KAWASAKI Z900
We let loose the Kawasaki Z900 in the Sierra Nevada national park in southern Spain to find out what it is made of
IT’S LUNCHTIME AT A restaurant in a village called Alba in the Sierra Nevada national park in southern Spain, and I’m wondering why our six-strong group of riders is not jabbering excitedly about how good the Z900 is. After all, we’ve just had a brilliant ride over the mountains, following Kawasaki’s lead rider at a brisk pace up and down a gloriously smooth-surfaced, sunwarmed and traffic-free ribbon of tarmac called the AL-3404.
Kawasaki’s new four with the old name has obviously played a star role in that, impressing with its smooth, rev-happy but respectably flexible power delivery, taut handling and decent brakes and tyres. But as we pour the water and butter the bread, the talk switches from what’s on the menu to the weather back home. The Zeds lined up outside are seemingly forgotten although their Dunlops must still be almost too hot to touch.
Perhaps, part of the reason is that for all the Z900’s considerable attributes it’s essentially a grown-up middleweight, rather than a super-naked that offers a new level of performance or technology. Maybe, as a typically refined modern four-cylinder machine, it worked well but not exceptionally so, lacking either the flaws or
strong character to capture the imagination.
Either way, the Z900 is an important bike for Kawasaki. As the replacement for the Z800, it is taking over from a model that was not just one of the firm’s most successful, but has been the most popular big bike in some European markets. No pressure, then, on a comprehensively redesigned machine whose name, as well as its aggressively naked styling, is close to that of the well-established Z1000.
So too, rather curiously, is its capacity of 948 cc — within 100 cc of the Z1000’s 1,043 cc total. The new motor is actually a smaller-bore version of the Zed Thou’s unit (sharing its 56-mm stroke with a piston diameter of 73.4 mm instead of 77 mm), rather than enlarged from the Z800 lump. New intake and four-into-one exhaust systems contribute to a maximum output of 125 PS at 8,000 revolutions per minute, 17 PS down on the bigger unit.
The Z900’s frame is all its own: not made from aluminium like the Z1000’s or thick steel tubes like the Z800’s, but a slender tubular steel trellis, attractively finished in light green like that of the Ninja H2. The frame uses the engine as a stressed member and weighs just 13.5 kilograms. The aluminium swingarm is also light, at 3.9 kg, and is worked by a near-horizontal shock complete with rising-rate mechanism.
Styling is also reminiscent of the Z1000’s, though the twinheadlight front end has a slightly less radical Sugomi look. (Does Sugomi actually appeal to anyone outside Kawasaki?) But I got a slight surprise on throwing a leg over the fairly low seat. Up ahead
was a small, neat single instrument console, and a pair of slightly raised handlebars whose switchgear had buttons for… precisely nothing, apart from the basics, including starter, lights, and horn.
That made getting under way pleasingly simple — just press the starter button and go. I didn’t miss the lack of riding modes as I pulled smoothly away with assistance from the Kawasaki’s light slipassist clutch. And the controllable feel was enhanced by the Z900’s lack of weight. At 210 kg without fuel it’s not exactly a featherweight, but is a handy 11 kilos lighter than the Z1000 and 21 kg down on its lardy predecessor, the Z800.
I didn’t miss the lack of opportunity to fine-tune throttle response, especially as the Z900 immediately showed that its one engine mode provided an impressively crisp and glitch-free delivery, in contrast to recent naked rivals such as Suzuki’s GSX-S1000 and Yamaha’s original MT-09. There was no jerkiness; just a usefully strong, flexible power surge that let the Kawasaki pull cleanly from below 3,000 rpm in the lower gears, gaining strength as the revs rose until it was charging forward with the tachometer needle approaching the 11,000-rpm red-line.
Inevitably, there wasn’t quite the low-rev stomp that the Z1000 dishes out, but the Nine never felt remotely lacking, and revved with a smoothness that encouraged plenty of throttle abuse, and frequent use of a sweet-shifting six-speed box. On the relatively straight road that began the route, it also sat at a steady indicated 125 km/h, feeling respectably relaxed, ready to take off towards its 220 km/hplus maximum at the tweak of the throttle. Being tall, I was
For anyone set on a naked Kawasaki four, the smaller sibling is sufficiently quick and sweethandling to be both fast and fun
pleasantly surprised that the low fly-screen generated very little turbulence (albeit not providing any wind protection either), although one shorter rider thought differently.
Talking of noise, if any aspect of the Zed’s engine performance disappointed, it was, perhaps, the sound, given Kawasaki’s claim that the intake system’s “carefully crafted auditory note is a key component of the Z900’s street riding exhilaration”. There was an intake sound that rose and fell with revs, but it never struck me as sufficiently loud to be described as a roar or howl.
Handling was enjoyably responsive at modest speeds, when the bike’s accurate steering impressed on twisty roads, and its blend of low seat and generous steering lock helped make it manoeuvrable. Stability at speed seemed fine, at least through a couple of highway sweepers. Even when the pace became hectic on that thrash towards the lunch stop, the Zed remained admirably composed.
Its suspension is not particularly sophisticated, offering adjustable preload and rebound damping at both ends, but was respectably compliant on the gentler sections. And it proved well up to the job as the Kawasaki was run hard into turns on its powerful front brake (comprising four-piston Nissin front callipers and 300-mm discs), then fired out again with sufficient force to make the rear Dunlop D21 Sportmax work for its living — which it did, finding grip on the mostly well-surfaced but sometimes dusty or polished roads.
That was just as well, given the lack of traction control that is surprising in an all-new model, especially as rivals, including Suzuki’s new GSX-S750, Triumph’s revamped Street Triple and Yamaha’s improved MT-09, have systems (the Yam has a quick-shifter too). Kawasaki’s official line is that they wanted to concentrate on the pure riding experience, which doesn’t really wash these days when a good traction control system stays in the background until needed.
In reality, several factors possibly influenced the decision; one being cost and another the need to help differentiate the Z900 from the Z1000, and create incentive to buy the more expensive bike. For anyone set on a naked Kawasaki four, the smaller sibling is sufficiently quick and sweet-handling to be both fast and fun, posted respectable fuel economy and range (6.7 litres/100 km and close to 240 km), and delivers most of what the bigger model does for a roughly 20 per cent lower price. In some markets there’s a Z900 Performance Edition priced between the two, featuring fly-screen, tank pad, pillion seat-cover and Akrapovic silencer.
The Z900 wins the fraternal fight for me, but the more important question is whether it has the character to shine in an increasingly competitive class against the GSX-S750, Street Triple and MT-09. All have their merits, but what’s for sure is that when that discussion starts, the pleasingly quick, sweet-handling and capable Kawasaki should not be forgotten.