2011 Ninja 400R

[brendonjw]

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news-new-bikes/kawasaki-ninja-400r---more-details-emerge/12334.html

Its a bit of a porker at 203kg wet and only has 44hp but some new blood in the 400cc market

[yod]

an ER6-F with a smaller engine by the looks

[trailblazer]

not a bad bike wonder if it will come to nz.

[Dutchee]

It's coming to NZ, but not sure when.
With Mt Eden's losing the Kawasaki dealership (or whatever happened there), Kawasaki sent a letter which included an A4 page with new bikes coming in for 2011 and the 400 definitely caught my eye (I only really ride a 250 as I don't want to ride a 600 or an old bike). Will be booking in for a test ride (wonder how long I'll be waiting for that, I was hoping to check it out next week lol).

[Jonno.]

Sounds like a fat zxr 250.

[bistard]

I had heard from a good source they were going to retail for a bout $13000.00,so that makes for a bloody expensive 400!!

[Gibbo89]

I had heard from a good source they were going to retail for a bout $13000.00,so that makes for a bloody expensive 400!!

That doesn't sound right? it's only a parallel twin...

[Urano]

it's a downsizing of the er6f.
i'm kinda of a fan of the 400cc segment, but this is terribly wrong.

the er6f is such a fun bike, cheap, not thirsty, but light, agile, and reasonably powerful.

of you make a 400cc it would be great if you contain the weight within 160-170 kg.
but this one weights and cost exactly as the er6f: what's the point of having an er6f with 30 hp less??

what a pity...

[Pace Cadet]

Yup. Wasted opportunity. I'm sure there is a market for full fat 400cc sportsbikes. I've just gone from a '90 VFR400 to an '06 CBR600 and I kind of regret it. If I could have bought an '06 400 I would have.

The 600 is so capable as to be almost irrelevant as a fun road bike, if you fancy your license that is. The 400 required a little more rider involvement on the road and was still shits'n'giggles on the occasional track day. It was also a nice, obvious, step from a 250. It I'd gone to the 600 from my 250 I'd have smeared myself all over the road after about two corners (I'm a little surprised I haven't).

If Kawasaki, who are, I believe, enjoying great success with their new 250 'sportsbike' had grown a pair and released a proper 400cc road-burner they could have stolen a march on the others (hell, if they released a proper 250cc sportsbike they'd stand to gain a following of crash happy, parts replacing, foaming at the mouth teenagers).

I guess the economics don't make much sense though. A 600 and a 400 are going to be similar sizes and similarly equipped but you'd have to sell the 400 for $3-4000 less, also those foamy mouthed teenagers would probably regard the 400 as a lesser, masculinity questioning option, making it less obvious as a stepping stone.

Hmmm. Maybe Kawasaki know what they're doing after all. (I'd still buy a brand new VFR/ZXR/R/GSXR400 though).

[Gibbo89]

stone.

Hmmm. Maybe Kawasaki know what they're doing after all. (I'd still buy a brand new VFR/ZXR/R/GSXR400 though).

pretty much agree with everything you said, even a late 1990's version of the above bikes mentioned (even early 2000's) would be a sweet step up from my 250.

[Eyegasm]

Maybe with the power to weight ratio coming in 2012 this could be learner legal??

[Morcs]

whats with all the parrallell twins? they are absolute wank. except the TRX850 motor.

Kawasaki should make a crazy big bore v-twin rather than fucking around making these shit noob bikes. a cross between a 04 ZX10R and a TLR will do nicely :D

[Urano]

well...
vtwin and parallels twin have slightly different performance.

on one side the parallel buzzes a bit more and it has a little lower torque curve, but it's capable of higher revving, it's lighter, it's simpler and it's cheaper.

the er6 engine it's phenomenal: it pushes hard from 3.500 to 10.000 rpm, and with a normal use you can reach easily 20-22 km/l.

still, vibrations exist...

[HenryDorsetCase]

it's a downsizing of the er6f.
i'm kinda of a fan of the 400cc segment, but this is terribly wrong.

the er6f is such a fun bike, cheap, not thirsty, but light, agile, and reasonably powerful.

of you make a 400cc it would be great if you contain the weight within 160-170 kg.
but this one weights and cost exactly as the er6f: what's the point of having an er6f with 30 hp less??

what a pity...

agree but maybe theyre doing it with an eye to the future of LAMS: maybe the 600 doesnt meet the power to weight ratio requirements, but this does?

[HenryDorsetCase]

whats with all the parrallell twins? they are absolute wank. except the TRX850 motor.

Kawasaki should make a crazy big bore v-twin rather than fucking around making these shit noob bikes. a cross between a 04 ZX10R and a TLR will do nicely :D

an owner of a Hinckley Triumph twin, such as myself, might take issue with that statement

[Morcs]

an owner of a Hinckley Triumph twin, such as myself, might take issue with that statement

Go for gold :innocent:

though i am referring to performance motorcycles, or at least ones which are trying to look like performance motorcycles ;)

[davebullet]

A 400 with less fuel capacity than their 250? - WTF?

[Jenral]

Obviously the new legislation forcing you to pay more for a bike over 600cc is hurting sales of all those bikes a little over that point, (like the numerous 650cc models out there). You'll see a lot of the manufacturers starting to import bikes from foreign markets that come under that cut off point to give the buyers more choice below the 600cc limit where before there was not much choice at all.

[matdaymon]

I was excited about this until I saw the price! What a rip. I thought it would be good as an upgrade to get under that pesky <600cc reg thing but for that price I might as well stay with my 250 and save up a while longer to pay for the extra reg costs incurred by the 650's... I really wouldn't mind a Ninja 650r if I could afford one :doh:

[Morcs]

Obviously the new legislation forcing you to pay more for a bike over 600cc is hurting sales of all those bikes a little over that point, (like the numerous 650cc models out there). You'll see a lot of the manufacturers starting to import bikes from foreign markets that come under that cut off point to give the buyers more choice below the 600cc limit where before there was not much choice at all.

I highly doubt the miniscule market of NZ and the negligable difference in rego price between a 400 and a 650 has any bearing on what models are imported into the country.

If anything its just a point of difference - im sure there are a lot of noobs out there who have got there full but scared shitless of a tame 650 parallel twin so would buy the 400 instead.

[The Pastor]

IL4, 60hp, 160kg. USD, twin front disc brakes, latest sport fairing design.

Thats what i'd like in a new 400.

[SMOKEU]

About the same amount of power as a 20 year old 250cc bike, but almost the weight of a litre bike. Great combo!

[avgas]

IL4, 60hp, 160kg. USD, twin front disc brakes, latest sport fairing design.

Thats what i'd like in a new 400.

What they hell is that Kawasaki!!!!
I actually agree with RM.

You had a perfect opportunity to recapture a market with a ZXR400SP (or ZRX4) and you failed.
229913229914229915229916229917229918

I miss mine


Hyosung will be laughing all the way to the bank. Because you know what they are going to do.....

[nudemetalz]

What they hell is that Kawasaki!!!!


ER-6 with a debored and destroked engine ?
Just trying to find a logic with it.

At least Mrs Nudey's GPZ400 Twin (EX-4) is a Jap domestic model and was cheap (plus a whole lot lighter than that).
EX-4 - 50hp - 175kg
Ninja 400R - 44hp - 203kg

hmmm..