CAFE SERVES UP A TASTY MENU

Way back in 1972, Kawasaki released one of those bikes that became a genuine game-changer. The Z1 was the first Japanese four-cylinder motorcycle to employ a double-overhead camshaft system.

The bike featured an electric start, full instrumentation, 82bhp and a top speed of 130mph.

It was smooth, stable and handled excellently – and it looked super cool, too. So when Kawasaki brought out a heavily Z1-influenced remake of its excellent Z900, called the Z900RS (Retro Sport) at the start of this year, it was met with much acclaim.

And now there’s a cafe racer-style version, called the Z900RS Cafe. This one is inspired by the 1982 KZ1000R, which superseded the Z1 and was raced to Superbike Championship victory by Eddie Lawson.

Mirrorbiker was one of the first to get their hands on the Cafe and it looks fantastic.

Beautiful curving lines, very reminiscent of the Z1, with a cafe racer-style cowling across the large pear-drop tank.

The twin round clocks are very similar to the Z1 and there is an LCD screen in-between, with all the usual info.

The riding position is comfortable, but with a hint of sportiness thanks to clip-on style dropped bars and a slightly higher seat than the standard RS.

Fire it up and you will get a pleasantly throaty roar from the fourinto-one exhaust.

It has a very broad torque curve, meaning there is plenty of grunt through all the gears, with a beautifully smooth power delivery. With all that lovely torque in hand, I found it best to accelerate out of bends in a gear higher than I might have used initially.

The assist-and-slipper clutch makes changing a doddle and through the twisty bits, the Cafe’s handling is light and precise.

The suspension set-up is pretty robust, but as both the upside-down forks and rear horizontal back-link shock are fully adjustable, you can tweak it to suit. There’s two-setting traction control, which can also be switched off.

Braking is excellent, with the lightest of touches enough to ease things up and plenty more there if required – and you’ve got ABS back-up if you don’t get it quite right.

It’s not often I test a bike which I would spend money on to own, but the Z900RS Cafe is definitely one of those. It looks fantastic and is easy, and a real hoot, to ride.

I loved it. RETRO Twin clocks are very reminiscent of the Z1 Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe

948cc 111bhp 72.6lb ft Lime green