Welcome aboard 2weelz.... good find on that '12! I ride the same bike, you'll love it. I take it that since you are a ride-in Seth Laam customer you are from northern Cal? Fantastic riding up there!
First Kawasaki
Hello Kawasaki fans. Recently acquired my first Kawasaki, a 2012 Ninja 1000, green with 927 miles on it. After getting rid of the Hayabusa because I missed the light handling of previous sportbikes I picked up a GSXR 600 but quickly got tired of tap dancing on the gear shift. And then I rode the Ninja. Best of both worlds so far. Except for the crappy seat. Already making an appointment with Seth Laam seats.
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Congrats on your N1K purchage and welcome aboard !
You might find that seat is not bad after some more time on it. But, lots here on the board have swapped it out. I've gotten use to mine. Got over 60 hrs on it now.
Will say I've come from a predominantly mx backgrd where you hardly use the seat. Others, tho, have had lots of comparisons with other bikes and I can appreciate that.
Guess it depends on where your own "bar" is and what feels good and what's better from past rides.
All the best and enjoy !!
You might find that seat is not bad after some more time on it. But, lots here on the board have swapped it out. I've gotten use to mine. Got over 60 hrs on it now.
Will say I've come from a predominantly mx backgrd where you hardly use the seat. Others, tho, have had lots of comparisons with other bikes and I can appreciate that.
Guess it depends on where your own "bar" is and what feels good and what's better from past rides.
All the best and enjoy !!
"Recently acquired my first Kawasaki, a 2012 Ninja 1000'
I am looking at both a 2011 and a 2013, both around 1K mileage and like new. Doing a survey of N1K prices they are all over he map.
Do you mind sharing where your 2012 came in price-wise? Did ABS only show up with the 2013's?
I am looking at both a 2011 and a 2013, both around 1K mileage and like new. Doing a survey of N1K prices they are all over he map.
Do you mind sharing where your 2012 came in price-wise? Did ABS only show up with the 2013's?
ABS was unavailable in '11, the year the bike was introduced. It was an option on the '12 and became a standard feature in '13.Did ABS only show up with the 2013's?
Enjoy! The seat is not great but fine so far. I do think a long day won't go so well. I plan on testing it out soon 
I bought my bike in SoCal and the first day I rode it 400+ miles to my home in the Bay Area. I was OK for about 3 hours but after that I was shifting sides with a lot of time sitting on my thighs rather than my a**. For normal duty (commuting ~30 miles) the seat is fine, but if I was gonna ride longer then a new seat would be mandatory for me. Hope it works out better for you....Enjoy! The seat is not great but fine so far. I do think a long day won't go so well. I plan on testing it out soon
Out for a ride today in leathers and the seat feels fine, if still a bit too firm. The leathers being cut for riding make big difference over jeans and body armor. Can't wear leather all summer though so I've got seat scheduled at Laams. Lovin this bike otherwise.
I don't think so - I have a 2013 non-ABS Ninja1K.ABS was unavailable in '11, the year the bike was introduced. It was an option on the '12 and became a standard feature in '13.
Yes, the N1K is great bike that does a lot of things very well. I switched to a Baldwin seat soon after buying my '15 N1K. In addition to summer multi-day trips with others, I routinely do about 300-mile day rides on Saturdays. I wear Motoport kevlar mesh gear (including mesh armored overpants) instead of leather. Great for summer heat. In winter, I wear lower silk thermals and a heated liner under the jacket, plus heated gloves. I live where I can ride year round, which explains 13,500 miles in only 9 months on this great bike.
Yea, I think my experience will be similar. I rode it home for 1.5h when I picked it up and I could already tell another hour would've caused soreness. Of course, fwy riding is probably the worst since you're not moving around. Some twisties may be more bearable.I bought my bike in SoCal and the first day I rode it 400+ miles to my home in the Bay Area. I was OK for about 3 hours but after that I was shifting sides with a lot of time sitting on my thighs rather than my a**. For normal duty (commuting ~30 miles) the seat is fine, but if I was gonna ride longer then a new seat would be mandatory for me. Hope it works out better for you....
I looked this up and stand corrected. 2014 was the first year ABS was a standard feature.I don't think so - I have a 2013 non-ABS Ninja1K.
I picked up a new 2013 abs near the end of August for $6995. Haven't seen a price that low since"Recently acquired my first Kawasaki, a 2012 Ninja 1000'
I am looking at both a 2011 and a 2013, both around 1K mileage and like new. Doing a survey of N1K prices they are all over he map.
Do you mind sharing where your 2012 came in price-wise? Did ABS only show up with the 2013's?
I picked up a new 2013 abs near the end of August for $6995. Haven't seen a price that low since
Wow, that is insanely low!! I haven't seen any used Ninja's for that kinda price. The cheapest I found was a 2012 for $7k and change.
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