At the risk of sounding "age-ist", the clue to that conundrum is likely found in the rider being 45 years old. I'm 40 myself, and if I hadn't been riding since I was 9, I'd think twice about swinging a leg over a 200-hp motorcycle in my mid-40s. I wouldn't be surprised to find that this guy has more money than experience, and bought the big ZX because it looks cool (and it does; some people forget that Kawasaki built airplanes once upon a time and it shows in this bike). Far too many people buy way more bike than they can handle, and end up in situations like this where an experienced rider would know enough about his bike's capabilities (or not be too scared of his bike to act) to be able to avoid the incident.
I was reminded of an incident I read about on a bike forum, where another mid-life rider (40s-50s) had the throttle on his Hayabusa (second-fastest bike on the planet) lock up WFO on him on the highway. Rather than pull the clutch and thumb the killswitch, he tried to ride it out and ended up lowsiding into a car, injuring himself and his passenger. I don't know how much riding experience he had, but it does illustrate the need for adding some new second-nature habits when you ride.
And, for reference, this is the bike that apparently couldn't outrun a Ford Fusion:
I “late entered” the world of motorcycles at 29 so I see where you’re coming from. I try to ride a lot, to work, etc. to make up for my lack of experience. You’re right, far too many people buy too much bike, especially for a first bike. I’m glad I had sensible riding friends who steered me away from the supersport I was eyeing onto a beginner motorcycle for for my first bike.
Also, I love the lines of the ZX1400. I know someone who has one who rode from Colorodo to Pennsylvania for a weekend on a whim. He said it was smooth as glass the whole way.