We were given the new Kawasaki NINJA 1000SX to test over a weekend and decided to take it out for a short ride on Sunday morning, hoping to be back around 1 ish as it was predicted that Blairgowrie was to have rain in the afternoon. I opted to ride the Kawa first and I left my man to ride the 660 Triumph, and in his words “normally the man gets the bigger bike and the lady the small one” well not in our house! I always seem to pick the biggest bike to ride first… perhaps it stems from the fact that my first and only bike so far is a 1200 cc, so I’m not exactly accustomed to riding smaller capacity bikes but then I’ll ride anything I’m given.
We set off to do our normal loop around Magaliesburg via Maropeng. We were greeted by perfect riding weather even though we had a bit of wind. Although the Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX does not have the exact same riding position as my K1200s, which is still slightly more foward, the Kawasaki 1000SX is the first bike I’ve ridden that I’ve instantly felt completely at home riding. It was as if I’d been riding this bike all along. Normally it takes me a few k’s to get used to riding a new bike but not this time.
The Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX is a well-built solid motorcycle, there isn’t anything on this bike that feels plastic. The aesthetic design that went into this motorcycle is something of a masterpiece, with its sharp and angular lines in all the right places. Its headlights are symmetrical, which seems to be a very important selling point in my opinion. I like them to look the same. Not like the older BMW 1000 RR with the 2 different shapes of headlights, which looked a bit odd. But that is only my personal opinion, and everyone is different.
This story is from the June 2022 edition of Bike SA.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2022 edition of Bike SA.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A Ladies Perspective What a Surprise Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX
I’m sure as everyone knows by now there is little that compares to my BMW K1200S and out of the 13 different bikes I’ve been lucky enough to ride over the 18 months I’ve been riding, I finally came across one that I’m almost certain I’d swap my bike for…
Goodwood's 79th Members Meeting - Hunting, Shooting and - Racing
For that’s what marked the 79th Goodwood Members Meeting aka 79MM, held this year on April 9-10, which this time included two thrilling motorcycle races, each with a blanket finish which in Race 1 saw less than a second covering the first four bikes home.
MIDWEIGHT PUNCH - TRIUMPH TIGER SPORT 660
The Triumph brand seems to be going from strength to strength worldwide. New models are seeing the light of day in various sectors, and here in South Africa there is a carefully planned dealer expansion program in action.
Isle of Man TT-winning ABUS NORTON NRS588 GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
Exclusive track test of the last British bike to win the Isle of Man Senior TT in 1992, after what's widely considered to be the most exciting race ever held in the Island
NORTON ROTARY RACERS HISTORY - Rotary Race Record
For eight successive seasons the world’s first - and so far only - Rotary-engined racebikes swept to serial success on British racetracks. Here’s a timeline on their ebb and flow.
MOTO MORINI'S Alberto Monni - INTERVIEW
Exclusive interview with Moto Morini's CEO Alberto Monni, responsible for directing its ride along the comeback trail since its 2018 takeover by Zhongneng Vehicle Group/ZVG
KAWASAKI NINJA 1000SX - Surprise Package
I’ve recently written in my Editor’s note bemoaning the lack of available Sports-Touring motorcycles nowadays.
DRYSDALE HISTORY PART 4/5: 25 YEARS ON FROM CREATION OF FIRST 750-V8
2002 1000-V8 Bruiser mega-Monster was a Naked roadster with added muscle - the answer to the question of how to out-max a Yamaha V-Max!
GODIER & GENOUD KAWASAKI 1000 - Enquring Excellence
Exclusive track test at France's Carole circuit of what's arguably the first motorcycle of the modern era - the title-winning Kawasaki Endurance racer built in 1975 by Frenchmen Georges Godier and Alain Genoud
Unnecessarily Fast, or Unnecessarily Dangerous?
“The bigger they are, the harder they fall.” This truism comes from boxing, but applies to all walks of life. Innovative MotoGP superstar Marc Marquez, however, adds a new twist.
