In March 2025 I purchased a new Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX SE. Fortunately the luggage racks, frame sliders and slip on muffler from the Ninja 1000 fitted the 1100 as well and were swapped over. The old radiator guard wasn’t compatible as the 1100 engine is a tad narrower that the 1000.

This bike has more mid range torque and a slightly higher 5th and 6th gears and consequently is a better all round touring bike that the Ninja 1000. The quickshifter and cruise control work perfectly. The Brembo brakes and Ohlins rear shock are nice features as well.

Ninja 1100SX SE

Touring set up

In December 2023 I purchased a new 2024 model Kawasaki Ninja 1000SX having had a one hour test ride and watching tons of Youtube reviews. The ZX14R had 160,000 kms on it and I needed something more nimble, lighter and easier to handle at low speed. I’ve done 18,000 kms on it in my first year of ownership. It’s by no means “awesome” like the ZX14’s but suits my overall needs better at present. It’s not the perfect touring bike, however, it has a lot going for it. The rack free pannier system is excellent, as are the cruise control and quickshifter.

In September, 2013 I bought a new Kawasaki ZX14R – SE. This model has ABS, traction control and variable power modes. This was my second ZX14R purchase. I quickly got rid of the heavy stock pipes and added Yoshimura slip-ons. Strangely I didn’t bond with this motorcycle anywhere nearly as quickly as I did with the first one that I had. Maybe it was the tyres, but I struggled a little with the turn in and the cornering of this bike for about 5,000 kilometers!

In April 2011 I replaced my VFR800 Honda on which I’d done 50,000 kms, with a new Kawasaki ZX14.

It’s not far fetched to say that within riding 5 blocks from the dealership I knew that I had made the right choice – this was a motorcycle that I bonded with immediately!

The purchase of the ZX14 was transacted wholly over the ‘phone.

A great ZX14 review HERE

I’d previously ridden a mate’s ZX14 on two occasions (thanks Bill!) and knew what a great machine they were and loved the ergonomics of it. So then it purely became a matter of getting one for the best price.  I rang a few dealerships around Melbourne for their best deal on a cash purchase with no trade in. Their prices were all about the same mark and unfortunately all just a little out of reach! (Isn’t that always the case). Anyway, just to make sure that I’d covered all bases before I consigned the new bike purchase until 2012,  I rang a very large Elizabeth St (Melbourne) motorcycle dealership . I spoke to a salesman and he proposed a ride away price that was $2K cheaper than the best price I’d had so far. An offer too good to refuse!

The whole deal was done over the phone, with a salesman I’d never met to purchase a motorcycle that I hadn’t actually seen. All of which suited me perfectly – no stuffing about, no tire kicking and no playing silly games regarding pricing with a salesman. Welcome to a new (to me) paradigm of retail – the internet, a phone and a credit card.