Biketoberfest! Time to head out to Daytona to see what's new in motorcycling, people watch and ride the new bikes! I woke up at 04:30 in order to meet friends at the Cracker Barrel for breakfast so we could get to Daytona in time to sign up for a few demo rides. If you aren't there at least 30 minutes before registration opens, chances are you aren't going to get to ride what you want. Registration was supposed to begin at 8am, but they started it early. Fortunately we were there early enough to be one of the first 20 people in line. They had 10 rides available for the Ninja 1000 at the beginning of the day. By 8:30, they announced that all the Ninja 1000 times had been taken. My friend Tom and I got rides at 1:45pm. I wish I had remembered that as a ROK member, I could have gone out on Friday and signed up in advance for a Saturday demo. That way I wouldn't have had to get up in the middle of the night to be there in time. Oh well, I'll have another chance to remember it at Bike Week in the spring.

I am not sure of the actual seat height on the Ninja 1000 (or the Z1000 that I am going to compare it to), but it did feel a little taller to me. However, the Ninja feels much more plush than the Z1000, the suspension felt softer, and the bike felt like you were in it more, rather than on it. I could see that being a huge plus on a long trip.  

The adjustable windscreen is awesome. Since it was really warm by the time it was my turn to ride, I was glad I had the option of lowering the windscreen. I've ridden bikes with full, upright windscreens before, and on a warm sunny day in Florida while wearing full gear, a windscreen that blocks the wind is like a trip to hell. So I set it on the lowest setting to ensure maximum access to the air while moving. If I had been riding that bike on my way to Daytona that morning, I would have had it up all the way.

The demo route was only on a few roads around the speedway and airport, about a 20-30 minute ride, but there were a few curves. The Ninja handled them all superbly. I could have railed the turns more than I did, but had to stay behind the ride leader and of course his goal was to get everyone back in one piece sans driving awards, so the pace was pretty tame. And since we saw a couple of bikes pulled over receiving their driving awards on the way, I completely understood that goal.

One thing I didn't like on the bike I rode was the rear brake. It barely felt like it slowed the bike down. The front brakes were fine, but I had to mash down on the brake pedal with my heel just to see if there was really a rear brake at all. I don't use my rear brake that much, but when I want to use I'd like it to be there.

The power was great, at least as far as I was able to use it. Taking off from a stop, the power comes on smooth and strong, and I suspect if I could have played a little more I would have found more power. I believe Tom said the bike was a little buzzy at higher RPMs but I didn't rev it high enough I guess because I never experienced that.

Overall, I think this bike is a great sport-tourer. It is definitely in it's own category, not just a different Z1000. I could easily see owning both if money was no object. And if I were going to get serious about long, multi-state road trips, this would be the bike I would buy for it. Kawasaki hit a home-run with a bike that can hold its own with sportier bikes, while not torturing its rider in the process.