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I recently bought a used 2012 Ninja 1000 to use as my daily commuter. The bike had 13k miles when I got it. It was generally well taken care of but it was all stock all the way to its rear fender. It had a few minor issues inherent on the early N1k’s and have been well documented here and in the Rider forums. The 190/50 rear tire & the early wearing front brake rotor were on the list. The one common issue that did not plague my bike was the abrupt throttle response--for reasons I will explain in a bit. The first two issues were very easy fixes. A new set of tires with the correct 190/55 rear tire, and replacement of my front brake rotors with a used set of ZX10R rotors later and my bike was a gem. It turns out my 2012 has Ivan’s ECM tuning. I didn’t know about this when I bought the bike. The dealership who sold me the bike didn’t know either…I’m laughing right now. If only they knew. Because gentlemen, this ECM tune is the single best thing I love about this bike.
Right off the bat, I noticed my ’12 felt faster than my all stock ’18. Not just at low RPM, it was faster on top. It wasn’t a huge difference, but there is no denying it’s just faster everywhere. My ’12 has no electronics so it weighs 502 lbs wet versus a new N1k that weighs 519 lbs. wet. So that also helps a bit also. My tuned ’12 also has sublime throttle response. There is absolutely nothing I can do to trip this bike’s throttle response up aside from deliberately hammering the clutch and throttle coordination. No matter what gear, what RPM, what speed, I can shut the throttle completely then re-open it, and the engine comes back to life with the smoothness I can only describe as fresh synthetic oil flowing out of its container. Then there’s the engine braking, the tune reduces engine braking to make downshifting easier, as well as making deceleration without brakes feel natural. It’s never too much. It’s never too little. It’s always just right. Then of course there’s the added power and the low gear torque limitations removed. This makes my ’12 feel so much more eager, responsive, raspy, and ready to pounce with just a roll of the throttle. The icing on the cake is the top end hit. The engine never feels like the power tapers off all the way to redline AND it feels like it revs faster to redline! Did I also mention it’s smoother too? A bit smoother above 7k RPM than my stock ’18. The only downer is a slight hit on my fuel efficiency, which worked out to be around 3 mpg consistently compared to my ’18.
On the outside, my ’12 looks like just another used N1k. But man! It performs really, REALLY well. In some areas, better than my ’18. I am so very glad I got this bike. If you are on a tight budget but want the N1k experience, don’t overlook the early bikes from ’11-’13. Put aside a budget to get that Ivan’s Tune ($350) and the right tires right off the bat. You won’t regret it and you will save a ton of money versus buying new.
Right off the bat, I noticed my ’12 felt faster than my all stock ’18. Not just at low RPM, it was faster on top. It wasn’t a huge difference, but there is no denying it’s just faster everywhere. My ’12 has no electronics so it weighs 502 lbs wet versus a new N1k that weighs 519 lbs. wet. So that also helps a bit also. My tuned ’12 also has sublime throttle response. There is absolutely nothing I can do to trip this bike’s throttle response up aside from deliberately hammering the clutch and throttle coordination. No matter what gear, what RPM, what speed, I can shut the throttle completely then re-open it, and the engine comes back to life with the smoothness I can only describe as fresh synthetic oil flowing out of its container. Then there’s the engine braking, the tune reduces engine braking to make downshifting easier, as well as making deceleration without brakes feel natural. It’s never too much. It’s never too little. It’s always just right. Then of course there’s the added power and the low gear torque limitations removed. This makes my ’12 feel so much more eager, responsive, raspy, and ready to pounce with just a roll of the throttle. The icing on the cake is the top end hit. The engine never feels like the power tapers off all the way to redline AND it feels like it revs faster to redline! Did I also mention it’s smoother too? A bit smoother above 7k RPM than my stock ’18. The only downer is a slight hit on my fuel efficiency, which worked out to be around 3 mpg consistently compared to my ’18.
On the outside, my ’12 looks like just another used N1k. But man! It performs really, REALLY well. In some areas, better than my ’18. I am so very glad I got this bike. If you are on a tight budget but want the N1k experience, don’t overlook the early bikes from ’11-’13. Put aside a budget to get that Ivan’s Tune ($350) and the right tires right off the bat. You won’t regret it and you will save a ton of money versus buying new.
