Updated 2020 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 Revealed in CARB Document

Earlier this month, Kawasaki announced an updated Ninja 650 for 2020, along with a number of street bike models returning unchanged except for new graphics. One model that was conspicuously left out was the 650’s larger sibling, the Ninja 1000. We now think we know why, as the California Air Resources Board released an executive order certifying an updated 2020 Kawasaki Ninja 1000.

According to the CARB document, the 2020 Ninja 1000 has a new engine family code: 1.04AAJ. The current Ninja 1000 has been certified with the engine family code 1.04AAG since the 2017 model year when it was last updated. The generation before that had the engine code 1.04AAD. The new engine remains at a 1043cc displacement as its predecessor.

Along with the new engine code come reduced emissions. The 2020 Ninja 1000 is certified at producing 0.1 grams per kilometer (g/km) of hydrocarbons, the exact amount required to meet Euro 5 requirements. Hydrocarbons plus nitrogen oxide levels (HC+NOx) also total 0.1 g/km, meaning the NOx levels are also Euro 5 compliant (no more than 0.06 g/km of NOx).

By comparison, the 2017-2019 Ninja 1000 was certified at 0.14 g/km for HC emissions and 0.2 g/km for HC+NOx. The model before that (i.e. pre Euro 4) was certified at 0.2 g/km for HC and 0.3 g/km for HC+NOx. (For those of you still keeping score, the current Versys 1000 which uses a similar but more sedately tuned 1043cc Inline-Four is already Euro 5 compliant at 0.04 g/km of HC and 0.1 g/km of HC+NOx.)

Unfortunately, the CARB documentation doesn’t much about what else may have changed with the 2020 Kawasaki Ninja 1000. For that, we’ll have to wait for an official announcement. Kawasaki USA says two new models will be unveiled next week at the Tokyo Motor Show (with the supercharged Z H2 being one of them), and another three models at EICMA.