India Kawasaki Motors has launched the 2017 Kawasaki Ninja 1000, at a very attractive price of Rs. 9.98 lakh (ex-showroom). The third-generation Ninja 1000 is now brought to India as semi-knocked down (SKD) kits and assembled in India, and so Kawasaki has been able to price the bike aggressively. Only 20 units of the Ninja 1000 have been assigned for India and bookings have already started. We had reported that the new Ninja 1000 will be launched, but Kawasaki has also announced that the Kawasaki Z900 will now be available without the standard optional kit - which includes fly screen, radiator guard, engine casing cover and crash protection. The standard Kawasaki Z900 is priced at Rs. 9 lakh (ex-showroom) and the base variant of the Z900 without the optional kit is now priced at Rs. 7.68 lakh (ex-showroom).
2017 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 gets a host of electronic rider aids
The 2017 Ninja 1000 now meets Bharat Stage IV (BS-IV) emission regulations, and gets some tweaks in the ECU, engine and minor cosmetic updates. The 2017 model carries forward the same engine, chassis and suspension. The 1043 cc, four-stroke, in-line four engine makes 140 bhp at 10,000 rpm and 111 Nm of peak torque at 7,300 rpm. The engine may be the same, but it now features a secondary balancer on the crankshaft, to eliminate excessive vibration. The ECU has been re-tuned too, and it has better ergonomics than the outgoing model.
New Kawasaki Ninja 1000 gets minor updates in design and now meets BS-IV regulations and is assembled in India
The Ninja 1000 gets wider fairings, a new three-way adjustable windscreen, a 5-way adjustable clutch lever and new seat. The instrument panel is all-new too, and features a large analogue tachometer and a multi-function LCD screen with a gear position indicator. For just under Rs. 10 lakh (ex-showroom), the Ninja 1000 gets a lot of standard equipment, including rider aids such as Kawasaki Cornering Management Function, Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC) and Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock Brake System (KIBS).
Kawasaki Ninja 1000 will be assembled in India as SKDs
In India, the Kawasaki Ninja 1000 has no real competitor, and with a very attractive price tag, it promises a lot of performance and technology in the litre-class sport touring category. The closest rival to the Ninja 1000 will be the Suzuki GSX-S1000F, but the Suzuki is a full import, and being a completely built unit (CBU), is significantly more expensive at Rs.12.70 lakh (ex-showroom).
