This sport-touring Ninja nameplate first appeared for the 2020 model year, when Kawasaki introduced it as a refreshed continuation of the long-running 1,000cc sport-tourer concept. The new SX designation marked a clearer identity for the bike within the Ninja family, emphasizing a blend of supersport styling, everyday road comfort, and long-distance capability. Kawasaki’s own 2020 materials show the model debuting with modern touring-friendly equipment such as integrated riding modes, cruise control, traction control, and cornering-focused electronic support, signaling a more contemporary direction than earlier generations of the same basic concept.
Over the next few model years, the nameplate remained focused on the sport-touring middle ground: more aggressive and performance-oriented than a traditional touring motorcycle, but more practical and road-friendly than a pure supersport. Kawasaki continued to list the model through the 2024 model year, and its accessory catalog still references 2020 through 2024 applications for this exact nameplate. For 2025, Kawasaki introduced the 1100SX and 1100SX SE as the next step in the line, which effectively ended the 1000SX nameplate after the 2024 model year. As a result, this model represents a single continuous production run from 2020 through 2024, and it is notable for defining Kawasaki’s modern liter-class sport-tourer before the later 1100SX update.