[NinjaRyder]

My biggest problem is that its a smaller CC bike with the weight of a 650, not good. At that point if weight matters to you as much as it does to me, really thinking about getting a 650 or something of similar weight should be taken seriously. What does everyone else think about weight?

 

[Kiwi Rider]

My biggest problem is that its a smaller CC bike with the weight of a 650, not good. At that point if weight matters to you as much as it does to me, really thinking about getting a 650 or something of similar weight should be taken seriously. What does everyone else think about weight?

Are you talking about the 300 or the 400? The 400 is definitely lighter than a 650 bike.
ABS N400 = 366lb vs 426lb for ABS N650.
My opinion on weight? Bad! :grin:

 

[rde09]

weight is a value you would need to determine the importance of in the equation of your selection in a bike.
Power to weight is affected with too much weight, most of the larger CC bikes are going to be more difficult to corner than a lighter weight bike (there are exceptions), excise taxes and sales taxes/taxes in general are going to be higher on a larger cc bike if purchased new or slightly used due to the purchase price. (I pay sales tax and an annual excise tax where I am located based on price of bike).
I have had two separate instances happened to me while riding that I noticed weight made a difference:
Scenario a) I was riding my 06 ninja 250 and a zx7 passed me on a 1/4 mile straightway like I was sitting still, there was a turn at the end of the road, he had to slow down extremely slow to make the turn, and I zipped by him on the 250 in the turn. lower weight was beneficial in the turn, though his cc's made the mad dash in the straights.
Scenario b) a friend of mine and I were riding two ninja 250's, mine had jetted carbs. muzzy pipe, his was stock. We took off hard from a red light and he actually started easing slowly in front of me. We stopped shortly to chat and I had to determine how he was able to do that. We went over a few items and settled on he was 40lbs lighter than me. Weight made a big difference.
I have owned very large heavy bikes (Gold wing) which while not a performance bike, it road smooth, but was a pain to pickup when it fell over once.
I recently had to move and sell (3) 1000cc moto guzzi's. They had been in storage for a few years and I was selling them as is, so I wasn't going to service them to start them up. I had to load them into a u-haul truck to move them. What a pain to load a 480-520 lb bike up a truck ramp by yourself. Weight was critical there. I also took a ninja 250 that was stored with the moto guzzi's up the same truck ramp with ease.
There is my $0.02 on bike weight.
Wishing all a very happy new year,
Rde09

 

[Kiwi Rider]

@rde09 Sounds like we are looking at this new model with a similar perspective. I've had big powerful, heavy bikes and I'm a bit over it now.
I've done a fair amount of touring over the years and a fully loaded big bore is hard work if not impossible to pick up by yourself if you drop it. Not a good look.

It's all about PTW ratio for me these days. As you alluded to with the story of the drag with your mate on the 250's, body mass is a big factor in this equation too. But for the most part there is not much we can do about this, we are what we are. I'm lucky from a racing point of view in that I'm a 55kg bean pole. I would make a great Moto3 rider if I had the skills . I do well with my light weight in the local class I race in though as we all have about 70 -85 HP. If I get a good start I can pretty much guarantee I will get the holeshot and be able to ride in free space until/unless someone passes me. Such a bonus.

I lightened up my CBR300 by 13kg (29lb) from stock to improve its PTW ratio. For a 30HP bike it was actually quite quick off the line up to about 60MPH and I used to enjoy surprising guys on bigger bikes. That's with me on board though!

But yeah less weight helps in all sorts of ways like improved handling (flickability) and lesser fuel consumption. I was pleased to see kawasaki have fitted lighter wheels to the 400 as the benefit to handling of having less un-sprung weight and a lighter rotating mass that produces less gyroscopic force is considerable. That's why race teams fit carbon fiber wheels to their bikes. Oh and they look way cooler too!

 

[xorbe]

I think there are going to be a bunch of people/posters that accidentally look at the data for the heavy 650-based 400 (the one with the sleeved engine).

 

[Kiwi Rider]

I think there are going to be a bunch of people/posters that accidentally look at the data for the heavy 650-based 400 (the one with the sleeved engine).

Yeah even my local dealer was initially confused when I went in and said I wanted to order a Ninja 400. He pulled out a Kawasaki catalogue and pointed to a picture of the old sleeved down 650 and said 'you want one of these?' He wasn't even aware of the in-coming 2018 model.

 

[NonNinjaRider]

@rde09 Sounds like we are looking at this new model with a similar perspective. I've had big powerful, heavy bikes and I'm a bit over it now.
I've done a fair amount of touring over the years and a fully loaded big bore is hard work if not impossible to pick up by yourself if you drop it. Not a good look.

It's all about PTW ratio for me these days. As you alluded to with the story of the drag with your mate on the 250's, body mass is a big factor in this equation too. But for the most part there is not much we can do about this, we are what we are. I'm lucky from a racing point of view in that I'm a 55kg bean pole. I would make a great Moto3 rider if I had the skills . I do well with my light weight in the local class I race in though as we all have about 70 -85 HP. If I get a good start I can pretty much guarantee I will get the holeshot and be able to ride in free space until/unless someone passes me. Such a bonus.

I lightened up my CBR300 by 13kg (29lb) from stock to improve its PTW ratio. For a 30HP bike it was actually quite quick off the line up to about 60MPH and I used to enjoy surprising guys on bigger bikes. That's with me on board though!

But yeah less weight helps in all sorts of ways like improved handling (flickability) and lesser fuel consumption. I was pleased to see kawasaki have fitted lighter wheels to the 400 as the benefit to handling of having less un-sprung weight and a lighter rotating mass that produces less gyroscopic force is considerable. That's why race teams fit carbon fiber wheels to their bikes. Oh and they look way cooler too!

My God man your just 55KG?.....:surprise::surprise::surprise::surprise::surprise:

 

[Kiwi Rider]

My God man your just 55KG?.....:surprise::surprise::surprise::surprise::surprise:

Yup, and that's with eating a good quota of pies! :grin:

 

[rde09]

Kiwi, your a little over 4kg lighter than the guy I was racing against on the ninja 250's. I am pushing 77.5kg and 183cm.
I can remember when I was 17-18, my cousin would tell me I could stand under a power-line in the rain and not get wet (I was 59kg)
Somewhere I have a picture of me trying to pull a wheelie on my kawasaki kz400 at that age.

rde09

 

[Kiwi Rider]

Kiwi, your a little over 4kg lighter than the guy I was racing against on the ninja 250's. I am pushing 77.5kg and 183cm.
I can remember when I was 17-18, my cousin would tell me I could stand under a power-line in the rain and not get wet (I was 59kg)
Somewhere I have a picture of me trying to pull a wheelie on my kawasaki kz400 at that age.

rde09

Im def the guy on the left. I got a backbone like a dinosaur. Built for speed not comfort. :grin:

 

[Wheelinthai]

Dear NinjaRyder, I can assure you that modern Ninja 400 is very light, and is what I consider the best Japanese bike in its class currently.

 

[Chappy]

If light is waht you're looking for, there's always those small 125cc bikes like the Z125 or grom. But those can't go on the highway.