Just a few days ago, we told you about a new Kawasaki Versys 1100 model, confirmed by regulatory paperwork in Australia. As it turns out, those loose-lipped Aussies are at it again, with details of a new Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX model coming to market in the very near future.
Like the Versys 1100, the Ninja 1100SX will be based off an existing 1000 cc model, and as such it will be very familiar. This is not a from-the-bottom-up revamp. You can expect a few horsepower added to the current 1000 model’s 130 hp, but do not expect massive gains. These days, a boost in displacement is usually done to offset performance losses from emissions tuning. The Big Four are more worried about saleability and low R&D costs than they are about boosting performance.
We don’t know for sure, though, because Motorcycle.com’s web-crawling sleuths only found confirmation of the new Ninja 1100SX name in the Australian regulatory documents, as well as confirmation of a new Ninja 1100SX SE.
No doubt the SE model will add electro-suspension and other trickery to the standard Ninja SX, probably a special paint job too. Motorcycle.com’s Dennis Chung noted that another document pointed out two new model codes, a ZX1100H and a ZX1100J. Presumably these codes will apply to the standard Ninja 1100 and the SE variant, but that’s certainly not confirmed.
It is no surprise to see a Ninja 1100 coming out the same time as a Versys 1100, as both bikes are based off the same engine. We would expect to see both bikes launched at EICMA. The third potential piece of the puzzle is a Z1100 naked bike, but since Kawasaki’s naked bike lineup is already a bit crowded, we wouldn’t necessarily expect such a machine in the near future—or maybe not in our market at least. Maybe in Europe, where they have more appreciation for such things.
The Ninja 1100 will almost certainly come to Canada, though, as a sensible sport bike with a more upright seating position than the racing-oriented ZX-RR series. Expect to see it in showrooms next year.
The ninja 1000sx currently has a certified horsepower of 141 not 130 quoted in your article