Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX (2025) - Technical Review

You know the score. New year, updated bikes, more capacity, more tech, more pow… er? Not in this case: yes, Kawasaki has revamped the Ninja 1000SX – upscaling its engine to 1099cc and switching the name to 1100SX as a result – but its maximum output actually drops a fraction as the company goes in search of more useable midrange punch for its affordable sports tourer.

There’s still a healthy 134.1bhp on tap, but the old 1043cc ‘1000’ version managed 140.1hp despite giving away a moped’s worth of cubic-centimetres. So what does the new Ninja 1100SX bring to the party instead? Read on to find out.

Pros & Cons

2025 Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX - Price

Sliding into the range with a tag of £12,249, the new 2025 Ninja 1100SX is just £100 more expensive than the entry-level, black-and-grey version of the 2024 Ninja 1000SX. That means it’s also £100 cheaper than the more colourful variants of the bike it replaces and since there’s only one colour option for the new base version (any colour you like, provided it’s black) that’s one less choice to worry about.

If you want a splash of colour in the 2025 iteration, you need to raise your sights to the brand-new Ninja 1100SX SE version, which costs £13,999 and comes in either Kawasaki’s signature green/black combo or matte graphite/metallic black scheme.

The bikes are due in dealers from December this year, and until then the existing Ninja 1000SX remains in the range.

2025 Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX - Engine & Performance

The basis of the Ninja 1100SX’s engine might be the familiar Kawasaki four-cylinder that powered its predecessor as well as machines like the Z1000 and the Versys 1000, but its capacity hike to 1099cc marks a rationalisation of the range as well as bringing a new balance of torque and power.

As mentioned above, peak power drops by six horses, declining from the Ninja 1000SX’s 140.1hp (104.5kW) to 134.1hp (100kW), which might seem like a downgrade at first. But you need to dig a little deeper to discover how the change really effects the bike.

First off, torque rises a fraction, going from 81.9lbft for the old bike to 83.3lbft for the new one, but more important still is where those peaks arrive. Both max power and max torque now appear at lower rpm, with the power peaking at 9000rpm instead of the previous 10,000rpm, and torque topping out at 7600rpm instead of 8000rpm. That’s a recipe for a fatter-feeling midrange, which is bolstered further by revised gearing, with longer ratios in 5th and 6th to make the most of the torque curve and improve economy.

It's worth noting that for 2025, the engine designs of the new Ninja 1100SX and the similarly-powered and equally new Versys 1100 have converged. In their previous, 1043cc ‘1000’ guises, the Versys had a lower compression ratio and substantially less power, while for 2025 both bikes make near-identical outputs, sharing the same 11.8:1 compression ratio and torque-focused design.

The capacity increase itself comes from a new, long-stroke crankshaft that gives a 77mm x 59mm bore and stroke, up from the previous bike’s 77mm x 56mm.

As well as the revised ratios, the six-speed transmission’s standard-fit quickshifter can now operate at lower revs, allowing clutchless changes as low as 1500rpm. And of course there’s the usual array of power modes and an IMU-supported rider assist package including cornering traction control that’s been a staple feature of the model for several years.

2025 Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

There isn’t much to report in the way of changes to the standard Ninja 1100SX’s chassis compared to its predecessor with the exception of a switch from Bridgestone Battlax S22s to the latest S23s and a larger-diameter rear brake disc. But the same can’t be said of the new addition to the range, the Ninja 1100SX SE.

Those two extra letters denote a bigger change of suspension and brake components, with the headlines including a new Ohlins S46 rear shock and Brembo M4.32 monoblock calipers.

Both versions of the bike unchanged forks, as before; 41mm USDs with adjustable compression, rebound and preload, and the standard SX keeps its predecessor’s rear monoshock, adjustable for preload and rebound. The SE version’s Ohlins rear strut doesn’t gain any extra adjustment features but promises improved ride and damping.

On paper, both models have four-pot radial calipers on 300mm discs at the front, but the SE’s Brembos are aided by steel braided hoses and promise improved feel and performance. Brembo also supplies the discs and the master cylinder.

The changes mean that, despite its higher level of equipment, the Ninja 1100SX SE is fractionally lighter than the base model, coming in at 234kg ready to ride, while the base version is the same 235kg as its predecessor.

2025 Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX - Comfort & Economy

The Ninja 1000SX was already a capable long-distance machine and Kawasaki hasn’t made big changes to the ergonomics for the 2025 Ninja 1100SX. Instead the comfort improvements are focused on technical changes like that torquier engine and altered gear ratios to give more relaxed cruising.

On the new SX SE, there are a couple of extra luxuries including heated grips as standard, and both models have cruise control.

The engine and transmission alterations have led to a slight improvement in economy, at least under official test conditions, resulting in a claimed 50.4mpg instead of the previous model’s 48.7mpg. With an unchanged, 19-litre tank, which means the theoretical range to empty rises from 203 miles to 211 miles.

2025 Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX - Equipment

The Ninja 1000SX has long had a strong array of kit, and that doesn’t change with the new Ninja 1100SX.

On board there’s a colour TFT dash with IMU-supported rider assistance systems, plus a bar-mounted USB-C socket for your phone or other accessories. That phone can pair with the dash via Kawasaki’s Rideology app, which has been updated for 2025 to be ‘voice command application ready anticipating the next generation of motorcycle and rider interactivity.’

Useful kit carried over from before incudes the ‘clean mount’ pannier system that makes it easy to add or remove the optional luggage, plus a four-position adjustable screen.

2025 Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX - Rivals

The traditional format of inline four-cylinder sports tourer isn’t a crowded a field as once it was – in fact only one like-for-like machine springs to mind in the form of the Suzuki GSX-S1000GT. With more power and a price tag that sits between the two Ninja 1100SX variants, it’s clearly going to be on any potential buyer’s list of possibles. However, you might also be tempted by Yamaha’s three-cylinder Tracer 9 GT, or perhaps Honda’s newly-revised NT1100 twin.

Suzuki GSX-S1000GT (2024) | Price: £12,899

Read more

Power/Torque

150bhp / 78.2lb-ft

Weight

226kg

Yamaha Tracer GT (2024) | Price: £13,216

Read more

Power/Torque

118bhp / 68.6lb-ft

Weight

220kg

Honda NT1100 (2025) | Price: £12,679

Read more

Power/Torque

100.6bhp / 82.6lb-ft

Weight

238kg

2025 Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX - Verdict

We’ll let you know when we’ve ridden it!

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2025 Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX - Technical Specification

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