2011 Kawi Ninja 400R - It's Here...

[mccarthy]

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do not want...
would have been 10x cooler if it was based of the 250/ 6r

Agreed!

Before I saw the pics i had high hopes of seeing a beefy 250r.

Still seems like a great bike but with the huge sales in the 250cc market has seen why wouldnt they try and capitalize on what made the 250cc market so big right now which is great looking, great handling and great performing sport bikes just with smaller engines( example- kawi 250r, Hyosung gt250r)

I think thats what most 250 riders out there want. Sporty, aggressive bikes with that extra power for highways.

Its to bad. i cant wait to see if the other manufacturers will come out with some awesome 400cc-500cc sport bikes

 

[DemonPig]

That's true, the bike seems to be too heavy, which is not really surprising after all, considering the few differences from 650r.

Nevertheless, it will have 27lbs/ft torque vs. 16lbs/ft for the 250r so even with the hefty weight it will still outperform the little Ninja.

And like someone said previously it seems that the bike was meant for Quebec anyway, to squeeze it under that 401cc registration barrier.

 

[LeetViet]

I know, that's what I said in my post. You must've misread it. That's why, eventually, it will happen here. Unfortunately, it means a price bump, which was the main reason we DIDN't get FI originally.

Whoops, you're right!

 

[Kri$han]

WTH is with those ooogly handle-bars, though?... I realise that since the bike is "intended" for beginners, not everyone wants to sit fully upright while riding their bike.

Kawi needs to offer some clip-on's, or a clip-on option for these (and other) non-SS bikes.

 

[mxs]

WTH is with those ooogly handle-bars, though?... I realise that since the bike is "intended" for beginners, not everyone wants to sit fully upright while riding their bike.

Kawi needs to offer some clip-on's, or a clip-on option for these (and other) non-SS bikes.

That's probably very easy and not so expensive fix, if that's the only problem you'd have with the bike.

 

[mxs]

There is one big reason for this bike to be brought into Canada: Quebec.

In Quebec, the liability insurance is part of your license plate fee, so there is no shopping around for that, and anything bigger than 400cc gets a massive hit in the mandatory insurance cost.

You are right Brian, but once you take Quebec out of the equation, what's the incentive for the rest of Canada to buy such a bike? I just don't see it. We will see whether Quebec will save the business case for Kawi Canada.

 

[kamikaze]

bah, still too much for insurance for me. prolly going to pick up a '10 250, wait until i get some experience and then i'll move up. kinda wished it looked more like the zx series as well

 

[SweetOnion]

WTH is with those ooogly handle-bars, though?... I realise that since the bike is "intended" for beginners, not everyone wants to sit fully upright while riding their bike.

Kawi needs to offer some clip-on's, or a clip-on option for these (and other) non-SS bikes.

meh.. FZ6R is the same, Gladius.. Naked SV.

 

[adri]

bah, still too much for insurance for me. prolly going to pick up a '10 250, wait until i get some experience and then i'll move up. kinda wished it looked more like the zx series as well

Insurance rates for me are quoted to rise from $980 on a 250 at present, to $1,300 next year. The new 250 rates suck whereas the quote on a 500 for me will be $1,500. At that kind of price difference I can't justify keeping a 250 anymore vs another (slightly larger) small displacement bike. Don't expect the insurance jump to be much more than $200 for you as well. The real cost difference is the almost $9k out the door, ouch!

 

[killerkeith]

Nice effort Kawi, but the 650R is a heavy beast needing that 72hp engine to make things interesting. I'm 3 months and 10,000km into my ownership of my 07 650R and really love the bike! Cutting the horsepower on an already forgiving bike makes no sense to me. I can see lots of disappointed future 400R owners who are kicking themselves not getting a 650R.
Put that engine in the 250, and you might have something.

 

[unL33T]

Hmm if you look at the pics and specs everything is identical except the engine and transmission. Looks like they just made a 400CC engine and matching transmission and stuck it in the 650R. According to the specs it's even within 1 kg of the 650R's weight (which means it's got a pretty terrible power to weight ratio).

I would've bought it if it was available when I got my 650 as a starter bike. Although I'll be kinda annoyed if it ends up looking exactly the same because it will reduce the "uniqueness" of the 650 (although most riders seem to think anything that isn't an SS is a POS anyway). I was considering "downgrading" to a smaller bike for better fuel economy but I'm not sure this would be what I would be looking for. I'll probably stick with my 650 although I've been considering something with ABS as a replacement.

 

[unL33T]

WTH is with those ooogly handle-bars, though?... I realise that since the bike is "intended" for beginners, not everyone wants to sit fully upright while riding their bike.

Kawi needs to offer some clip-on's, or a clip-on option for these (and other) non-SS bikes.

If it's identical to the 650R as it appears in the specs and pics then there are plenty of different handlebar options out there.

 

[mxs]

Put that engine in the 250, and you might have something.

I think most of the extra weight is related to the engine (except for dual front disc and most likely beefier frame), so you'd not end up with so much lighter bike anyways.

 

[killerkeith]

I think most of the extra weight is related to the engine (except for dual front disc and most likely beefier frame), so you'd end up with so much lighter bike anyways.

Size wise the 650R is much bigger than the 250. There's got a be a few pounds in there somewhere

 

[kamikaze]

Insurance rates for me are quoted to rise from $980 on a 250 at present, to $1,300 next year. The new 250 rates suck whereas the quote on a 500 for me will be $1,500. At that kind of price difference I can't justify keeping a 250 anymore vs another (slightly larger) small displacement bike. Don't expect the insurance jump to be much more than $200 for you as well. The real cost difference is the almost $9k out the door, ouch!

part of your rates is your age tho.

I'll be 30 next march and with Jevco there's a significant difference in price. until then, I'm still less than a year with my license and under 30 so a 250 will cost me about 1100 for the first year. after i turn 30 and have my license for a year my rate will drop to 4-500 for the year which is pretty reasonable.

 

[mxs]

Size wise the 650R is much bigger than the 250. There's got a be a few pounds in there somewhere

Well it must be wider due to the engine, stronger swingarm etc. Anyways, after all of that you'd be probably around 190kgs, compared to 170 of 250R. Not worth it even to think about it in my opinion ....

 

[jotapeh]

I highly doubt a 400-4 would escape being classified as a supersport. Just because it's smaller doesn't mean it wasn't built for high performance. Insurance would not be significantly lower than a 600.

I am curious why you would say this?

The FZ6R is an I4-600 and escapes SS classification.

 

[derailleur]

You are right Brian, but once you take Quebec out of the equation, what's the incentive for the rest of Canada to buy such a bike? I just don't see it. We will see whether Quebec will save the business case for Kawi Canada.

BC also has the 401cc line, so it works for BC too, it gives people who want more than a 250cc but less than a 600cc a FI option, it is a shame they didn't make it a little lighter, but they definitely aimed for the insurance costs.

 

[toastywaffles]

At the beginning of this season my colleagues brother-in-law picked up a new in the crate '09 ZX-6R for $9,800 out the door. Yes, it was on sale, but if you have patience and look and maybe are willing to go with a 2nd choice colour....this makes the 400 seem really expensive. The EX500 I had was about 50hp and bloody reliable too.....sort of wish I kept it as an around town bike.

Your 500 is living a very happy life with me :lol:

...23,000 km and counting...

 

[CBRJOHN]

Ugly is relative I guess

True, I still like these, they still have a 400cc and 650cc version in Japan. They didnt sell well in North America.

But then again, I'm not normal.

The 400cc bike I'd be really interested would be

Sub 300lbs
20,000rpm 4 cyl
Chassis about the size of a 250R

Or for some REAL fun, Get BRP to whip up some 400cc E-Tec direct injection 2 strokes twins.

Now put that in a Moriwaki MD250H chassis and look out baby..

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