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828 Posts
Hi,
I am a new member here as I am considering a ‘14 1000 Ninja ABS as well as a few other bikes. On my short list is a 1000 Versys and a FJ09. I am looking for a middleweight commuter bike. My commute is in town and LD. During the week it is heavy traffic for 5 days and on the weekend I commute about 900 to 1400 miles from work to home/family/etc. I have a very good LD sport touring bike but I don’t want to put the miles on it and it isn’t the best in heavy traffic but amazing everywhere else.
I don’t really care about the “style” such as ADV poser or sport tourer, etc. I have an ADV bike now but unfortunately it doesn’t have ABS or I would ride it instead and not be looking at these 3 bikes. I was about to pull the trigger on a used FJ09 at a great price when I stumbled on a 2014 Ninja 1000 at possibly an even better price. So while researching the 1000 Ninja I checked with a dealer I had done a lot of business with and they had a 1000 Versys at apparently a very good price as well.
Here is how they stack up with respect to pricing (not including any taxes I’d have to pay). FJ09 (w/bags) 8500, Ninja 1000 (w/bags) 9000, Versys 1000 10,000. They all have about 1,500 miles on them. They are all so close in price it is hard to differentiate on price alone.
Is there anything about your 1000 Ninjas that you hate? I realize there is likely to be a Kawi bias here. I am definitely in generally a Kawi fan as I’ve owned a GPZ750, GPZ1100, GPZ750 Turbo, Ninja 900, ZX12R and a bunch of old 2-stroke triples. So I definitely have a fondness for Kawis. The FJ is a pretty entertaining bike and with a ECU reflash ($200) smooths out the fueling incredibly. It does have a nice exhaust note as well.
The 1000 Versys has a lot of the basic goodness of the Ninja in a different package. I do want pretty good wind protection as I’ll be spending a lot of time on the highway cruising 80+. It doesn’t seem like the Versys is as good as the Ninja but I don’t really have enough seat time to tell. I do like the higher riding position of the ADV styled bikes in traffic.
Another important thing for me is headlights. It seems the Ninja’s headlights are pretty bad. That is an issue with my current commuter, a CTX. It has been a great bike and surprisingly comfortable on the highway. I wouldn’t mind more motor at high speeds to be honest but the ABS works pretty well and amazing economy.
I’ve been looking through the forums and I haven’t seen any really negative things. I want something that has good heat control as in the summer months I have to commute through the desert. It seems like the Ninja is pretty good there as well. The Versys does have a slipper clutch which would be a nice to have. In addition the wider ratio gearbox would be nice as well. I know I can change sprockets on the Ninja but the Versys seems geared better from the start.
The FJ09 is a lot of fun. The exhaust note sounds nice. Another plus is it is pretty lightweight. The suspension would need a bit of work but that is the case for me on all 3 bikes as I am on the bigger size. A big plus for me vs. the Ninja is the FJ has a center stand. I don’t really have anywhere to work on a bike during the week as I am living in a hotel. So having a center stand is a big plus for chain maintenance.
I typically ride year round and use heated gear. Does the Ninja have enough power to run heated gear? I would probably want to run heated grips, gloves, jacket and possibly pants. It also looks like I would want to run a pair of LEDs for better visibility as well.
One last thing is I’ll likely take my wife on occasion as well for short trips (<300 miles). How cramped is the rear seat area and bike in general with a passenger? Fortunately she is pretty petite but I do want her to be comfortable. She’d definitely want a rear box of some sort to feel more secure. Are there any racks that work with the stock luggage that I could fit a Givi or Shad top box with?
Thanks in advance for any advice and replies. I am leaning toward the Ninja at this point but haven’t pulled the trigger yet.
I am a new member here as I am considering a ‘14 1000 Ninja ABS as well as a few other bikes. On my short list is a 1000 Versys and a FJ09. I am looking for a middleweight commuter bike. My commute is in town and LD. During the week it is heavy traffic for 5 days and on the weekend I commute about 900 to 1400 miles from work to home/family/etc. I have a very good LD sport touring bike but I don’t want to put the miles on it and it isn’t the best in heavy traffic but amazing everywhere else.
I don’t really care about the “style” such as ADV poser or sport tourer, etc. I have an ADV bike now but unfortunately it doesn’t have ABS or I would ride it instead and not be looking at these 3 bikes. I was about to pull the trigger on a used FJ09 at a great price when I stumbled on a 2014 Ninja 1000 at possibly an even better price. So while researching the 1000 Ninja I checked with a dealer I had done a lot of business with and they had a 1000 Versys at apparently a very good price as well.
Here is how they stack up with respect to pricing (not including any taxes I’d have to pay). FJ09 (w/bags) 8500, Ninja 1000 (w/bags) 9000, Versys 1000 10,000. They all have about 1,500 miles on them. They are all so close in price it is hard to differentiate on price alone.
Is there anything about your 1000 Ninjas that you hate? I realize there is likely to be a Kawi bias here. I am definitely in generally a Kawi fan as I’ve owned a GPZ750, GPZ1100, GPZ750 Turbo, Ninja 900, ZX12R and a bunch of old 2-stroke triples. So I definitely have a fondness for Kawis. The FJ is a pretty entertaining bike and with a ECU reflash ($200) smooths out the fueling incredibly. It does have a nice exhaust note as well.
The 1000 Versys has a lot of the basic goodness of the Ninja in a different package. I do want pretty good wind protection as I’ll be spending a lot of time on the highway cruising 80+. It doesn’t seem like the Versys is as good as the Ninja but I don’t really have enough seat time to tell. I do like the higher riding position of the ADV styled bikes in traffic.
Another important thing for me is headlights. It seems the Ninja’s headlights are pretty bad. That is an issue with my current commuter, a CTX. It has been a great bike and surprisingly comfortable on the highway. I wouldn’t mind more motor at high speeds to be honest but the ABS works pretty well and amazing economy.
I’ve been looking through the forums and I haven’t seen any really negative things. I want something that has good heat control as in the summer months I have to commute through the desert. It seems like the Ninja is pretty good there as well. The Versys does have a slipper clutch which would be a nice to have. In addition the wider ratio gearbox would be nice as well. I know I can change sprockets on the Ninja but the Versys seems geared better from the start.
The FJ09 is a lot of fun. The exhaust note sounds nice. Another plus is it is pretty lightweight. The suspension would need a bit of work but that is the case for me on all 3 bikes as I am on the bigger size. A big plus for me vs. the Ninja is the FJ has a center stand. I don’t really have anywhere to work on a bike during the week as I am living in a hotel. So having a center stand is a big plus for chain maintenance.
I typically ride year round and use heated gear. Does the Ninja have enough power to run heated gear? I would probably want to run heated grips, gloves, jacket and possibly pants. It also looks like I would want to run a pair of LEDs for better visibility as well.
One last thing is I’ll likely take my wife on occasion as well for short trips (<300 miles). How cramped is the rear seat area and bike in general with a passenger? Fortunately she is pretty petite but I do want her to be comfortable. She’d definitely want a rear box of some sort to feel more secure. Are there any racks that work with the stock luggage that I could fit a Givi or Shad top box with?
Thanks in advance for any advice and replies. I am leaning toward the Ninja at this point but haven’t pulled the trigger yet.