Life is hectic, but I keep grabbing the keys of this Kawasaki! Here's why...

Updated: 04 June 2025

Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX SE
Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX SE
Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX SE
Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX SE
Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX SE

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With non-stop days here on MCN plus Bank Holiday race meetings, interspersed with a family holiday abroad, life’s been hectic of late. So it’s testament to the new Ninja 1100SX SE sports-tourer that whenever I’ve found myself with an idle moment, it’s the Kawasaki’s key that I’ve made a beeline for. I’ve fallen for it in a big way, and here’s why…

Update one: First impressions after a 14-year reunion

As I mentioned last time, that newly overhauled and enlarged inline four is as refined as they come, buttery smooth with plenty of low-rpm torque. So much so, that even now it’s had its first service and the TFT dash no longer chastises me for taking the revs over 4000rpm, I’m still short-shifting and surfing on its impressive shove.

That said, of course I’ve explored the newly unlocked outer limits of its rev range, and with the rpm up between 7000 and 9000rpm, the Ninja 1100SX SE shakes off its smooth, tourer persona and unlocks shades of Kawasaki ZX-10R.

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That’s not to say the Ninja 1100 has the same top end as its superbike sibling, far from it, and I dare say the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT that I spent a year with back in 2023 feels more lively and faster too, but you definitely detect a frantic buzz from that 1099cc inline-four, one that makes the neck hairs of a sportsbike-lover like me stand on end!

That’s part of the Jekyll-and-Hyde brief a great sports-tourer must fulfil, in my book. Only good vibrations here, though, as Kawasaki have done an impressive job of insulating the rider from the worst of any buzziness through the bars and pegs so that you’re aware of it without being bothered by it.

What I’m most impressed with, after a little over 800 miles of B-road blasts and the occasional motorway jaunt, is how light the Ninja 1100 is on its feet. The steering is effortless and the bike eager to fall into bends, while holding a line only takes a minimal amount of pressure on the bars, plus I think the OE S23 Bridgestones’ profile also helps here too.

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The 41mm fully adjustable forks up front remain the same as the outgoing model, and are set perfectly for road riding. At the rear, the SE’s golden Öhlins shock adds an extra layer of control, traction and plushness.

Drawing comparisons to its closest rival again, the GSX-S1000GT, the Ninja’s chassis far outguns the Suzuki, both in terms of sportiness, control and comfort. Back in 2023, I resorted to fitting a £650 Maxton NR4 shock to my Suzuki in order to tame a wayward rear end during sportier rides and also add in the functionality of a remote preload, neither of which are a problem for the SX SE.

With the bike now serviced and ready to face a summer of action, it’s time I hit the road and tick off some longer distance work to assess the Kawasaki’s comfort. Then of course, we’ll find out just how impressive that chassis really is when we hit the track… there’s talk of an MCN team trip over to Spa-Francorchamps and I think that could be just the ticket!

App leaves me cold

Is it just me, or does every single product these days come with a smartphone app? The Ninja 11’s no different as it offers Bluetooth connectivity to your smartphone via Kawasaki’s Rideology app. This allows calls and messages to be displayed on the dash, access to the bike’s settings, and also records various bits of data from your ride. I installed the app in the hope that it’d offer some sort of navigation function – but sadly it doesn’t.