"Did Kawasaki ruin this class?", absolutely not. They made the class what it should be, you get the best of both worlds, a full size bike with enough power to have loads of fun on without the curiosity of moving up within the first few months, amazing sport bike looks, great gas mileage, comfort for longer rides, a sport bike you can really commute on, overall just an incredible bike
Also, I've test ridden this bike, and it's a little bit weak off the line until it builds up momentum. I think they're geared a little tall for day-to-day riding unless you're on the interstate a lot. A simple sprocket change, and this bike would leave that car in the dust pretty easily. Plus, you know... This bike is $35,000 cheaper than that car.
Mal Reynolds that was for the first generation Genesis coupe. That one he was next to was a 2013 or newer which was 274hp for the 2.0T and 348hp for the v6.
I have the black, grey and yellow version of this bike. Have had it for 3 weeks and love it. Im 5.9" and its perfect. Everyone who sees it from front thinks its an h2. All my friends have 600s to 1000cc bikes and my lil girl keeps up in city and backroads. They only lose me if they blast away on highway. I didnt buy the bike for speed but rather for an affordable adventure. I had a zx6 but never could use all its power here in michigan. This bike u can run hard and still be legal. I would suggest it for anyone who wants an affordable bike whether beginner or pro.
these so called small bikes are fast as many big ones, no matter the brand, fast enough to take you to the other side if you fail to give them the respect they deserve. so ride safe enjoy and try to fly but fly low
Exactly ,these 400s can do 200 kmph , then I don't know why they call them beginner bikes...lol....pure show-off by so called big bike riders, these 300-400 cc bikes may be beginner friendly bikes because of their linear acceleration nature ,but should never be called as beginner bikes .In reality beginners will die if they get too much confident/excited on these so called beginner's bikes or small bikes.
@@TheVanquisherGaming they call them beginner because of their basic engines, and like you said smooth power delivery. Of course you can die on a beginner bike, hell even on a moped. That's the mature of being on two wheels in general.
@@alexfaylona4007 My legs were killing me after a few hundred miles but nothing I can really do about that except ease the pain and fatigue by taking breaks every so often. As far as things I would change, a softer seat is all I would upgrade to for long trips.
My first road bike was a 1978 Suzuki GS400 with a parallel twin. I rode that from 1979 to 1992 and put a little over 40,000 miles on it. I rode that puppy everywhere in all sorts of weather. I had a Vetter Quicksilver fairing on it, a big engine guard bar with highway pegs, tank bag, and a luggage rack on the back. I have a real soft spot in my heart for this class of bike.
I'm no longer a beginner(8,000+ miles under my helmet) and I just bought the 400 as my 2nd bike. It's really just a good all around sporty looking, comfortable, fast but not too fast bike. Like you said, it's a slow bike you ride fast. And that what's fun about it. You can ride it fast all day and not get sore.
One of the best reviews for this bike. Thank you. I am getting my first bike next month after my endorsement test and I'm pretty positive in getting this bike. I was going to do a cbr300 or cbr500r but I felt like the 500 was a little heavy to start with compared to the 300. And then I found out that Kawasaki just came out with a 400 and its lighter than the cbr300 so I think I will definitely start with this bike. Thanks again
NwC you got the 400?? Congratulations! Never sell it. I MISS my ninja 300 I should have never traded it for my cbr600rr. I love the 600 but definitely miss my ninjette
I've owned quite a few motorcycles including a Ninja 1000. I'm really eyeballing this 400. Enough power to do what I need without tripling the speed limit.
I'm interested in the fuel economy. 50-60mpg for base octane fuel is pretty great in the current US economy, gas prices are only going up from here for at least 6-12 months.
@@barryallen5507 These days for sure when gas is $2.29/L in Canada (which is like $7/gal US equiv). I get 92 US MPG on my CBR500R on my 250 km weekly commute and still have half a tank left over for the weekend. I don't really miss my bigger bikes when they cost so much more to run and I'm stuck in the same traffic. A second-hand Ninja 300 (or Versys-X 300) would be a good option too.
I am always amazed by the fact that Zack is commuting in what most would consider the ultimate place to own a motorcycle and he hardly sees any other bikes on his commute. I travel a shorter distance in Toronto, of all places, and see way more bikes going by than what he catches with his helmet cam. It just shows that even in California bikes are seen mainly as a toy by most people and that's a real shame.
I saw this video and realized he's riding by my office, and the next day got the ninja 400. Was planning to get the R3 for a month but he tipped me over. Funny you say that about the area, though. I see at least 5 bikes a day on each way of my commute.
Not my experience on my trips to California. I saw a lot more people on bikes compared to Houston, Texas. Besides, Zack is riding around Orange County and John Wayne Airport, which I suspect is not motorcycle mecca for Californians.
I've got nearly 20k miles on my 300, I've ended up holding onto it a lot longer than I thought. I don't think I'll ever get rid of it now, as it will barely be worth anything. It's interesting watching your vid because it just looks and sounds so similar. They're really capable little engines, and as anyone that rides a bit knows, unless your on very high-speed, sweeping roads you'll have no trouble keeping up with bigger bikes. Amusing to see the front brake is still underwhelming. It was absolutely terrible on mine; I put an S/S line in just to get better two-fingered feel. The cool running is another blessing when you're sitting in 90F traffic in town. It just doesn't get bothersome.
Zack -- I have become a HUGE fan. I commute daily on an '05 Kawi Vulcan 2000, and I'm really not in the market for another bike at the moment. However, I enjoy riding with you on your commutes and learning about all kinds of bikes (I am partial to Kawis, though!) Just wanted to say thanks and keep the vids coming. Your work is much appreciated.
Can we all just lol and the Hyundai? Derp. Awesome little bike. With some mods i feel like it will gain a little more oomph. Plus if the aftermarket is as good as the 300 was it’s a winner in my eyes.
I'm not a rider (yet), but I do have a little experience with modifying a small-displacement car (a '91 Miata, specifically). If you wanna do suspension stuff, sure, go ahead. But more power? Your best bet is to just buy something that already has more power. Unless you're modifying a 300 or 400 for a specific racing class, it's probably not worth it.
I have been riding for 100k miles , many hours in commute traffic and currently own a councourse 14 1350 cc motorcycle with 160 horsepower. And I would honestly like to have a small bike to commute and go short distances. This 400 seems fantastic, just fast enough for 99% of riding, cheap maitenance and fuel , cheap insurance .
Most pf motovloggers will like to buy most of the bikes they ever rode for one reason or the other. Some for performance, some for looking cool, some for cool history, some for touring, sports touring, cruising, adventure, dual sport you het the idea? Lol
I Love the Reviews I picked up a new Kawasaki z400 this summer after a 15 years with out my own bike I rode a friend's bike a few times here and there and even had a Honda pcx 150 for a year before this Kawasaki z400 I Love it
Zack, to me this looks like the perfect bike. Comfy ergos, wind protection & enough power for street riding & occasional track days. Price is right too. Put on a slip on & you're good. These small bikes are a blast!
Zacks the only reason why I watch this channel...his experience and riding style is the best...any new rider should take notes of the way he rides and what he says
So its just a better bike than the 300. Koolasaki. I started on a 300, wish this was around when I started, its a fantastic learner bike. Keep being kool, kawasaki
i'm in the same boat, woulda buy a 400 instead of a 300 ( but i prefer the front-end of my '14 300 ). But 300 second hand are so cheap, difficult to resist ( primarly because it's a beginner bike ). Got my 300 '14 abs with 2800Km ( 1740 miles ) for 3500$can ( 2800US ) ridden by a shy mother "almost brand new", and now were talking about a 5 grand machine for the 400, it's a no-brainer unless you want to keep it for a long time ( but i could understand why, so fun to ride a beginner bike ). Cheers !
Sebastien Houde cheers, buddy. Hope you are enjoying your ride. You are absolutely right, the 300 is such a bargain for a beginner it's almost stealing. Ride safe, I hope you are enjoying being on two wheels.
Great review Zack. Waiting to see you ride a newer ninja 650 to work. Just wondering which one has more of a fun factor and which one would you rather commute to work on. Specifically up and down the cajon pass every day.
i have the Versys 300, i believe the engine of the 400 is perfect for the lightweight adventure tourer. I also love the switches and the dash, you can tell that they chose good quality parts, nothing feels cheap and fragile.
I have this baby, KRT paint, since Dec' 18 & love riding it hard! Brought it out on weekend trips & it can cruise on highway @150kmh (~94mph) comfortably for hours & it top @201 kmh
Great dash indicators go analog tach! It sounds good, clutch wheelies, cool faring nice front end and 120 top speed. I would like to see it at 1k less money.
I've owned a GS500, Ninja 500, R6, Daytona 675, SV650, and Street Triple R in the past (not in that order). Ridden many more. I'm considering this as my next bike even though it's "smaller." Everyone seems to love it and big bikes with bling parts are so overkill on the streets.
@@joecamel6835 I think the person commenting meant most average cars, as "pedestrian" has a connotation / meaning meaning fairly average. I think his point is the entry level bikes are already faster than most cars out there (outside of fairly high performance cars).
I have a Ninja 300 which is a blast on twisty roads. Bulletproof, super comfy and she sounds great with a Yoshi pipe. The only issue is having enough power to pass uphill on 2 lane roads in the mountains. The 400 solves that issue, and is lighter!! I would like one but as another commenter mentioned, the 400 killed the 300 used prices. Only bike I have ever gotten to the edge of the tires, no chicken strips left. Amazing bike.
"If you live in a place where the displacement is actually going to do something for you". That right there should be the deciding factor for all decisions when buying a sportbike, but sadly..people want to keep up with the mainstreet-bike night-rossi's lol
I liked the rapid fire questions at the end. I don't really care much about this bike, but this was one of the better MC commutes. A comprehensive review from all the street aspects, including things like how it operates on the track is nice (brake fade, top speed, ect.) All the things we want to know. It was a great video.
1990 the first thing I thought when they announced this was "NOW PUT IT IN THE VERSYS" because really that would be the ultimate budget commuter machine. Though a tuned more for torque version would be sweet in a motard
Kawi Rep brought one by the other day, It'll do a burn out (LOL). I had it leaned way down in a clover leaf and couldn't believe how well it handled it. This is and unbelievable bike. Me and another track rider couldn't stop smiling after riding it. Really!!!!! Good job Kawasaki. Hate the mirrors though. Kinda like they are on the back of the vehicle in front of you. Good review, guy.
My ninja 400 is my first sport bike. I can't imagine starting on a faster and more powerful sport bike. You can use all the power most of the time and it handles so well. You'll reach your own personal limits before you reach the bike's limit. Really wanting to start doing track days with it.
I gaped a R1 with my Ninja 500 in the twistys came out the 15mph corner doing 35 scaping pegs came out the other side could not even see him I think he pussed out at about 125mph
You are absolutely right,Sir! That's something that I m trying to explain to my friends every time we have conversations on bike subject. The fact that a medium cc you can open it and have so much fun ... Anyhow, you do understand what am I trying to say here. Have fun an keep it up !
Was looking at duke 390. However the ninja 400 did everything 1% better and 10% cheaper. Price, parts,service and insurance are all 10-20% cheaper saving you thousands in 3-5 years of ownership.
Thing is, this is really targeted for the european market. Beginner (A2) bikes are limited to 35kW/47.5bhp for the first 2 years, so they won't end up raising the power for much longer ;)
What's up with all these Indian accounts ALL over Kawasaki videos, putting down the Ninja and pumping up KTM? That's what they're doing at KTM now? Lol. Pathetic. Kawasaki doesn't need to hire people to slander other manufacturers online.
Kawasaki has been in India for a long time now but they never introduced something new and affordable for the Indian market ( we love bikes). Then KTM comes along and offers bikes that are not only more affordable than Kawasaki and Yamaha but also loads of fun so KTM has kinda developed a cult over here.
Love this video. This bike is on my short list to buy and the instagram questions matched all my concerns as a intermediate/freeway commuter rider for this bike. Well done!
Well if the 400 is "in" the 300/beginner class, what makes the Honda 500 different I think the "classes" are a dumb way to categorize it if you do it by engine size alone.
Yeah kinda dumb thats why i class bikes on where they fit in the eu licence categories... bikes like the 400 and that honda 500 are technically a2 beginner bikes, motorcycles like the ninja 650 and the honda cbr650 are unde 70kw bikes that can be limited to 35kw for a2 license and everything that its above 70kw is im the big supersport category aka 600 or liter bikes or other bikes like naked bikes with more then 100hp
You know you should try and find a decent-condition 90's ZXR400 as a compare (did they ever import those to the US? Possibly not?). Learnt my craft on the ZXR; such fond memories!
No they did not!!! I bought my 89 YZR-500 from CANADA in 1991. Looked at a 1990 VFR-400 also. Wish i would have bought it too!!! I last rode a 94 ZX-7, the 96 to 98 ZXR400 looked like a smaller version of it.
Aww that's a damn shame! Yes, the ZXR400 was visually a bit like a baby 7. Very attractive bike and an absolute hoot in the twisties. I had one, and later on an RVF400RR (baby RC45). Both great bikes. Fond memories. Wish I'd kept 'em now!
I love the idea of a 400. In the uk we have to ride a 125cc for 2 years before we and get somthing a bit bigger so we dont really want to start from starter bike to a second starter bike like the ninja 250 so the 400 is perfect
Dude you’re riding around my work area and then later near my apartment hahah hell ya considering to grab this or the r3 for my first bike. Great review!!
@@MrPatspp lol for sure. I did buy it over two years ago.....and sold it two days ago. Not because I didnt love it, but ended up getting a sports car to replace it. Will miss it for sure.
I have this bike. It’s great as a first bike! Fast enough to zip around in, but not too much to try to learn maneuvering and the basics without hurting yourself
yes, This, but in the end if they'll ever come out with a naked version with this engine we know it's going to be a ninja without a faering and rebadged as z400
Just bought one coming from a keeway RKF ( good bike for a Chinese bike ) I AM IN LOVE 😍 it looks awesome it moves like a bullet it corners like a train. For the next level up you can not get better in my opinion
400cc is about the perfect combo, especially in a parallel twin. Power is not too much, but enough to take you on the freeway. Power comes up in a linear fashion, and will not spook a new rider. A new rider won't want to jump to a bigger bike quite as quick. When they do, they can always make a track bike out of a 400.
Could you please start adding torque in Nm too? Not everyone in the world measures stuff using body parts (feet). I'm sure someone would like the engine power figures in kW as well.
You should get it. I bought it as my first bike ever. Never rode a bike in my life and this bike is so easy to learn on that im confident on going up to a 600cc. But not soon. Lol
This was my first bike, and even being as small as I am it was forgiving enough to make it easy for me to become comfortable. (I'm 5'1" and just over 100lbs.) It's got a smooth power output and is a lot of fun with the low curb weight that you can really flick around (Edit: I also recommend it)
I get about 64-74 mpg city and 75-81 mpg highway. Normal riding. Average 250+ miles per tank....3.7 gallons... Run it to about half gallon. Usually about 250 miles between fillups
they make them 400cc because in EU we got this mc license called A2 which is middle class mc. the power limit is 35kw so what people can do is get something that is a bit to powerful like a mt-07 and de tune it to A2 Class and drive it on their A2 license. allot of people actually do just that and they use that bike as their first bike that they learn on and then also take the test on. so that's why the 400cc. because Kawasaki knows based on EU statistiks that new riders can handle that power and it will be a much better bike for them to grow in to and then progress to bigger bikes. pretty much all the mc manufacturers now offer most of their lineup of bikes in normal setup or factory detuned to A2 and registered as an A2. (can be retuned again later. For full power)
Nice review Zack, and sweet wheelie! The impromptu Hyundai 'race' was hilarious. I think the got was annoyed getting beat twice and had to run the light. You're in South O.C., my old stomping grounds. Ever visit Kawi on Jeronimo? ;) I am NOT a fan of that parallel twin sound either. Sounds so anemic. But, I kinda want a Ninja 400 as a backup/commuter/canyon bike from my main (Triumph 675R). :D I love the small-bore sporties and am glad to see this market flourishing. However, I'd really like to see a small-bore triple! Maybe a Daytona 375R? :D
Ktm 390, yamaha r3, honda cbr500, kawasaki ninja 400 krt...kawasaki beats them all in speed power looks and price. Definantly the bike at the top of its class range
My wife rides on the back and loves it. Shes 5' 113lbs and i barely notice shes on the back. Im 270lbs and we float over the pavement with ease. The bike moves without trying.
