An evolution of their popular Ninja 900, the Ninja 1000R was the fastest production motorcycle that Cycle World had ever tested at the time. From their January 1986 review: “One hundred fifty-nine miles an hour! We’re talking fast, here, as in the fastest production streetbike ever. Tucked-in and wrist locked, a Ninja 1000 rider with little regard for his driver’s license can cover the length of a football field in 1.3 seconds. Get caught, go directly to jail and sell the bike to pay your attorney’s fees.”
That sort of speed was possible thanks to the 997cc engine, which put out a claimed 125 horsepower. “Where the 900 bogs, the 1000 wheelies; where the 900 has to be revved, the 1000 tractors right up to its 10,500-rpm redline. Because of its long gearing, however. the 1000 does suffer in top-gear roll-on contests, necessitating a downshift or two in order to get things boiling.”
This seller of this example (VIN: JKAZXCA13GB501405) says “this has to be the nicest example of a Ninja 1000 in existence,” which is quite a claim. But it sure looks like a nice one – it’s all original except for a Zero Gravity windshield and it has 10,300 miles. Everything is said to work and there’s two cosmetic issues – a small dent in the tank and a stress crack in the left middle fairing.
Find this Ninja for sale in Spring, Texas with bidding up to $3,088 and the reserve not yet met here on eBay.