2017 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 off to a good start; first lot sold out

With a launch price of Rs 9.98 lakhs (ex-showroom, India) for the 2017 Ninja 1000, Kawasaki did shock the Indian market. However, this pricing is entirely possible considering the fact that the 2017 model was launched as a semi-knocked-down (SKD) model which attracts lesser tax than the completely-knocked-down (CKD) models. This has made the Ninja 1000 a very alluring motorcycle. 

Kawasaki sold the first lot of 20 Ninja 1000s within a few weeks of its launch. The company has received 55 bookings for this Japanese motorcycle from across the country. The numbers could have been more, however,  Kawasaki maintains that it wants its customers want to see the bikes in person, before putting down the booking amount. Currently, Kawasaki is waiting for more SKD units to fulfill its order book and also help the dealers with the showroom bike. 

Other than the price, what worked for the Ninja 1000 is its positioning, performance and features. The 2017 Ninja 1000 rubs its shoulders with a few Harleys and Triumphs. These cruiser buyers were ready to switch their preferences to the Ninja 1000 due to its comfortable ergonomics along with the sporty appearance, more tech and performance. According to Kawasaki, the Ninja 1000 is being opted for by first time big-bike buyers and also customers who have owned middle-weight bikes in the past. 

Kawasaki is looking to cash in on this success by bringing in more big bikes as SKD models to India. The Ninja ZX-10R and the Ninja ZX-14R are the two of them. However, the exact SKD operations are yet to be decided for these bikes.