easy to ride – something a smaller rider who’s
already passed their test will love, and something
a learner can learn their initial test craft yet it
has the capacity to take them much further.
Kawasaki clearly knows it has a slice of the LAMS
market to re-capture. This is the bike they’ll do it
with because, not only has the 400 got class-leading
performance, Kawasaki NZ has priced the Ninja
keenly. The standard bike is $7995, which, incredibly,
is $500 cheaper than the 300 Ninja we tested a
couple of years ago. Lighter, faster, better... and
cheaper. Kawasaki deserves to sell a boat load.
Avalon Biddle heading out
to test the all-new 400 at
Pukekohe Park Raceway
is faster, handles better and looks super-sharp.
I can’t understate how much fun it is to chase a
bunch of identical small-capacity bikes around
a race-track. Sitting behind Avalon after she’d
overtaken me showed just what a smaller person
can do on a bike like this – very smooth and
fast. And Avalon’s bike didn’t have to deal with
excess kilo’s. That said, it did an admirable job.
This new Ninja looks like a pukka sports bike, if
you didn’t know it was ‘only’ a 400 you’d probably
never suspect. It’s sprightly and playful, yet
46KIWI RIDER