Review of the 2018 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 ABS! STN:019 

Aww thanks Absolom84! Its really nice to hear that and I so appreciate the feedback! You will LOVE your 650 it is a great motorcycle and I think it is a perfect bike for you to start your adventure. Congratulations big time!!! Make sure you let me know how you like it after a couple hundred miles :)!! Ride safe brother!

Thanks Adnan ! Appreciate the feedback. Kawasaki hasn’t written me any checks just yet lol but maybe someday. I do love their bikes and I’m sure that comes out in the videos.

Kick stand is not an issue if you turn the bike off or hold the clutch in before you flip it down, which is common sense. I always turn my bike off before putting it on the stand.

LOL yeah Marc I think out loud much too often. I'm glad you enjoy the videos and thank you for the comment and stopping by the channel!!

DKCJ789! appreciate your kind words. Yeah from 2017-19 other than colors I dont see any changes. Looks like 2020 has had some significant improvements though with cruise control, more rider aids, 4-1 exhaust now (finally) and that sweet new all digital dashboard! I still love mine and I'm looking forward to doing more content on it this year! Thanks again for your comment and stopping by!

StormtrooperNinja dang! I should have held out one more year! Everything the 2020 has is exactly what I wish mine had. It’s a touring sport bike for goodness sakes! It SHOULD have cruise control and headed grips at the very least! Even with all of that said, I still love my bike and the wife and I go out as often as we can. This pandemic has really cleared up any traffic and most people driving to work, so I can hit the country roads and tear it up a bit without worry. Keep the mods and videos coming!!!

Yeah that is a really tough call. For me, I just like the fairing look and so I leaned that way. The Z900 from everything I've read and viewed looks to be an amazing bike as well. All that I can tell you is that I've been riding the Ninja 1000 for over 2 years and I still love riding this bike. It has had no issues whatsoever and can keep up with anything on the road. Even if I do replace it next year, the Ninja 1000 will always have a special place in my heart. Its that good.

Hey William! Nice to hear from you again! Yeah I couldn't agree more, Kawasaki has a great lineup and they have all the bases covered in my opinion. I think beginner bikes...though they might cost slightly more...would benefit greatly from having some of these rider aids. It would give new riders more confidence and perhaps we'd see more riders on the road. I think many perceive motorcycling as dangerous (and there is some truth to that) but it probably dissuades more people than necessary from ever getting on a bike in the first place. I think for a new rider it'd be nice to at least see options out there along side the standard and cheaper bikes that offered safety features like rider modes, traction control and 6-axis monitoring with ABS. On a lightweight 400 or 650 at a slightly higher but reasonable cost I think they'd sell more than a few of those. If I had the choice and it was a few hundred more to have those features I'd probably do it. You'd think it'd probably increase re-sale value as well. Anyway off the soapbox...thanks for stopping by and thanks for the comment!

Thanks Dee Dubb! I wish they'd send me some money ha ha!! Appreciate the feedback! thank you so much for the support!

Yah Vinay I have no regrets and this bike is proving to be just as awesome as the 650. I cant wait for it to be out of the break-in so I can run her out a little. Thanks for the comment and for stopping by!

Thanks Thomas! I agree this bike is definitely worth consideration when shopping sport bikes! It’s a serious contender in my book! Thanks for the comment and stopping by!

StormtrooperNinja yes. It’s also a great all a rounder. It’s a boulevard attention getter, a sport tourer, and in my opinion, it’s a great cruiser.. And it’s a fucking Ninja!

I have an 09' GTR 1400 and have my eye on this bike too. My only dilemma is if should sell it to buy the 1000. There are a lot of leftover 1000's for sale well below MSRP.

The exhaust is absolutely something I'm addressing in the near future! Amen on the paddock stand....unfortunately I've already scratched my swingarm 😢 I've been looking at fender extenders and fully replacing them with carbon fiber ones that is something I'll do down the road a bit. I've had lots of folks telling me to get a radiator guard so I think its time I listen! Thanks for the suggestions and for stopping by!! Glad you're loving yours I do too!! This is a great bike!

Thanks PetParrots! I'm looking forward to riding this bike for a long time!

You should definitely try to ride both if you can but my guess coming from a ZX-6 is that you'll prefer the power delivery of the N1K. Thank you for the feedback and for stopping by! Make sure you let us know what you decide on, I'd be interested in finding out your thoughts either way.

StormtrooperNinja I will let it will can't wait to get it.

That is awesome Wamuu! that 2021 is hot and I'm not going to lie there was one in the showroom when I bought the ZX-10 and I was definitely tempted! Not gonna lie, I miss my N1K a bunch!

Thank you Evgeny! Appreciate the feedback and thank you for stopping by!

I hope he leaves the exhaust. It is a unique design which has carried through its existence. Wish there was a way to keep it and beef up the sound!

Snow Ninja I'm honestly not sure if it voids the warranty....i suspect not but I think that is a good question! I will be looking into this as you now have me curious!! I never thought about it honestly. If it does that will definitely give me pause to do a full system replacement. Because the full systems on the 1000 are VERY expensive, its much more likely that I would put slip-ons on.

Kurohyou69, I do agree that the exhaust on this N1K is iconic...but it sure does get in the way of a lot of things. I'm going to be honest here, I do intend to put on some slip ons as soon as I can afford it (aka convince my wife)! My biggest issue with the exhaust is NOT the sound, I rather like it...though I wish it could be a little louder but with how large they are and not being able to put rear spools on safely. AND THE KICKSTAND THING DRIVES ME NUTS!! Thanks though for your comments. Looking forward to meeting some other N1K riders and lurkers!!

They have yoshimura alpha slip ons, expensive yes, but they are label them as a qualified dealer replacement part on their website which is great! Unfortunately for ninja 650 they are labeled as modified part, I will ask next oil change i got coming up. All in all I love the N1K! =D

yeah is there even a slip on option for the 650? I dont remember being much if anything in that category. I think once you pull the catalytic converter out you're kind of treading water and pushing luck with the manufacturer and how they look at it. Seems like a good percentage of people do that regardless but I've never really considered it until you brought it up. I think that is a good point and something that should be discussed. Seems like it would be counter-productive for the makers but a legal loophole they could use to get out of a warranty engine item. I hope that isn't the case.

Thank you Grindathon T! I just realized that the other day but thank you for pointing it out. That does make it much easier!

Awesome to hear and congrats on the 2018 Ninja! I'm loving it so far and I just got the stock dyno done today. I may even do a live stream tonight with the results...but i'm still mulling it over. Doing several videos on changing the exhaust and getting a tune coming up which may be of interest to you. I checked out your channel, that is awesome I've never seen that game but your vids are great! Thanks for stopping by the channel and for the comment!

@@StormtrooperRides did you finance it or buy it cash I am looking to finance one but not sure how much to put down on it if I even do make the move

Was thinking of getting between the 650 or 1000 but imma see what the 1000 has to offer.

I do experience heat that is more prevalent on the right side though I would not characterize it as unbearable. If stuck in traffic there is definitely heat, more so on the right side as I ride, and it can get quite warm but as soon as the bike moves the heat dissipates quickly. Its possible though if I were in a different setting with regards to traffic that it might be more intense but luckily being stuck in traffic is generally a short affair here where I live. Thank you for leaving the comment you live in my dream vacation spot and I hope to one day visit your country! I really like the new emerald green color and I think if I had that option I may have gone that way. That said though, I love the silver and will be a good canvas for future cosmetic upgrades. I think the light silver and black look has good contrast and can be seen by more people when riding. Take care and again thank you for leaving the comment and asking the question. I look forward to hearing more from you!

Hi StormtrooperNinja, thanks for replying and sorry for my delayed reply. Yes, Sydney is indeed a beautiful city and I'm very fortunate to be able to live here. Unfortunately, traffic here is getting to be a real bitch! Recently, they made it legal to filter through the traffic (at under 30kph, above that speed it's called lane splitting and comes with heavy fines) this helps, but stop-start traffic is often unavoidable. It's in this stop-start traffic that I experienced almost a burning heat coming up from the right side. (It was also 34°C/94°F day, which probably didn't help.) I've since taken the Ninja 1000, for a second test ride on a much cooler day and absolutely loved it. I still experienced a lot of heat from the right hand side engine case. So that, along with having to fold back the mirrors every time I want to filter thru traffic (which is a lot) have sadly put me off purchasing one. I will continue to watch how you transform your bike and wish you all the best with your channel!

I am from the midwest in northwest Illinois right on the border of Iowa. I live in an area called the Quad Cities. Davenport, IA being the biggest of the Quad but all 4 (actually 6) towns are right on top of each other so if you're not from here you'd not even know you were in another city...it just feels like one large city. Thanks for the compliments and for stopping by!

I know that I’m biased but this bike is the best and I’m having so much fun with it. Every time I ride it just keeps getting better! Let me know if you pick one up!

Thanks Oneindig318! I think the looks of all of the Z1000SX/Ninja 1000's are pretty good. I do like some of the styling cues they used on the updates starting in 2017 but I agree it probably wouldn't be worthy of an upgrade for that alone. I'm writing down your tire choice as I've been curious to know what people are going to after wearing out the stock rubber. A 55 rear is definitely in my future as I find the front end squirrelly in certain conditions. Thank you for that info and thanks for stopping by and commenting! Take care!

on the SX, ive been on mpr3, wich was a good experience, mpr4 was better but those are really sensitive to cupping, mine did after 2/3rds of its life wich was a bummer, the 3's did not, but i know of many people that had those cup as well, the new 5's ive not tried yet so i can't comment, im currently on metzeler roadtec 01, these are really good as well but in wet conditions they give me less confidence compared to michelin or even the pirelli for some odd reason.

Thats good to know! I'm going to give carless life a try next season as my lease runs out on my car. I'm going to try and just ride the bike full time and explore what that is like. On those days where it is just not possible I can make other arrangements (for snow etc)....so tire selection will be really important to me next year as I expect to change tires over the summer. Thank you for the discussion on this!

I just picked up a 2017 Ninja 1000 with 7k miles - I don't feel hardly any vibration anywhere. Haven't had it over 95 mph - and rarely ever would, but mine is awesome.

thanks for the comment, its too bad about how they are taxing goods like this as I love this bike and would love to see more riders on it! Thank you for stopping by and for your comment.

Irfan Qureshi first let me tell you congratulations! You will love this bike! As for break in I don’t recall the bike working especially hard but I would say that it got smoother after a couple months of riding. I tried to keep it under 5-6k rpm through the first 500-600 miles and then I really didn’t worry about it after that. I got the first service done about 550 miles or so and never looked back. I’m finding the same to be true with the new bike as well...it’s getting smoother the more I ride it. I’m going to take it in for service next week as I just crossed 500 miles on it. Let me know how things go and as you get used to the bike I’d love to hear your opinion on if it smooths out at all. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your great news!!

Irfan Qureshi thats true, keep rpms under 4k. Do some up shifting, down shifting. Keep changing your rpms. Dont stick to same speed and rpm for long period of time. Ride in city, you should be ok. No long cruises and freeway rides in breakin period. Change oil at 600 miles. Congrats.

The 2017 & 2018 versions are identical except for color to the best of my knowledge. Lights, dash, etc are all the same yes. Handling on curvy roads i would characterize as "good" but then again I have not yet pushed this bike but it gets much lighter when in motion and while you feel the weight of this bike (It does weigh 500+lbs) I do not find it to be heavy when riding it. I have not changed my stock tire and probably wont for a few thousand miles but I do intend to go to a 190/55 from the stock 190/50. Thanks for the question and for watching!!

Irfan, that is a really personal decision and I think a lot of factors have to be considered. The 1000 is a little bigger both in height and width...and definitely weight...so YOUR size may be a factor in which bike is more comfortable etc. Both bikes are easy to ride but the 1000 has quite a bit more power so that should be considered. It would be difficult for me to recommend one over the other to you since I dont know you. It is my personal opinion that ANY motorcycle can kill you if you dont respect it or lack the maturity to be aware of what is going on around you. That said, my instinct is to tell you that the 650 would be a better choice but that doesn't mean anything, you should at least sit on both bikes, take a test ride on both if possible and then decide which you're more comfortable on. Either bike will last you a number of years and they are both really beautiful and will turn heads. I dont think you can go wrong either way in terms of appeal.... Make sure to let us know what you decide, I'm excited for you either way! Thanks for the question and comment. Take care....and sorry I cant give you a better answer.

Irfan Qureshi; I hope you have not made a purchase of anything other than a 650! I assure you, if it is your first bike ever, a 250, 300, or if you push it, a 400 would be a good place to start. Even 650 is a LOT of power for a new rider! Be super careful as I was totally out of control on my 250 ninja when I was 21. I had many accidents and the final one totaled the bike but I survived with a lot of missing skin. Then I never had another bike until now. Now I am 50 and I bought a 2013 used Ninja 1000 ABS; way TOO much power, too dangerous, and too overwhelming. I have had since 5/23/18 and I am still getting used to it as it is SUPER dangerous! So if you are younger than 40, be careful and do not purchase a 1000 for your first bike, not even 650. Start small and get used to it; which will take a long time. TRUST ME! You need a lot of experience, I mean a lot! Also, get full protective gear. Even if it is 105 degrees, as it was 2 weeks ago in TX, still you must wear proper boots, leather jacket and leather gloves. Tolerate the heat and do not sacrifice safety for staying cool.

One slide doesn't reflect on the bike. It could have been road conditions or throttle issue.

Thanks James I'm really enjoying and I just love riding it. Its everything I want in a motorcycle! Thanks for stopping by and for the comment.

StormtrooperNinja I must get myself one of this. It so fits my personality bike👌 oh, and I've subscribed to keep up with your fun!!

I have to be honest here, I haven't done any long distance touring with this bike...yet. Having ridden it all summer though and I have done several rides over 100 miles I can tell you its very comfortable in those situations and I do not get "numb butt" on this bike. There is some vibrations at 6K Rpm's though and depending on your riding style that could be annoying. You feel the vibrations in the seat though and not in the handlebars. Hopefully that helps and thank you for the comment and questions. Take care!

@@StormtrooperRides thank you very much sir. Take care and ride safe.

It is comfortable for long distances. I can do 250 miles of back roads in one day with no problems.

Its better than my rt1200 BMW for long distance!!😀👍

Who rides for 200ioes without stopping

@Phantom Big Balls I'm a truck driver. So we don't typically stop for anything less than 200 miles. That being said. When you live in a rural state. Fuel stations can be more than 200 miles pretty easy.

Well, I cannot comment on your first question since I've never been on an adventure tourer...but for a long trip I think you'd be "ok". I do think you'd start to get a bit sore after a few hundred miles without a seat upgrade. I rode the bike about 200 miles this past weekend and it felt great. I never get a sore back but I think your butt would start to get uncomfortable after a 200-300 miles. Thanks for the question and for stopping by!

@@StormtrooperRides Thanks for your detailed reply. This does help in my decision of upgrading. Safe ride!

Hey Christian - I was thinking yes - yes - maybe. I've never had anyone on my pillar seat - and probably never will - but can't see it being comfortable?

Thanks for the sentiment Camark08 1 I'm really enjoying the process of growing the channel so I'm just focused on getting content out regularly and making sure its the best quality I can make it. Sometimes its hit or miss but I am trying. Thank you for stopping by and I appreciate the warm comment!

Just crossed over 500 miles but will keep that in mind as I get closer. Hoping to get a lot more miles on it over the next few weeks so this will go in my notes! Thanks for the suggestion!

Get rid of what ? Tires

@@Asia-lm1xe Yep, s20 tyres. Get them gone!

I love these gloves and thank you for the compliment and stopping by!

I'd say its as easy to ride as the 650 but a couple things to keep in mind. The bike is noticeably heavier and it takes several rides to get used to the new weight. Also this bike has MUCH more power so you also need to be mindful of that especially as you're carrying more weight into a corner and have greater potential to come in 'hot'. As long as you respect those things, I dont feel like the bike is any harder to ride than the 650. Good question and thanks for asking it!

Yes this is the SX in UK. Yeah I keep eying the Sergeant seat upgrade but not sure I like the looks of a higher windscreen. If I did more touring I think I'd be wise to buy a larger one and some bags as well. Mostly I do my riding around town and rarely ride more than 100-200 miles at a time. I do like that seat though and that may be on my agenda next season! Thanks for the feedback!!

@@StormtrooperRides I do recommend the seat!I love it!great channel!👍

Sam G I have a Honda CB1000r and I was wondering the same thing. Love the bike but 0 wind protection and it kills me on long rides. Be interesting to see if he responds cause I want to know this as well.

@@DevilzDance81 sounds the same as me! MT09 is an awesome bike, however long rides it can be a pain, especially when riding 2 up. Just don't know if I'd find this too composed, a little too sensible. Unfortunately no dealers close to me that allow a 24 year old to test ride (based in the UK) have to be 25 for some reason!

Awesome, I'd really like to ride a Z1000 but they dont even sell that bike here in the US anymore as far as I can tell and have replaced it with the Z900. I guess pretty much the same thing. The 650 is definitely more nimble..not sure I'd go so far as to say its a better bike but they both have their high and low points for sure. I have no regrets at this point and I'm very happy with the performance. As I have said, I think I would have ended up on a liter bike one way or the other eventually anyway but yes the weight difference is striking between the two. I'm hoping when I lop off 20-30lbs of exhaust in the future it will make a big difference. Thanks for the comment!

Thanks very much for the compliment and thank goodness that you came through that unscathed! I'll take your word for it as I agree it probably wouldn't be a good idea to try on purpose just to prove the system works! I'm happy to hear that it did though and I'm glad you're still vertical!! Best to you!

StormtrooperNinja 👌👌👌👍👍👍👍... you’ve got a new fan ..:-))😁👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Totally different beast , zx10r brutal monster vs this as a gentle monster

Yeah I love this bike, its been so fun so far!! Wish the temps here would settle a bit its been very hot and tough to ride daily. Thank you for stopping by and for the compliment!

That visor is really great!! Could you tell me what type of visor is it?

I assume you mean the windscreen and I bought that at revzilla and it’s by Puig. Link is in the description of the main review video. Thanks!

Thanks man!!! Hope to see you upload regularly and grow on youtube.

Mrtweet81... Um, maybe dropping the bike. You ever think of that one dude? Jeez you're a picky prick ey.

I went with a Puig windscreen that is dark smoked. I really like it, its about 1" taller than the stock windscreen and makes quite a difference in the "sport" position. Here is a link to the windscreen if you care to look at it. www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/puig-racing-windscreen-kawasaki-ninja-1000-2017-2018 Thanks for stopping by and for the question!

StormtrooperNinja thank you I'm picking up my 1000 next Thurday, so I'm really excited!

AWESOME!!! I'm excited for you!! Make sure you check back in and let us all know how you like it after you get some ride time on that beast!

StormtrooperNinja Are you able to move the handlebars from lock to lock with out hitting the windscreen?

Yes, the Puig windscreen does not interfere with the movement of the handlebars in any way. I frequently have to back my bike around my car in the garage so I'm always lock to lock when doing that. No problems that I can see! Thanks for the question and hope that helps.

The Ninja 650 is a little smaller and lower to the ground. It is more maneuverable especially at slower speeds, is 100lbs lighter and a total joy to ride. The 650 is a 2 cylinder so it sounds different, its more grunty to me (is that a word?). If you're into the sound of a motorcycle like I am you will definitely want to change the exhaust on this bike as the stock pipes sound terrible to me. The 650 has tremendous low end power but goes away quickly as you accelerate but that being said, its no slouch and will definitely go 0-60Mph very quickly. It has a top speed of around 125mph which is definitely fast enough for me and certainly fast enough to kill you if you dont respect it. Now the Ninja 1000 is a bigger bike, a little wider and taller than the 650. If you're short this could be a problem. It is not as maneuverable as the 650 but its quite nimble when its up to speed. It weighs over 500lbs stock so when its not moving very fast you can definitely feel the weight of this bike. Having said that after you ride it a while it is not really a problem to me. The Ninja 1000 is a four cylinder so it is smoother, vibrates less and has immense power throughout the rev range. It has dual exhaust and to me the left side exhaust gets in the way...but a lot of folks like the stock exhaust and the way it looks....for me I didn't love it so I yanked it off as soon as I could. The stock exhaust does sound ok to me though and if sound is a thing like it is for me I dont think its that bad and I could have lived with the sound. If you're an experienced rider then either bike would be good but I suspect most people would go for the 1000 over the 650 due to the increased power. The 650 is a wonderful bike and is easy to ride for virtually anyone. The 1000 has some really cool safety features like the Boch IMU which feeds additional lean calculations to the ABS system, it has power modes and traction controls that should be helpful in different riding conditions. The 650 has ABS only. The 1000 has all LED headlights and just feels a bit more premium...but then again it costs 3000-4000 more dollars. Both bikes are awesome and I'd recommend either to an experienced rider. If you are not an experienced rider then I'd recommend going with the 650 as it will give you more confidence riding and the 1000 just has a lot of power that could overwhelm anyone who doesn't respect the power. But all of that is a personal decision and I wouldn't pretend to know what is best for you. Please let me know what you end up with I'd really like to know! Thank you for the question and for stopping by!

Okay... i think i will go for ninja 650 after a lot of brainstorming... but want a suggestion from you... which exhaust should i go for ninja 650? I want a side mounted muffler rather than a underbelly exhaust... i could not find anything else on the internet rather than an akrapovic and yoshimura

I would check out Black Widow as they have both under chassis systems and side mount systems for the 2017/2018 Ninja 650. They are also very reasonable in cost. I've not done a ton of looking but most of the exhausts for the ninja 650's tend to be under. Hope that helps!

@@StormtrooperRides please make a review video of black widow exhaust on ninja 650 if possible