Kawasaki Ninja 400 R | GTAMotorcycle.com

Kawasaki Ninja 400 R

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cowgirl

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Well I'm riding an older Ninja 500 at the moment and it's now starting to give me issues. I love my bike and I'm happy with its peformance however, they have now replaced the 500 cc with a 400 cc. I'm wondering, did anyone buy one of these? Would it be comparable to the 500 or would I be seriously disapointed if I bought the 400 after driving the 500?

Thanks,
 
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Get a Ninja650, great bike.
The seat allows very short people to ride them...
And they weigh only ~10 pounds more than the 400.
I'm sure the 400 is nice (but it's designed to fit into an Insurance niche).
 
While enjoying some newer technology, courtesy of 650, the 400 is much weaker performance wise than the EX500. 15 or so less HP and a little less torque while about 30lbs heavier.
Definitely skip it and go straight for the 650 or any other 600-650 sport touring bike.
 
You didn't mention where/how you ride. A 400 will probably feel similar or easier on the wrist if you commute, but on the highway you will probably notice it's not quite a torquey when you need it.

My first bike was an EX500, I quickly moved to Yamaha FZ6 as my second bike and loved that jump; the FZ was faster, torquier, and much more stable/sturdy at high speeds. Also loved going from a carb bike to FI. Ninja 650 has a good rep, as are the SV650's at a lower end of the power scale.

Plus, if you go with Ninja 400 you're buying new and wasting a crap of depreciated value as soon as the bike hits the road. Like others say go with a 600-650 non-SS bike that is 1-5 years old and you won't be disappointed. The upgrade price would be very affordable too, considering you can probably sell your EX500 for $3kish and most 600-650 non-SS bikes are around $5k.
 
Get a used 650R. The 400R is only for insurance. It's a 650R with a sleeved engine with smaller pistons. The 650R was the replacement for the 500R, not the 400R.
 
What kind of issues are you having with your 500? You might want to look up the ex-500.com to see if you can find resolution.

Myself, I have a '92 with 65 000kms which runs great as my commuter. Most of the problems I run into are mostly with the carbs which are quite easy to deal with. Otherwise, it's probably running as well now as when it came off the assembly line.

As far as an upgrade, I can't see a 400 being any kind of upgrade in the area of performance. I've heard nothing but good things about the 650 Ninja though.
 
I love reading the comments and hearing what certain riders say about the new Ninja 400R without either having ridden on it or be qualified to offer an opinion. Not naming names or flaming, but the OP really just asked people who have one about it... not what you think is a better bike for a rider you know nothing about.

Anyways, I have one... and I'm willing to bang heads against the usual 'Bigger is better' mentality. You're going to continue to hear "Buy a 650" "Go bigger" "You'll need it" constantly, over, and over, and over again if you buy this bike. Be prepared, and be comfortable with your choice. It's hard to classify this bike and I get strange looks all the time. The types of responses I get are either 1. That's totally freaking awesome!!! I am going to move up from my 250R to one as soon as I can!!! How do you like it.. or 2. Wow they make 400 cc? I think your sticker is wrong...... go to this shop and have them put a 650r sticker on it. Move out of the way while I wheelie on a 60kmhr road on my CBR1000rr. *end rant*

The ride is fantastic. This is truly an mid-level or starter bike. The suspension is on the compliant side, but the bike is way easy to lean and kept leaned over. I find myself wishing it were a little lighter at times on some hairpins, on quick 80 km/h-0 stops (when that darned light turns amber on YOU and only you).

I cannot speak to your experience with the 500, it is most likely going to be a slower bike than that, but the gearing on this bike is way low (I can hit 6th at 60kmhr or on the flip side, at 140kmh) so you will have to get adjusted to the transmission. You will benefit from the overall package on the 650r and neat little features like the fully digital dashboard without having that bigger bike. You will have the option of spending that extra $1k you'll save on gear or modifications, or insurance, because the Ninja650R is a different bike - it is not the 400R, largely cosmetically. Sure there's tons of similarities (this bike accepts many 650R parts) but it is not a 600+cc bike.

The flawed perception of this new breed of bike is that it is not 600cc and you want 600cc, so just move there. Whats not understood is that this bike does what is asked perfectly well, the roll on throttle and low gearing has me consistently pulling ahead of my friends R6 or the SV650 at lower speeds (under 100) so if you want to compare it against a big bike, it does not have the larger engine, but you will benefit from better gas consumption, and insurance out of this model.

Again - what is your use for this bike. My personal justification for not jumping to 600+cc is that I am looking to move to the supersport class, and Im just starting at this sport. I simply dont want, or need the marginal bump in power out of the 650R as I will be moving to the ZX-6, most likely. The price on this bike is prohibitive considering bigger engine options and I cannot blame many other posters for being value-oriented in their advice.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM.
 
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The 400R is more to buy in most cases than the 650R (used 650R is considerably cheaper than the new 400Rs), and for me the 400R and 650R with Jevco were the same price for insurance. It was a no brainer for me, I love my 650R.
 
ReactionRED - OP said she's happy with the performance she's getting out of the EX500. Well, Ninja 400 will not have the same performance.

Ninja 650 is not a "marginal bump in power" from it either. It's got about 60% more HP. That is significant.

Other than the engine, the 400 and 650 are exactly the same contrary to what you say.

If you're pulling ahead of your friend on the R6 under a 100km/h, then he's got no clue what he's doing. Maybe you meant to say under 10km/h?
... And SV650 has plenty of torque down low. It's a v-twin. There's absolutely no way a Ninja 400 has more grunt.

Larger is not necessarily better but the Ninja 400 was "designed" for insurance reasons and while there's nothing wrong with that, let's not pretend that it's a new model, instead of "de-tuned" 650.

Sure, a great starter bike but for someone coming from the EX500, the bike may be a disappointment.
 
DemonPig - you talk about the Ninaj400 not having the same performance, and you cite a HP statistic as proof of this, sorry but I don't really pick up on that argument. I agree the engine is obviously not the same, but you fail to consider all else that has gone into this bike *including* the gearing and how it has been designed for street riding. I know I don't need to point out how a larger # in the HP column does not equal better performance.

Other than the engine, there's a slew of cosmetic differences in trim, paint, and materials used on the fairing and cowl. Not looking for your opinion here, that's a fact.

I'm not talking about drag racing against an R6 on a track. Using the engine's torque can keep the bike perfectly responsive to larger CC bikes, and no, not under 10km/h. How you conveniently remove a 0 from my post astounds me. You shouldn't look at this in absolute terms.. it's not about having more or less grunt when comparing a LARGER CC bike.. it's about the practical aspects street and group riding, which this bike does admirably well. A "de-tuned" machine can do wonders to save you money , but maybe all bikes are based off 1000's and are all just 'tuned down' for 'newbies'. Regarding your theories on why this bike was created, I'm glad to see we have established contributors on the forum to clarify these things for us newbies. /sarcasm

I will agree the bike may not be what you have experienced from the 500... Take it for a test ride.
 
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Have you considered buying another used EX500? (assuming yours is not viably fixable/$ spent).

Insurance will be more if you go 650. And you will realize an acceleration deficit with the 400, unless you rarely go above 100 kph. Passing on 2 lane roads will require a bit more room. The 650's also do not run as smoothly vibration-wise as your 500 (unless they have done something drastic like rubber mounting that vibrating wonder they also use in the Versys).

If you go 650, I'd get an SV instead. No contest.
 
ReactionRED


You got a bike, good for you. Was it "designed" to attract people looking for lower insurance quotes in BC, Quebec and UK? Sure. That's not just my opinion.

You said that you're pulling ahead of your friend's R6 under 100km/h. Once again - your buddy has no clue what he's doing. The "street set up" you have will help you get a slight jump for 50 feet and then your buddy should be gone. Hence the joke about 10 km/h which you didn't get.

BTW, what kind of gearing do you think SV650 has? It's a low and mid torque motorcycle which is actually lighter than your Ninja.

And oh yeah, slew of differences, you're absolutely right. Different paint scheme and whatnot. Do you work for Kawasaki's marketing dep't? ;)
It's a mechanically identical bike, save the smaller engine. A piece of plastic somewhere doesn't make a new bike. Kawasaki cheaped out. As simple as that.
You'd love the review in Cycle Canada, where they introduce the 400R as some sort of an incredible technological breakthrough without even mentioning the 650.
Must've been a nice steak dinner!

Anyhow, ANY bike is a good bike IMO. I enjoy riding 1 litre monsters but also mopeds and scooters.
However, in response to OP's original concern, I do not believe that the Ninja 400 would be suitable for her.
For $1,200 more brand new, get the Ninja 650 or the SV.
OR find them used. You can pick-up a used, 1st gen SV for $2,500 easy.
 
Wow, ReactionRED is going hard on the defensive about his bike.

The 400R is built for one purpose only: a beginner bike which skirts high insurance premiums with a small engine. You're not pulling away from an R6 on that bike at any speed... unless the R6 is missing 2 spark plugs.

Yes, a few difference in peak HP numbers never tells the story... but when you're comparing a 40(?) horsepower parallel twin to a 120hp supersport... please, give me a break.
 
A 650R is competitive for a few feet against a 600, and a 400 is the same weight and down 30HP, your friends are being kind to you ReactionRED.
 
Buying the 400R and not the 650R would be a stupid move, that would be like a hot girl coming on to me and I ignore her for an ulgier one behind her, how smart is that? If you are chicken or don't need the extra power of the 650R then don't twist that throttle too much and you'll have the same bike as a 400R.

The only thing that would make me buy a 400R was if the thing was 40% cheaper and 40% lighter than the 650 but that's not the case, what in hell is the advantage of the 400R? That it has lower power for chicken riders? Please.
 
I save huge on gas riding my cbr125 to work. Your performance to other bikes is irrelevant. What matters is your ability to keep pace with traffic and get around traffic when required.

I ride my bike mostly on the 80 km hi-ways. When I come up on a slow driver or a school bus I have little problem getting around them. If I had a bigger CC bike I would probably pass with less oncoming traffic distance. When I pass I don't go over 100 kph. If required I can push my bike to 110 kph without to much effort. I use a back pack to haul my gear. I am doing this with 13 hp. I would like to haul more gear. This will mean a tank bank, saddle bags, and perhaps using a bigger back pack for long trips. I doubt I could maintain 100 kph with that much gear and wind drag. If I move to the cbr250 I am sure I could load up the gear, get excellent fuel economy, and maintain a speed of 110 to 120 for the 400 type hi-ways.

I want a fuel injected bike. The ninja 250 for NA is still a carb bike. That leaves the ninja 400. What's the fuel economy and the fuel grade? My goals of riding may not be those who have replied to this thread. If fuel economy and insurance was not a factor I would go for the ninja 650. My bike saves me money. At the moment I want to save money. As much as I like to save money a 1000 dollars is not much of a savings. I did an insurance quote and there is 200 dollar price difference between the 400 and 650. How much of mpg difference is there? These are some of the things I would be looking at.
 
For those of you that are 400R owners - I don't think people are here to bash the bike (except for those blatantly bashing it, of course). I think it's a great first bike, especially for someone wanting to keep their insurance costs down. But I think it's generally thought of as a lost opportunity for Kawasaki - instead of reinventing the 500R with a lightweight, low-displacement bike with upgraded components, they simply took the 650R and detuned the engine. Now, I'm not one that normally promotes speed and engine size as the be-all end-all, but I can definitely see where Kawi is trying to cheat us. Less engine, same weight, exact same bike, almost the same cost.

And this all goes back to the OP and recommending another bike - the 400R might be a let down after coming from the 500R. But hey, maybe the upgraded looks and FI would be reason enough to choose it.

She's probably shaking her head at the direction this thread has gone. Personally, I recommend the 650R. Having owned one, I found the power adequate-and-then-some, but not twitchy or high revving.
 
http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles...awasaki/2009-kawasaki-ninja-500r-ar72473.html

There's the devil. The last year of the ninja 500r (2009) was still a carb bike. The ninja 400r is a fuel injected bike.

2009 ninja 500r => 60 hp, weight 435 lbs

http://www.motorcycle.com/news/2011-kawasaki-ninja-400r-for-canada-89690.html
2011 ninja 400r => 42 hp, weight 447 lbs
2011 ninja 650r => 71 hp, weight 449 lbs

Based on those reviews, I will concur. Spend the extra $1000 dollars and buy the ninja 650r.
 
ReactionRED said:
The flawed perception of this new breed of bike is that it is not 600cc and you want 600cc, so just move there. Whats not understood is that this bike does what is asked perfectly well, the roll on throttle and low gearing has me consistently pulling ahead of my friends R6 or the SV650 at lower speeds (under 100) so if you want to compare it against a big bike, it does not have the larger engine, but you will benefit from better gas consumption, and insurance out of this model.
Click to expand...



Wow. Just wow.

Can your friends reach the throttle or do they sit in the driveway making vroom vroom noises as you pull out?
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