THE GENTLE GIANT

The Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX is one heavyweight that won't bully its rider

- Manaal Mahatme

There's something disarming about a machine that looks like it wants to wrestle you to the tarmac but instead greets you with the temperament of a monk, isn't it? The Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX with its sharp lines, muscular fuel tank and that 'predictable' Ninja attitude, belongs squarely in that category.

One glance and you'd expect a fire-breathing litre-class brute demanding an iron wrist and monk-like discipline. Instead, the big Ninja opens with a bow, not a roar... well, at least, until 4000 rpm.

Below that mark, the 1100SX was so calm, so eerily composed, that I began to suspect Kawasaki accidentally mixed in chamomile tea with the coolant. But with a generous twist of the throttle, the inline-four breathed, and suddenly it remembered its lineage. The mask lifted, the genes woke up, and the bike snapped into a purposeful stride that reminded me that this was still a Ninja.

Yet even then, it never became intimidating, and that was the magic trick. Many large-capacity motorcycles demand respect first and forgiveness later. The 1100SX, though, was that rare exception — even a rider upgrading from modest displacement territory won't feel overawed. The 1100 SX was powerful but predictable, fast but friendly, and seasoned without being snappy.