Kawasaki Ninja 400: The Budget-Friendly Speed Demon 

More Kawasaki Ninja 400 videos: ru-vid.com/group/PL_aOBl14I060tnR1y8v_acVXrodT5HcSz&si=BMJ6cMbEf1dNx5_O Really appreciate all of the positive comments and discussions taking place here, feel free to ask any questions😎🛵🏍🚀

Been riding most of my life and to be honest, I have more fun taking a twisty road leisurely at 60mph than blasting down the interstate at over 100. On a ninja 650 now I honestly think it has enough power, comfort and handling that I don't feel wanting for more.

as someone who started on a 125cc 15 hp bike, i can say that the power of the ninja 400 is plenty

i've ridden lots of motorcycles in the last 20 years and i've came to the conclusion that power is not a top 3 on my reason to like a motorcycle. i rode a 2023 ninja 400 for about 4 hours on a 80 mile ride, last 10 miles were in torrential downpour. the 400 is very nimble and easy to throw around, im 6ft 230lbs and the slim tank is very huggable. lane splitting was very easy compared to a supersport. for my weight it pulls surprisingly well 10-75mph. from 88-100, it took forever lol. braking was pretty good too, need better tires for aggressive riding with braking and cornering. but stock tires were great in the torrential downpour, i never lost faith in the tires at that point

Man’s the Bob Ross of motorcycling

dude your video quality is amazing! i totally agree and i love having both a zx10 and a Ninja 400 some people just dont realize how fun the smaller bikes are 😂

Great video, 100% agree with your opinion on smaller capacity machines. Ive subbed

I have been riding almost my entire life. Big bikes and small bikes. In 1984 i bought the very first Ninja. The 900 Ninja. I really loved that bike. But in recent years riding on small streets i have been riding a Ninja 250 and a small little scooter. But then i started feeling like i wanted a big bike again. So i spent a couple of years test riding many different bikes. From a Honda 500 and 650. Kawasaki 400 and 650. And z900. Yamaha Xsr 900. Mt07 and mt09. And R6. Triumph speed twin 1200. Speed triple RS. And other bikes. But then i ended up buying a bike that wasnt even on my radar. I just came across a 2nd hand Ducati 939 Supersport with 2159 km on it. The bike looked like new and i bought it without even test riding it first. And i am happy with my decision. I love the bike. But it is powerful and heavy. And is at its best on really big sweeping turns. But not on smaller canyons or in the city. And i started thinking about how much i loved my test ride on the little 400 Ninja. so i kept my eyes open for one. And i came across a great deal on a 2nd hand one with 288km on it fora great orice And i could not resist getting it. The bike is a joy to ride. Its so easy to make the bike go where you want it to go. With power that you use all the time instead of power you use ocasionally. I love both my bikes for different reasons. They are both great bikes. But i also love the Triump 765 Speed Tripple. It handles like a small and light bike in the city. But can also really fly when you want it to. But i wish it had a fairing. Anyway the Ninja 400 is a great bike. And its not just for beginners. I think on most small to mid size canyon twisties you will beat the bigger bikes on it. But dont expect it to rip your arms off with its low end power.

nice riding man , i ride big bikes for a long time and recently bought a husqvarna 701 as second bike , smaller bikes are more fun 100% ! i was looking at these bikes as tracktool to have fun on , nice to see you trowing it around as its ment for 🤘🤘

I own several bikes, some quite powerful and my newest one is the 2023 Ninja 400. My 1999 Honada VFR 800 Interceptor is quite fast as well very quick, it's tuned with a full exhaust. I also have a 2022 Ninja 636, also fast and quick, no tune, only slip on exhaust change, it's fun but you get sore after a while. Last year we purchased a 23 Ninja 400 to upgrade my son from a CBR 250R. He loved the 400, but after a while, he wanted more power, what young man doesn't?! He is tall enough to flatfoot the VFR, so I started riding the 400 he started putting miles on the VFR. I tell ya, it's been a long time since I had this much fun on something quick and nimble that is also comfortable. Yes, of course I tuned it, a $285 ECU flash gave the 400 quite a bit more juice, but it really didn't need it, believe me, this is not the 400cc bike from the 90's, in stock form, this is quite the pocket rocket. You really don't need a 175Mph machine, you will ride 99% of the time at speeds this 400 can achieve with ease.

Man, just when I thought I was set on getting the cfmoto 450ss, I start getting recommended videos like these making me torn between that and the ninja 400. Videos online say I can't go wrong with both, but man the ninja400 gets so much praise about its lightweight / maneuverability. Its a shame we don't have good twisties in NYC/Long Island

The top speed is not that short. What's lacking is the mid-to-late acceleration. From 60mph, acceleration is noticeably slower, and from 90mph, it feels like it's barely accelerating. The biggest advantage of this bike would be its cheerful movement, which comes from light weight when passing through short corners or consecutive corners. Also, the quarter-class, which is light and has a short wheel base, has a higher cornering speed than a liter-class bike.

Riding isn't all about speed for me riding isn't a race, i love riding, enjoy the scenery the winds and love my self

love these informational type videos man, keep it up.

Exactly! Thank you!

Most riders are not mature enough to understand this. It is fun to make a "slow" bike fast. I once bought the Suzuki TU-250. When I was picking it up new at the dealership, the salesman asked me if I was a new rider. I laughed and said my main ride was a Bandit 1250, but I also had a Valkyrie and a VTR1000 and an RC51 race bike. To that he replied "Why do you want THAT bike?" I just laughed. That thing was a hoot! I banged it off the redline with every shift. I also remember once stopping at a popular riding hangout and was talking to a rider of an R6. I was riding my F4 (so you can tell this was in '99). I asked him how he liked his R6. He said, "it's okay, but I have already outgrown it". I could see his homies were all on CBR1000's and R1's. I didn't say anything to him, but his words were saying one thing, and his bike was telling a different story, because as he was talking, I was checking out his tires. The tires had 1" wide "wanker strips" of unused, virgin rubber! Outgrew indeed! The overarching VAST majority of riders do not possess the skills needed to even use 25% of the capability of the modern open class sportbike. If they do and use that on the street, it is a recipe for disaster. If they take it to the track, most will be humbled. I was at a track day once at VIR and got passed like I was standing still by Rich Oliver (AMA 250cc Champion) who was doing the track day to get some riding and setup time in.

Damn, that is a nice place to ride. ANY bike above 250cc would be fun there.

I have a ninja 400 and love riding on back roads and absolutely love tearing those bad boys up. I am about to sell it though, and get a zx6r, but I feel like that will be extremely balanced in weight and horsepower compared to the power and weight of most 1000ccs and I'm hoping it will be the perfect bike for me.

Dude you boys were getting it

Uh, maybe a rename of the channel… “Above-average moto”… you can ride!

i’ve had my ninja 400 for about 5 months now, i am constantly approached by the bigger bike guys after we hit the twisties. They can never understand why the “slow” bike is always riding there tails, but i’ve definitely out grown the 400 and i wanna get a zx6 to really hone in my riding skills

Be careful out there I see you crossing that line and leaning over, stay safe!

Great video man. I've had a ninja 400 for a good while now and agree that smaller bikes have their innate strengths on backroads like this. Not that they're necessarily "better", but bigger bikes have a completely different experience than smaller ones and both are fun. It's all preference, and as you said there's so much more to bikes and cars than spec sheets. I'm probably gonna get a zx-4rr next. I just love smaller bikes, and eventually I'll probably have a sport tourer for the best of both worlds, its a blessing that motorcycles are so much cheaper than cars.

I agree with everything said. However, I just purchased my fist liter bike 2 months ago and I must say the feeling I get riding that bike is incomparable to any bike I have rode in my 10 years of riding.

Great video quality. I remember when I first started riding, all of the "old guys" saying "you don't need this", "you don't need that", you'd be better off with this" and the one that it took a long time to really understand "spec sheets don't tell you a darned thing about how fast a bike is on the actual roads that you ride it on". Well, it turns out that those "old guys" knew a thing or two more than me. It's interesting watching this video with a young rider that I know in mind. He started riding on a Yamaha R3. He traded "up" to a Triumph 675 Daytona which he has now determined to be far too powerful for the roads that we have around our parts, citing that he has to nurse it too much and can't thrash it like he wants to. He wants something that's a bit faster than his old R3. On his wish list is the new Kawasaki ZX-4R, which he reckons should lie about halfway between the two bikes that he's had.

I been riding a 400 for 3 years now and i'll say its a blast and PLENTY of power for city streets, back roads, twistys...everything but straight line hwy trying to keep up with litre bikes! Lol but i dont worry bout that anyways! I let them fly mach jesus and i fly mach peter or paul!

Hey man awesome video you can really ride, thinking of getting a 400 as my first bike in the next month or two since it is warming up. I was also wondering is that digital gauge factory? I cant seem to find ninjas with that wherever I look, def would love to have that. Great vid again.

I have a 2018 candy plasma blue (rare color) ninja 400 and I agree, they are fantastic bikes. Did a full exhaust, velocity stacks, high performance air filter and ECU tune and that REALLY wakes the bike up. My friends have a r1 and gsxr 1000 and they were impressed with the bike especially how it corners.

certainly accept your views .this is what should be looked at rather than looking at numbers on sheet.

yeah man my buddy has a ninja 400 (i have a cbr1000rr) and sometimes i get jealous of how comfortable he says he is all the time 😂 makes me miss my ninja 650

Very smooth riding. Haven't tried the Ninja 400, more interested in the upright Z400. I gotta say, I started on a ninja 300, which I didn't like, very gutless, hard to get away from traffic when I filter to the front of the lights, poor suspension, no torque at all to pass cars on moutain roads, and I just don't like the sport ergo, feels awkward on very tight turns. Now on a DRZ400S, I really enjoy it, completely different riding style, way lighter than the ninja 300, great bottom end torque, has decent stock suspension (gonna do the racetech on it in the future), really enjoy it in the twisties, but the vibration and lack of 6 speed starts does suck when the speed picks up. If they can put a ninja 400 engine into a DRZsm, I think that would be a very interesting ride. I need to test ride that ktm 390 adv also...

brand new ninja 400 owner of about 2 months now and im nowhere near as good as that guy but i hope to be in the future, you've earned a sub

Yep. Agreed! 👍✌🤙

Good points that a smaller bike is nimble and easy to steer, and can be just as fun as a stronger, faster bike, but especially on the curved roads.

Yeah that's about right I used to own a ninja 400 the twisties are where it shines. Few were the times that I had to be careful of how much throttle I was utilising.

Nice ride

This ninja 400 is my 9th bike and I love it

Nice twisties you have out there, should come try out the one here, but ton of state troopers to watch out for lol

I tell people all the time. If they’ve never ridden anything faster it will be surprising how fast the ninja 400 feels when you ride it for the first time.

I know you guys love going fast but you gotta understand we have speed limits and usually a 200/300cc can already go way past those speed limits. A 400cc is definetely not slow. Maybe in moto GP race it is slow, definetely not for the road tho.

I still have my 2015 Ninja 300 abs, put 41K miles on it. With K&N high performance filter, Two Brothers Carbon exhaust, Actual sport tires and always fresh oil in it - I can follow 600cc bikes on mountain twisty roads - no problem. Can imagine what 400cc will do with just some mods, that's gonna be next bike - 400. P.S absolutely must to make sure you always have a fresh oil, never overdue the change, 3000K mile intervals is max, I do mostly every about 2500k miles and tire PSI must be correct, check it in the morning before you start ride for correct reading. Ride Safe ✌️

Hey I’m looking to get into riding and videos like this really make me better understand the bikes I may pick. Just wanted to say great video man keep it up!

I'd say roughly 98 percent of riders on the road can't even utilize all the potential of even a 600. 750cc are rare now a days and was the most potent all around bike on the road. GSXR 750 in 98 I believe it was was a 600 frame with a 750 stuffed in. It was a monster

Newer rider and planning to buy my first bike. Been riding my friends bike here and there. But now I really want to get myself a 400 and work my way up to a ZX6R layer on

Nice trail braking tutorial by the 400 rider.

I also think its more fun to ride a "slower" bike faster closer to its limits, especially on track

That lil ninja in the turns is leaving them all for dust xD

everyone can go fast on a straight, but how fast can you take a corner? speed isn't everything.

Exactly.Thanks for the video😊

Bought a ninja 400 krt edition last year...super comfortable bike....rev it like hell... totally fun on twisties...you can take the outside or inside lane around litre classess...but it was too comfortable for me that i wanted to upgrade..and i upgraded to z900 this month...still happy and fun .....but yes 400 is no small bike...it is fun and fast

True a ninja 400 is a decent beginners bike. Probably wouldn’t waste the money myself, but if you’re new to riding maybe a good choice.

Uh yeah it is lol. I was soooo happy to get away from parallel twins 😅 (in Australia we have to start on bikes under certain power/power-weight) Where I am we don't have roads like that, so I suppose that's a factor for me too, preferring more poweful bikes. Currently daily a 2020 Street Triple RS (765cc) and looking at getting a used 2021+ Ninja 1000SX to replace that and my Kawasaki Meanstreak 1600 (havent ridden that in a few months I think). Looking at the 1000SX for a more comfortable long distance ride and power, as whenever I go see family it's a 7 hour ride on straight highway and always have 30-40+km/h headwinds for at least 2-3 hours. (Hurts the neck at 110 or worse at 130+km/h so need to tuck which isn't all the comfortable outside of twisties 😅

Great video and even better POV! Keep up man

I have a 2023 ninja 400 love it stock tires are scary but anyway, my freinds ride a mt09 and daytona 675 i leave them on the twisties if i want to, its nimble easy and fun, just got some new clip ons and rearsets for it, wating to install them and, are getting some new rosso corsa 4 to put on it im stoked for next season

Recently bought a 2019 ninja 400 no abs and was able to ride with a couple on a bmw 1200gs adventure (with luggage) for a small trip and in a free straight we topped the ninja at 125 the guys on the gs got surprised and now want one!

Imagine if he had a 400rr

no bike is ever too slow, a bike is a bike! 😊

Great mature video vs all those 600 go fast wannabes

Subcribed just cuz u have a motorbike I miss my bike so much but too many issues I can't keep up

yooo, Redwood road. Love it man I ride there all the time

100hp is the sweetspot. No need for electronics, still exhilarating.

Ridermod also matters as much as the bike

I love my ninja 400 but if I have 4 cars to pass its kinda lacking especially if the slow guy in front gets mad and speeds up. Of course I only do this in legal passing zones.

awesome riding! 😛

Imo, this is the best starter bike.

Love it

Redwood rd I love it - I’ll be there on my s1krr, debating on going to the zx4rr next or zx6r

It’s skill too tho!

Nice i found one with my opinion. I Always prefererred 600cc or 750cc . Enaugh for the street. But if i have the chance to testride a zx4rr or Aprilia 450 i will try them.

any bike is fun to me :) sadly i prefer a 600 over say the 400 just cause of sound but it's all about having fun and enjoying it however you can!

not the same thing but to be fair when im out on the twisty roads in scotland the amount of triumph tigers and gs1200s i see smoking liters is insane and mt09s aswell with good riders obviously

Best bike I ever sold, I cry a little about it every night.

So what you're saying is the R1 can blow the 400 out of the water completely everywhere, depending on the rider and whether or not he wants to mess up the 'flow of the ride.'? so the Ninja 400 is no match for the R1. Sounds expected =)

That sounds like a CP2 in an R7.

Respectful question: Do you feel like you're riding well within your limits in this video? I like smaller bikes. Ride a CBR 600 myself, and it's doing great here in the twisties of switzerland.

never seen 40-80 look so fast, what camera setting do you use?! i also thought you were on the 400 the 1st 3minutes lol cool comparison!

I will never stop saying this, but 120 mph is not slow. sure its not 600/liter bike speed, but who cares? twisties are way more fun than highway rides for the majority of riders (or at least the riders I know) so you really dont need crazy top end or even crazy acceleration to have fun. plus its a lot more fun if youre not just in one gear the whole time! Im on a 636 now, but there are many days I miss the 400. dont underestimate them!

I had a 400 and now have a 600 the 400 was fun but yes it was slow

Only people that say a Ninja 400 is slow are weekenders that only ride like 500 miles a year and all highway 😂

So I’ve been in the woods since I was a kid, but I never had a street bike. I picked up a ninja 400 and to say that I’m in love would be an understatement. However, I feel like a novice rider on the twisties. I’m trying to learn as much as I can about riding position, lean angles, braking etc…. I noticed that the guy on the 400 was flying, yet seemed to be in a neutral position pretty much the whole time. Almost seemed to counter steer on some of the corners, while the guys I’ve seen on the track are leaning hard to the inside. I’m so confused! Anyone know where I can find more info on this?

bro I love those supersport litre bikes like they are my dream but me specifically If I'm buying one good supersport or just a sport bike? I would prefer smaller bikes 400cc or twin 750is. like litre bikes are fast but on the road I don't see any use for it only if I'm the type like I'm the superior but since I'm not that type I prefer a decent pull but nimble I guess if really want something sick 600s supersport are my option

I would love to ride a 400 just to see how it feels.

I went 120mph on my ninja 400 but I'm skinny and it's got a tune

In asia 150cc sportbik is fun and cheap maintenance

Have you tried Cbr300r or R3 on same road? Wonder how they handle in comparison or newer SV650?

zx6 be the sweet spot ?? vs zx 4 ?? compare both .

2018 ninja 400? also the old magna v65 is a monster.

I got Honda CD 70 so id say your bike is fast

How much do you weigh? I weigh 206 without gear…wonder if the 400 suspension would not work well with my weight?

I like the ninja 400s but hate the really upright clip ons. can you get replacements that put you in a more sporty position?

i helped a chick move from tampa bay the the florida keys. i had a 1200 sportster she had the 21 ninja 400. i had all her clothes and my clothes on my sportster, she could barely pull 90mph. its not about a tops speed. its about usable speed. she couldnt keep up on the on ramps. couldnt keep up passing trucks. i also put a few 100 miles on that ninja 400. its fast like a hatchback is fast. zippy is the right word

Do any of the other brands make a 400cc bike?

If I wanted a bike that had a little bigger engine then the ninja what should I get the bike can be bigger but the bike size doesn’t really matter 2 me

Is this a ninja 400 or a ZX4R? A plain twin cylinder 400 has about 44bhp and I couldn't see that keeping up with a much bigger bike like an R1.

Whats a good price for a used ninja 400 on Facebook marketplace as well as the mileages

I used to have a vfr400 nc 30, i was almost always just as quick as my friends on much larger cc bikes for all the reasons you mention. Got a Superduke now which is effortlessly fast for completely different reasons. Also immensely enjoyable though.

Would cruise at 130mph on my cbr650r on the interstate with ease. I'm actually thinking about getting the zx4rr now just because it's unique. But I'm also gigantic and would like a bigger bike too

Now Is the time . We have variable vane turbochargers with inconel turbines . It's time to revisit the turbo bikes of the 80's. Imagine a 400 with literbike performance in a straight line .

How fast can that r1 really go on those twisties if that Ninja 400 wasn't in the way? I saw about 80, so can that r1 do 100 or 110 on that road?😮

Guys I have a 2021 zx6r. I’m old. It’s way too powerful for me. Even in low power between 8k and 16k you better strap in. It’s scary. This guy knows what he is talking about. No one needs a liter bike. Most can’t even handle a 600. Smaller bikes are a blast and cops will not harass you. Ride responsible and people won’t run you off the road and will look out for you. Ride like a jerk be prepared