It’s the reviewer’s job to be objective - to stand back - but it’s a little hard with the Kawasaki Ninja 1100SX because we have, as they say, history.
I ran its recent ancestor, the Z1000SX Tourer, clad in Candy Lime Green, as long-term test bike in 2018 and loved it, heaping descriptions such as ‘lithe’, ‘supremely well balanced’, ‘punchy’ with ‘instantaneous power’ and so on. The ‘Ninja’ aura didn’t hurt either - the ‘brand’ burst into public recognition in 1986 when, ridden by Tom Cruise, it howled down a runway in Top Gun.
