What’s it like on the road?

Like a Versys 1000, but shorter and sharper. And that’s a good thing. If you’ve ever hankered after a big four-cylinder adventure bike but don’t have the legs for it, you really should try one of these. You should also try one if you like the idea of a full-on tourer but don’t want the weight and bulk. And you should definitely try one if you’ve always fancied a serious superbike but not the crippling riding position and crazy top speed. Basically, you should try a Z1000SX no matter what you ride or think you’d like to ride, OK? Pillions get a better deal than on the naked Z1000, but not much - it’s not a comfy two-up bike, so it’s fair to say most owners are solo tourers. Weather protection is better than the average sportsbike, but worse than a full-on tourer. A combination of low overall gearing and a ton of grunt from that Zx-9r-derived engine means the SX leaps forward with a lot more eagerness than you might expect when you get a chance to wind the throttle on. It’s a myth that the SX has a speed limiter, by the way – it just runs out of gearing around 150mph and hits the rev limiter.

Too fast? No problem - there’s plenty of braking power. Corners? Ah, well now you might find something to criticise – a kind of hesitation before turning in, a reluctance to hold a smooth line. It’s reminiscent of sharp-steering but long-wheelbase sportsbikes like old Suzuki GSX-R1100S and Kawasaki ZZ-RS. With the SX’S it’s down to tyres more than geometry - ditch the standard Bridgestones and it comes good.