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H2SX or Ninja 1000?
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At the risk of having some aftermarket vendors (and forum members) bash me over the head, I think so. I know the WSBK guys are at the bleeding edge of things, but I do wonder if they'd really notice something as subtle as the hoses. Weight of the wheels - sure I can see the extra inertia in the rolling mass affecting lean-in. Pads - of course, I can see the benefit of different brake pads. All of the engine tuning they do, sure. Suspension tuning - each rider to his own preference. But the increased rigidity in braided brake lines improving stopping power? Not so sure about that.
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Personally, I would have the Ninja 1000 SX - AND - the new Z H2.
These two bikes would cover my needs perfectly.
I am due out on the Z H2 and H2 in the next couple of weeks for a review.
I did find the H2 SX bloody mental and the Z H2 is supposed to be even madder!
The Ninja 1000 SX seems more sensible for the riding that I will do with it and I won't be needing the mad speed.
These two bikes would cover my needs perfectly.
I am due out on the Z H2 and H2 in the next couple of weeks for a review.
I did find the H2 SX bloody mental and the Z H2 is supposed to be even madder!
The Ninja 1000 SX seems more sensible for the riding that I will do with it and I won't be needing the mad speed.
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It is in between. A little more forward than the Ninja 1000. I find it quite comfortable though. The cruise control helps on long straight runs. I've done three 700 mile days on my H2 SX and was fine.
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Rear hub is a goofy two piece design. Rear rotor does not have lightening windows cut out, so it's insanely heavy. Rear calipers is not Brembo, but one of a KLR if I remember correctly. I swapped the rear hub with caliper and rotor to the H2 so I could run a trailer mount (and lose weight). I seen some arguments that the two piece was put in for strength for 2-up with gear. The standard H2 axle looks plenty strong enough to me.
The forks are different on H2 vs. H2 SX. I've never ridden an H2 to know the difference. The forks on the H2 SX are phenomenal, as good as the 25mm Ohlins cartridges in my 06 GSXR1000.
The forks are different on H2 vs. H2 SX. I've never ridden an H2 to know the difference. The forks on the H2 SX are phenomenal, as good as the 25mm Ohlins cartridges in my 06 GSXR1000.
Just re-visiting this forum to see who has kept their Ninja. I'm enjoying the Tracer; it fits my needs, and I have nothing to complain about....except personality, I suppose. The Tracer is great, and I will keep it, but I still miss that really hard, strong pull from the VFR1200F. I'm thinking that the H2SX is likely everything the VFR was, and more, so I was thinking about keeping one in the garage for occasional use. It's probably a lovely bike for some three- or four-day tours, as I think the seating position is even more relaxed than that of the VFR.
Hi Jayzonk,
I had the VFR12F, 4 years ago. Great bike as new, especially so when the OEM tyres were replaced with a firmer side walled pair PR4ST (cut tyre).
It was heavier than the current Ninja 1000, but they are very similar on the road, BUT the N1K has so much better wind screen to delight the ride experience. The Honda was a fail, big fail for me.
I've had the Ninja for 6 months, 5000 KM almost, and I say now that I find the Ninja overweight and with Euro 5, feeling a bit under powered at and below 4500 rpm.
Wind it up, yes it goes hard once the stock ECU tune allows it, but the Honda would have left in for dead in a straight line blast. Euro 4 over Euro 5.
I'd say it's more comparable to the VTEC 800's that I owned in the mid 2000's
My previous bike(s) was a Suzuki GSX-S1000, and performance wise was a lot stronger right across the dial than the fat Ninja.
The current bike has had a bit more of vibration bits bolted on and do work, the motor is always there if your knees hug the tank, but otherwise it's not an issue on the bottom half of the speedo.
I am ready to move on to a Z900RS as that's a better fits my use of a bike than this Ninja 1000 SX SE, as I want a bike that is lighter for me to push around the garage.
For what it's worth, the ride triangle distance of tank seat to pegs on my Ninja compared to the Z900RS Cafe are so similar that they feel the same bike to ride. Funny that, Kawasaki.
The Ninja would have been a wonderful bike for me 10 years ago, but time makes the older body fade faster and a 600+ class bike is plenty powerful now for me and a lot lighter.
I've been tossing and turning in my mind what to do, and now a green and 2021 yellow stripe Z900RS has arrived at the Shop, so I'll see what it looks like in the flesh.
The most time I keep a bike is 12 months and under 6,000 km, so the Ninja while a very reasonable bike, it has to make way for something new to finish the year with, before it all starts yet again.
I rode the Z-H2 and looked hard at the Ninja H2. In fact I was 30 minutes away from a test ride on the N H2, but someone bought the demo bike before I got there, so no ride.
I came to the conclusion that the supercharged bikes, while a masterpiece of engineering, would have been a complete waste on me to own, as I don't have the open straight roads and the lack of a Police presence that parts of Europe and the USA enjoy. We get a ticket and loss of points for being 1 MPH over and double points on Holidays like Easter this weekend.
Rob.
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Out of some 15 bikes I've bought and sold in the past 11yrs or so, VFR1200F was my favorite, bar none. Rode a red 2010 for about 5yrs, then replaced it with a blue '12, which unfortunately met an early demise. Otherwise, I would still be happily riding the phat Viffer. But... I took it as a sign to move on.
VFR1200F was far from a perfect bike. No bike is. It has a few flaw, some of which seriously rubbed a lot of riders the wrong way. To me, the strength of it outweigh the weaknesses. I love the way that narrow angle V4 makes power... from solid mid-range torque all the way to a ferocious top end that doesn't shake every screw loose like the N1k does. That said, it is a 600lbs bike. Weight isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as it buys you qualities lighter/smaller bikes can't have. It's the same as with the ZX14R. I have not had a chance to ride the H2 SX, but I would hazard a guess the weight issue applies to that 578 lbs beast in a similar way.
Not that N1k is the welterweight champion of the bike world. Stock, it has handling quirks that made it feel even heavier than it already is. For whatever reason, Kawi has a nasty habit of building bikes that are sensitive to tire wear. The C14 was like this too. My N1k felt worse and worse as the stock tires wore down. Towards the end, I was seriously doubting its place in my stable. Especially after testing riding the Z900 and Z900 RS Cafe. Then finally I changed N1k's tires (with a 180/55 rear). Whoa nelly... my faith in the Ninja Grande is instantly restored. We'll see how it behaves as the new tires become not-so-new again. I'm hoping 180/55 will lessen N1k's worn tire sensitivity, similarly to how 190/55 did for the C14.
VFR1200F was far from a perfect bike. No bike is. It has a few flaw, some of which seriously rubbed a lot of riders the wrong way. To me, the strength of it outweigh the weaknesses. I love the way that narrow angle V4 makes power... from solid mid-range torque all the way to a ferocious top end that doesn't shake every screw loose like the N1k does. That said, it is a 600lbs bike. Weight isn't necessarily a bad thing, as long as it buys you qualities lighter/smaller bikes can't have. It's the same as with the ZX14R. I have not had a chance to ride the H2 SX, but I would hazard a guess the weight issue applies to that 578 lbs beast in a similar way.
Not that N1k is the welterweight champion of the bike world. Stock, it has handling quirks that made it feel even heavier than it already is. For whatever reason, Kawi has a nasty habit of building bikes that are sensitive to tire wear. The C14 was like this too. My N1k felt worse and worse as the stock tires wore down. Towards the end, I was seriously doubting its place in my stable. Especially after testing riding the Z900 and Z900 RS Cafe. Then finally I changed N1k's tires (with a 180/55 rear). Whoa nelly... my faith in the Ninja Grande is instantly restored. We'll see how it behaves as the new tires become not-so-new again. I'm hoping 180/55 will lessen N1k's worn tire sensitivity, similarly to how 190/55 did for the C14.
The revisions to the chassis for 2020+ resulted in near perfection in the handling department. I can't speak with any authority on the previous version. When I rode one a few years ago I quickly forgot about it. Not this one. I would characterize its handling as exemplary. I have ridden 40+ bikes in the last 5 years and the 2020 Ninja ranks #2 in my book. It feels extremely light on its feet. The tires are still relatively new so we will see how it does as the miles pile up. For now, I could not be more pleased. It is almost as telepathic as the KTM Duke 890R that I picked up several weeks ago. From the bikes I have ridden the Duke sets the benchmark for outstanding handling and the Ninja is nipping at its heels. Chris from Bike World has an excellent YouTube review of the Duke and declares it to be the best road sports bike available today.
My results don't include most pure sport bikes. The only 2 pure sport bikes on my list of test rides are the Yamaha R6, and the BMW S1000RR.
Well, I went and checked out an H2 SX and the new Ninja 1000 back to back today. I think I would have to agree with the general consensus that the H2SX is just overkill. Of course, I would like to ride one, but my general sense of it is that the power is more of a liability that my mind has to be occupied with when riding more than anything. I found the handlebar position and the forward lean acceptable, but I did find the footpegs a little too high, at 5'11.5". Switching to the Ninja 1000, I found the pegs to be lower, and therefore more comfortable. All in all, I was reminded of the down side of having a bigger bike...been there, done that...sticking to sensible weights and sizes. If I did make the switch, I'd choose the Ninja 1000 and do the suspension mods if I felt it necessary. I suspect the 2021 is well sorted out though? Has anyone reported on it?
The steering column bolt head on the H2 SX SE+ was a really nice touch though. Looked very nicely engineered, and I suspect there is a lot of other nice engineering bits on it (well, sure, that supercharged engine!). The wheels also look well done.
The steering column bolt head on the H2 SX SE+ was a really nice touch though. Looked very nicely engineered, and I suspect there is a lot of other nice engineering bits on it (well, sure, that supercharged engine!). The wheels also look well done.
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397 Posts
The only complaint about the bike I have after the mods I've done is that it doesn't rev to 14k. Other than that it's my ideal street bike.
I loved the KTM "Vader" styling when it first came out, now I can't stand it. Not sure what happened there; when things get too outlandish, I know the infatuation falls quickly.
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A bit of an exaggeration I'd say but I get the point, and a narrow 3000 RPM torque window on the SD. The weight advantage on the SD is huge. The beauty of the H2 SX is there is no reason to ever have to grab another gear above 6000 RPM, especially with a vcyclenut flash.
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The Superduke is almost as impressive as a stock, 2006 zx14.
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