I don't have the funds to buy a full set of Akropovics at the moment, but I can't imagine they would be all that quiet, either.
Overall I am very happy with the bike. It sucks to be stuck in a loan on a bike you don't enjoy riding, but I don't think I will ever have that problem with this bike.
I am from the Bath/Brunswick area in Maine. I bought my leftover 2011 Black/Red Ninja 1000 for $10,400 OTD from a dealership here in Maine on March 22nd of this year. It has been cold here in Maine but I finally had the chance to go for a long ride.

My prior bikes are an 1998 EX-500 and a 2007 SV650/S. The N1k is infinitely more comfortable than the clipons of the SV650. I could never really enjoy that bike purely from the numb hands and cramped leg positioning. After riding 2 hours straight (yeah okay, not the longest ride but about all I could handle in 45-50 degree weather with crappy gloves) , my wrists, hands and knees felt no discomfort. The seat isn't the most comfortable after some saddle time, but it's not as bad as I have heard from posts on this forum. Later on down the road I will likely get another seat, but for now its not completely necessary. There are a couple of distinct riding positions on the Ninja to freshen your back and butt; right up on the tank and back against the rear seat.
The N1K inspires much more confidence in the corners than my SV650 ever did, probably due to the stronger suspension and possibly better OEM tires. I did replace the front springs on the SV but I never did replace the tires (only put 5000 miles on it). I definitely notice the lack of turn-in as some have described on the OEM tires, but it isn't terrible. When I replace my tires I will try the 55 rear tire.
At first, there was a definite WOW factor to the engine compared to the SV, but I am getting more used to it. Granted, I am still on the break-in period so I haven't opened it up past 7 or 8k RPMs and that was only for very brief periods. The N1K has almost twice the horsepower of the SV, so I am sure there is a pleasant surprise in the higher RPMs waiting for be opened up after break-in. Initially I was couldn't see wanting to increase the horsepower with an aftermarket exhaust, but I can see the potential.
Aesthetically, the only 2 things I don't care for on the Ninja are the windshield and the exhaust (which has actually slightly grown on me from my initial impression.) The windshield seems very cheap and looks like it isn't really the right size for the bike. I am hesitant to pick up an aftermarket until further research; I don't want a large gaudy looking screen, but I don't want to lose any wind protection either. The exhaust doesn't look as bad as I originally thought, but they could certainly be improved upon. Maine has cracked down on loud exhausts, so I am a little leery about buying cheap slip-ons such as the V&H Urban Brawlers even though I do enjoy the look for the black ones. The OEM exhaust is loud enough, the V&H would seem obnoxiously loud. I don't have the funds to buy a full set of Akropovics at the moment, but I can't imagine they would be all that quiet, either.
Overall I am very happy with the bike. It sucks to be stuck in a loan on a bike you don't enjoy riding, but I don't think I will ever have that problem with this bike.