[Pjed]

Greetings from Nebraska! My name is Paul and I just picked up my very first Ninja 1000. I've owned many bikes over the years...sport bikes, nakeds, standards and one HD. I currently also have a 1999 ZRX1100, 2006 R1 and 2017 Husqvarna Vitpilen 701. I've done a lot of street riding and used to do track days but now, I'm looking into doing some sport touring. The ninja seemed to fit the best as it appears to have the right mix of sport and comfort for me. The bike is a 2011 with only 15K miles and is mechanically in great shape. It's stock with the exception of a Kawi front/back gel seat, tinted screen and a Givi top case. It has been down a couple of times and I'll need to replace the clutch cover, stator cover, left and right fairings and front signals. I got the bike for a fair price and the damage is purely cosmetic so I'm pretty happy. The suspension is definitely on the soft side so I'll be fiddling with that right after I reinstall the mirrors . I can't wait to put some miles on the bike and hope to learn more about the model and any trick/tips that people have figured out over the years.

 

[Eagle Six]

Welcome to the forum and have fun bringing your new to you N1K up to speed.

 

[jjscsix]

Welcome. There is a great deal of knowledge here, and several of us who have had, or still do have the early ones like yours. In many ways the early ones were great because they did not have all the electronics. Very easy to work on and considered bulletproof. I had a 2012 and now have a 2020.

 

[TheUX31EGuy]

Welcome aboard, Paul! I'd definitely pull that ECU out and send it over to Ivan's performance. The suspension can be reworked by Traxxion down in Georgia. They do magical things down there. Fixing to send my stuff there at some point. I've got 24k miles on mine with no signs of it slowing down. There's some guys that have gotten over 50k miles out of these bikes. You've made a fine selection.

 

[kenors]

Yes, welcome! Lots of experience here. But in case you missed it in another thread this might be helpful...

2011-13 Ninja Service Manual
2011_KAWASAKI_NINJA_1000 Service Manual.pdf

 

[Mr.Glue]

Awesome bike!!

 

[Pjed]

Thanks for the welcome and the tips guys! Thanks for the manual Ken...much appreciated. I went out with some friends today and put on about 140 light touring miles. A few observations:

• Killer motor. I used to have a 2010 Z1000 and wish I never got rid of it. This motor has great torque across the revs and pulls hard.
• I will need to get a better seat. The bike has the upgraded Kawi gel seats but I guess I need more. Perhaps a Corbin or Sargent.
• Front brakes are not very good on my bike...not much bite. I used EBC HH pads on all my bikes including the track bikes and love them. Going to upgrade sooner than later.
• I checked the suspension settings and they're all stock. They did work fine for this first ride but were a little soft so I may need to talk to Traxxion. Kinda weird that the left fork leg doesn't have any compression damping adjustment,
• The bike came with newly mounted tires. A Dunlop Qualifier Q4 on the front and a Shinko Advantage 005(?) on the back. I like the Dunlop but not a fan of Shinkos. I want to match the Dunlop for the back but they may be a little to sport focused. Also, the Shinko is a 50 aspect ration tire and I read that going to 55 improves handling and high speed wobble.
• I like the Givi top case but I'd prefer to have side cases. I think Givi V35 is the way to go. Can the Givi top case be mounted with the Givi side cases? Are all V35 cases compatible for the Ninja with just the appropriate mounting hardware?
• After the bike was hot it was a bit hard to start. I had to hold the throttle open a bit and then it fired right up. Anyone run into this?

Overall very happy with the purchase. This kind of bike opens up a whole new aspect of motorcycling to me. Now I actually have to do some research to come up with interesting routes and cool places to visit.

 

[kenors]

I can answer the bit about the Givi V35 side cases and top case. Yes, the adapter kit is made for both side cases and top case. If you don't get the top case you have to buy a special adapter to use just the side cases. I really liked the Givi side cases on my 2011 Ninja. If I hadn't got an amazing deal on a 2014 that already had KQR luggage mounted I'd still be running them. Much more useful space than the KQR luggage. The only stickler is you have to move the rear turn signals and extend the wiring yourself. (At least you had to in 2012.)

I'm a big fan of the /55 profile rear tire. No downside to it and makes the '11-'19 Ninja's corner so much better. Better for me is a lighter turn in effort and neutral force once in a corner.

Weak front brakes are mostly because of the pads. Brakes are one thing they improved in 2015 but with new pads they are much better than stock.

The seats are not for distance. I have a Sargent but there are lots of solutions. If you have a local place, just reshaping with a bit of foam has worked for some folks.

I never had a starting issue, hot or cold. On rare occasions when the bike is hot it'll fire and immediately die. The second start I usually gas it a bit and it's fine. Several folks have mentioned the bike works better if the idle is set to 1400-1500 rpm.

Enjoy your new wheels!

 

[Pjed]

Thanks Ken. I've seen a couple sets of used Givi V35 cases for sale. Are there variations of the V35 that won't work on the Ninja? Or do all V35 cases work and I just need to get the correct mounting set up?

 

[kenors]

I believe you just need to get the proper mounting kit. V35 side cases should be V35s. My Givi cases were "generic" I think but the mounting kits were specific for the Ninja 1000. I sold the bags to a guy who mounted them on his BMW with a different mounting kit. I said "kits" plural because there's a kit for with the top rack and a kit for without. The Givi site doesn't say much but you can talk to Revzilla or Twisted throttle and they can get you the stuff you need. Twisted throttle set me up all those 20 years ago.

 

[MyNinja]

Greetings from Nebraska! My name is Paul and I just picked up my very first Ninja 1000. I've owned many bikes over the years...sport bikes, nakeds, standards and one HD. I currently also have a 1999 ZRX1100, 2006 R1 and 2017 Husqvarna Vitpilen 701. I've done a lot of street riding and used to do track days but now, I'm looking into doing some sport touring. The ninja seemed to fit the best as it appears to have the right mix of sport and comfort for me. The bike is a 2011 with only 15K miles and is mechanically in great shape. It's stock with the exception of a Kawi front/back gel seat, tinted screen and a Givi top case. It has been down a couple of times and I'll need to replace the clutch cover, stator cover, left and right fairings and front signals. I got the bike for a fair price and the damage is purely cosmetic so I'm pretty happy. The suspension is definitely on the soft side so I'll be fiddling with that right after I reinstall the mirrors . I can't wait to put some miles on the bike and hope to learn more about the model and any trick/tips that people have figured out over the years.
View attachment 34661

Can you show the damage? I’m new and not sure of all the areas you mentioned. Congrats on the new bike.

 

[Pjed]

Mostly rash. One small sport on the right fairing where it went through.

 

[MyNinja]

Mostly rash. One small sport on the right fairing where it went through.

View attachment 34700 View attachment 34701

Nice bike. I purchased a 2018 with minor scratching on the oil pan. I’ll upload pics later. I need to replace the left mirror also.