The Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX is the brand’s litre-class sports tourer. A bike that is suitable for all-day touring but doesn’t shy away from corners. To keep things fresh for the new model year, Kawasaki India has given it a subtle upgrade. Since the upgrades are only cosmetic, let’s have a look at them first.
The design of the Ninja 1000SX remains unchanged barring the colour scheme. The new 1000SX is available in two new colours — Emerald Blazed Green and Metallic Matte Graphenesteel Gray. The new colour schemes have subtle changes in the colour-specific streaks and are almost identical to the colour on the outgoing model.
Underneath the newly styled skin, the Ninja 1000SX remains unchanged. Meaning, it retains the same 1043cc, in-line four, liquid-cooled engine which produces 140bhp at 10,000 rpm and 111Nm at 8000rpm. The engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox and comes equipped with Kawasaki’s bi-directional quick shifter.
Similarly, other chassis components are also retained. The aluminium frame is suspended on 41mm USDs with compression and rebound damping along with spring preload adjustability upfront while at the back it uses a horizontal back-link adjustable mono-shock. The suspension setup put the 17-inch wheels 1440mm apart, which is 10mm lesser than the ZX-10R. The seat height at 835mm, however, is identical to the ZX-10R. Braking duties are handled by dual 300mm discs brakes with four-piston callipers at the front and a single 250mm disc with a single-piston calliper at the rear with Kawasaki’s host of electronic suites including cornering management function and intelligent anti-lock brake system.
In terms of features, the Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX has a 4.3-inch fully-digital colour display that can be paired to a smartphone via Bluetooth. It has four riding modes — Sport, Road, Rain and Rider, which is a custom mode that can save rider-specific settings. Furthermore, given the bike’s touring intentions, it also gets electronic cruise control.
The Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX comes with a starting price of Rs 11.40 lakh. Kawasaki also offers you to spec up the bike with touring friendly accessories like GPS brackets, a larger windshield, a low seat, panniers and many more. Want one? Currently, only the prices are out and you have to wait until December before you get your hands on one.