Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Blog winner in your midst

Hey guys, I was one of the lucky 10 riders chosen to get a free Ninja 1000 for 3 months and blog about it!

I didn't say anything until now because they didn't have most of my stuff up on their website but it's there now. If anyone is interested please go to:

Cycle World Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Experience

And don't forget to "like" their FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cycle-World-Kawasaki-Ninja-1000-Experience/126217844119191

I'm really liking this bike. It goes in for its 500 mile service tomorrow morning and I'll be ready for some more miles. The bike is a real joy to ride - comfortable, good power, great handling. If you have any questions for me please let me know and I'll do my best to answer.

I had an '06 VFR800 and currently have a '10 VFR1200 so hopefully I can answer what you need to know with a modicum of truth behind it. :tongue:

 

By the way, just posted the final of the 5 videos from Saturday. Lots of twisties!

YouTube - ‪Gary Rosen - Deckers - Kawasaki Ninja 1000 - 052811‬‏

 

NICE!

I wish I could win a contest like that. I entered to win a Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero. If I win it, it will be on EBay the next day with a starting price of $9999.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Thanks man, first contest I ever won. I only wish the bike were mine for good instead of just 3 months. If I win that Vaquero I'll ask if I can have one of these instead lol! I'm hoping to win one of those little 250 Ninjettes...

 

I am envious! The only comfort I take in not winning is that it's been so darned wet out here I'd have to ride it in the rain. Congrats!

 

Thanks so much! I haven't been watching the weather charts...you guys are getting lots of rain in Cali?

 

Lots. The snow pack in the Sierra Mountains is at 450% of normal for this time of year, if I read the article correctly (Squaw Valley ski resort picked up 3' of new snow last Saturday). My particular area (Sonoma County, about 45 miles north of San Francisco) seems like it's been constantly damp. It's not so much that there is a lot of rain all at once, it's more like there has been a moderate amount of rain frequently. I think that statewide we're probably about 135% of normal. Compared to a lot of other places in the country and the world, though, it's nothing to complain about.

 

Wow, that's amazing! Should be good for the grapes though. I have family in Felton.

 

Small world! Felton/Boulder Creek, Highway 9 and Skyline were my old stomping grounds, back in the days of bias ply tires. Have fun with the Ninja. I think we're all looking forward to seeing how you like it over the long term.

With regard to the grapes;

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110601/ARTICLES/110609902/1350?p=all&tc=pgall

 

Wow, I figured the extra water would help. I guess not! What are bias ply tires? ;-)

 

They are pieces of wood, carved to look like rubber and painted black...

I read your blog, bud, we're not that far apart in age! :biggrin:

 

LOL! Just giving you hell for old time's sake... :cheersaf:

 

Just in case anyone's following along...Cycle World posted more of my blog entries, pictures, and videos. Just click on "Gary Rosen". Thanks!

http://www.cycleworldkawasakininja1000experience.com/

 

Another celebrity in the making... Will you and Reg remember us all when you're famous (and hopefully rich)? :smile: I don't even try to watch videos (dial-up connection), but the pictures are good. The Kawi is an interesting mix of straight lines and curves, which I hadn't really noticed before.

It seems that you like the stock seat well enough; one of the write-ups I read in one of the mags didn't seem to, but that's always subjective. What I was particularly struck by was your comment about the lighter weight being noticeable compared to the 800. I liked the VFR well enough on freeway jaunts, and it felt good around corners in spite of its weight, but it always felt just a bit too porky for an 800cc bike.

Anyway, nice write up. Are you planning on returning the bike at the end of the 90 days, or will you be relocating and changing your name?

 

Celebrity...I doubt it. Paris Hilton did try to pick up on me already though. ;-)

Too bad you can't watch the videos, we have some killer twisty roads out here. In many of the videos that's fellow VFRW member Havcar in front of me on his 6th Gen. The Kawi is definitely a nice-looking bike, especially the all-black one. It has a mean look to it and the lines look awesome in the garage and in the sunlight - better than in pictures.

Don't get me wrong, the VFR800 is a wonderful bike and I loved mine. It was fast enough once you were in the proper rev range and it held its own in the twisties. But Kawi was smart and basically took the recipe (except for the V4) of the 800 and improved on everything. It's exactly what people expected Honda to do. I think the VFR1200 (which I love) came out of left field and no one really expected the types of changes Honda made when replacing the 800.

As for the seat, it's just fine. I've done two near-500 mile days so far and have had no issues. I'm not sure what those guys are complaining about. It's certainly one of the best stock saddles I've ever put miles on.

I have the opportunity to purchase the Ninja at the end of the 90 days, and to be honest the longer it's in my garage the less I want to see it go away. I really like it a lot. The only thing is, I have the VFR1200 and although very different bikes, they're still aimed at a similar market. I'm not sure I want to spend the money to keep another "sport-tourer" in the garage. Although as you saw in my blog I don't really consider the Kawi a true sport-tourer. It's really just a very competent and very comfortable sportbike that can do sport-touring duties. That's my opinion anyway.

 

It's funny. I had to sell the VFR back in September to pay my *^^%^$%^ property taxes, of all things. Long story full of cash flowing in the wrong direction... Anyway, before I sold it, I had a total of three bikes and one truck. Since I do my own maintenance and repairs, it seemed like all I was doing was changing oil, filters and tires. Between that and insurance/registration, it was right on the edge of my comfort zone.

However, I miss the VFR badly; it was a great bike. I was considering a 4th gen or a 5th gen (2000 yellow) to replace it in the future, but then I read about the Ninja 1000 and thought it might be a nice alternative. And it only has one valve cover and two cams! Kind of icing on the cake compared to the VFR... :smile:

 

Ugh...that sucks. All I can say about the Ninja is - try it, you'll like it! See if one of your local Kawi dealers allows demo rides.

 

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it.

 

Pretty cool, thanks for posting up.

BZ