2018 Kawasaki Ninja 400

A fast and capable beginner motorcycle that’ll also keep the experienced happy.

- Rishabh Bhaskar

Good beginner motorcycles are important in a developing market like ours. Not only do they allow newbies to acquire new skills, but they also aren’t a handful to keep in control. So as ham-fisted as a new rider may be, a fast yet friendly motorcycle is like the good teacher who never leaves a student’s hand as s/he moves up the learning curve. The Ninja 400 belongs to this category of fast yet friendly beginner motorcycles, but at the same time promises to offer enough thrills for those riders who’ve climbed up the ladder. So, what makes it tick?

Design build and ergonomics

Pictures don’t do justice to the Ninja 400 as the bike looks much bigger in the flesh. There’s a nice mix of design languages that have trickled down from the Kawasaki Ninja H2 and the ZX-10R flagship super bikes. The sharp fairing, with the H2 inspired fangs and the twin LED headlamps lends the right amount of aggression to the face. The side panels have their own set of creases, albeit hidden to some extent by the black paintwork, but the bold decals along with the bright green and yellow stickers do liven up things. The tail section is sleek and minimal while the triangular tail lamp seems to have been lifted straight off the ZX-10R. The overall design is attractive and this special Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) colour scheme ensures that everyone notices the bike.

The instrument panel has a negative LCD display that looks premium and I like how the analogue tachometer seems to take pride of place. Honestly, despite this being an age of all-digital displays, there’s a certain feel-good factor about watching a tacho needle swoop to the redline, which in this case sits at 12,000rpm.

The quality of the paint, switch gear and panels feels top-notch and there are no complaints when it comes to fit and finish. The Ninja 400 is as well built as its stablemates, north of its price point.