Kawasaki Motors Australia press release:

Champion’s Ride Days assistant, Kiri Welsh attended the official Australian media launch event for the Kawasaki Ninja 400, held at Lakeside Park in QLD and this is what she had to say about the all new model.

Kiri’s two wheeled obsession started with cycling and evolved into road motorcycling as well as racing in recent years. The mother of four began her track day and racing journey at Lakeside Park in QLD eight years ago, driven by an urge to ride her sports bike in a fast paced environment.

In between throwing her lager capacity Supersport motorcycle around the track, Kiri has taken motorcycling trips down to Phillip Island in Victoria and enjoys leisure riding at every chance.

“I decided to buy a motorcycle after seeing riders pass me on my cycling run up the mountains, because they looked like they were having so much fun,” said Kiri.

“After riding on the road, I just couldn’t get enough of the thrill and speed so I decided to hit the track which is a more controlled environment and I haven’t looked back. I’m at the stage now where I race locally and I’ve competed in the Queensland Raceways FX series,” commented Kiri, who assists with admin and customer interaction for the Kawasaki partnered Champion’s Ride Days team.

Kawasaki Motors Australia hosted the official Australian media launch for the Ninja 400 at the Lakeside Park race track, giving Australia’s most prominent motorcycling media outlets the opportunity to review this cutting edge model. Kiri Welsh was invited along to experience the Ninja 400 and provide her feedback from the perspective of a well-rounded motorcycle enthusiast.

“After taking the Ninja 400 out onto the track for the first time, my initial thoughts were, this is a joy – I was smiling the entire time. I was thinking about how much faster I could go into the corners and it did it easily every time.”

“The corner speed I could hold due to the lightness of the bike was impressive and I really trusted the bike, so much that I could really tip it in every time.”

“The brakes worked great, the acceleration and torque was really good! If I missed a gear it was ok to pull me along. I am trying to fault it, but I can’t. The slipper clutch was so smooth, there was no jolting around or anything and it was so light to use as well.”

Manoeuvring in and out of the pit area was a breeze for the 5’10’’ Kiri who said, “I’m not that good with slow riding and moving the bikes around but I found that to be easy with the Ninja 400.”

“It looks really good as well and the front end in particular really looks great. The styling of a bike is a big factor for me and the Kawasaki Racing Team replica colour does it for me as well, so it’s a slick bike!” exclaimed Kiri.

“The dash was easy to see and use. The engine and gear changes sounded very smooth, the engine is sound with smooth power delivery, it’s a well sorted bike. It makes me want to race a Ninja 400, because of the low cost for the bike it’s self but also inexpensive maintenance and tyre bills. When I was out there, I was trying to think about what to fault however I couldn’t come up with anything.”

“I love the speed and power of a big bike but the low cost of the Ninja 400 and the ease of riding makes it very appealing.”

“I would recommend the bike to anybody. It’s quick enough to keep up, light enough to handle and the seat height is fantastic, it’s very easy to get a foot hold and that’s an absolute key feature for me,” Kiri said.