KAWASAKI Z1000
Like the Suzuki, the Kawasaki Z1000 is a little lacking in the electronics department. But what it lacks in gizmos, it makes up for in looks. I say that, but the aggressive, animalistic stance of the Zed Thou will likely be a step too far for many. There is no doubt though, that the sparkly green paint job and the big twin end cans give the Kwaka something of a striking appearance; even if it isn’t appreciated by all. The riding position on the Zed is very much ‘in’ rather than ‘on’ and is really rather comfortable – the seat is low, but not too low and the bars are wide but not too wide.
The Zed which we had on test came with trick looking Akrapovic silencers (or loudeners, when compared to the standard, ugly-looking cans) that really accentuated the 1,043cc engine’s exhaust note. It was something ever so symphonic and even before I had engaged first gear and started rolling on the thing, I was twisting the throttle to bathe my ears in the blissful sound. But it is kind of cheating as the other bikes on test had their factory-fitted OE exhausts… okay the CB had a trick aftermarket can too but it’s still cheating.
Clunked into gear the clutch had a nice action and the gearbox was more than obliging. The Kwak took a bit of revving to get it to pull away but once rolling it had more pull than I expected from an inline four of its nature. It wasn’t arm-socketwrenching low down but it was sensible. What wasn’t sensible though was the fact that I couldn’t actually see how many revs I was doing until I was above 4,000rpm – the Zed has a two-part rev counter; zero to 4,000rpm down the side of the tiny little screen and then from 4,000 to 11,500rmp on an LED panel above the main screen, ZX-10R style. And in all fairness the ZX-10R can barely pull it off so the Zed has no chance. The actual digital part of the screen seems too cramped to get all the relevant information on there. It also seemed a little low down and too far back for me; the chin-piece of my helmet was right in the way so I couldn’t just glance down at it with my eyes. Maybe I shouldn’t be so lazy.
The Kawasaki’s tech was simple to use, and as per the ride on the Suzuki, a quickshifter was sorely missed. In fact the whole package felt as though it was missing something. Nothing major, it was just as though it was lacking the refinement of the more expensive bikes on test. It felt a little bit cheap… so did the GSX-S though, in all fairness.
But maybe ‘The Big K’, like ‘The Big S’ have aimed their super naked steeds at the shallow end of the price pool on purpose, resulting in a not terminal but very noticeable lack of those nice glittery bits.
And you soon find out that you don’t need glitter for the Zed to make you smile. It’s a bike that wants, nay, needs to ridden hard to get the best of out of it (not dissimilar to its sportier cousin, the ZX-10R), certainly as far as the engine goes anyway. Yes, there are beans aplenty for causal riding, a bit of light touring or even commuting, in the midrange but for balls out ballistic riding, the nearer the Zed Thou’ is to 10,000rpm the better. For calm, collected cruising though, the Z1000 might have benefited from a taller top gear. There were more than a few occasions on the road where I looked for a seventh gear. I never found one.
On the road, whether cruising or scratching, the Zed worked for me. The Big Piston forks were just about soft enough to cope with most of the bumps that we threw at it, with only the nastiest of tarmac irregularities causing any real problems, but stiff enough to hold the bike up sensibly when turning it in and firing it round corners. It was a bike that I felt inspired a lot of confidence, so much so that it wasn’t long before I started to experience tarmac/exhaust interference issues. I was loving riding the Zed so much that on a stretch of road I’m familiar with, I did get the Zed showing signs of protest; quick changes of direction caused a the bike to buck and weave a little, as if it was telling me enough is enough. I decided that taking the warning, rather than taking out a hedge (and spreading the Zed over a handful of farmers’ fields) was probably the best course of action.
Special bonus points go to the Kawasaki’s brakes, too. Switchable ABS means skids and stoppies are easily achieved which is excellent news, but even more excellent is just how strong and sharp they felt and on our road ride, there was not a modicum of brake fade to report.
The Kawasaki might not be an all singing, all dancing, penis extending machine, but it did everything we needed it to quite well indeed. If you want an aggressive, fast super naked that isn’t going to break the bank (comparatively speaking) then the Zed ought to get onto your short list at least.