CARL KAWASAKI NINJA 400
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “Getting my hands dirty.”
It’s been a busy month! If you’d read the last column, you’d have seen that there was a little noise niggling me on the Ninja, and after speaking to Kawasaki they haven’t had another issue with the problem in this country yet, but they think it’s a slight fault with a loose connection on the horn. Although I’ve had it apart I can’t seem to find the fault so it will be going back to the guys in green for a fix in a couple of weeks’ time…
Saying that though, it’s only a minor niggle that makes little difference, and this month has been pretty exciting for the little 400. Nothing quite brings a smile to my face like more power and more noise, which meant sticking on a full system from Akrapovic couldn’t come sooner. If you thought 600s and 1000s were strangled to death by emissions laws you should have a go on one of the A2 offerings – it’s basically criminal.
This meant that after plastering on a few more miles under glorious sunshine, I couldn’t help but get the kit out and treat the 400 to some TLC. Between us, this is the first time I’ve ever fitted a full system myself and surprisingly it wasn’t a big ordeal; the fairing and belly pan was easy to slip off thanks to some easily accessible bolts, and with that all I did was unbolt the existing system in one easy swoop and stick the shiny new Akro system on. When you have them side by side it’s absolutely mental to see the difference in weight as well, with the standard system being deceptively weighty compared with the aftermarket set which proves massively important when you’ve got under 50bhp to play around with. What surprised me was though that some race kit can be a real pain in the ass to fit, yet the pipes literally slipped in like a glove, before I slipped the stunning carbon end can on with ease. I was anticipating a ball-ache, but it was completely fine, and although it may have longer than it should’ve done, the instructions were incredibly detailed and it only took just over an hour and a half – including the odd tea break and phone call.
So is it worth getting a full system? Hell yeah. I’ve taken it for a few spins round the block, and I have to say that even without a remap, the Ninja feels instantly sharper with a better throttle response, a respectable deep and throaty soundtrack and more bang for your buck. I’ve just picked up a Rapid Bike fuelling unit, so by the time you’re reading this I’ll be balls deep underneath the seat and the tank getting in wired in, and she’s booked in for a dyno session to get things spot on. The improvement from the Akraprovic system is absolutely incredible, so once the Ninja isn’t running lean, and has a proper fuelling system, it’s going to be an animal… albeit a tame little one!