6-month bike test: Kawasaki Z800
After 6 months of varied use, the Z800 established itself as a versatile all-rounder
IF you’re looking to avoid rush-hour traf c chaos and save on fuel bills, a 125 cm3 runabout makes a huge amount of sense. You can get one for about R20 000 and they sip less than 4,0 L/100 km. The problem, however, arises if you wish to keep up with 120 km/h traf c. And we’re not just talking about cars but more scary machines such as taxis, buses and trucks with the fake-news stickers on their rear bumpers claiming they don’t go faster than 80 or 100 km/h. At the other extreme of the bike spectrum, you nd longdistance machines costing a fortune and aren’t exactly nimble in peak-hour traf c.
What you need is something in the middle. A sweet spot. A wellpriced bike of between 400 and 800 cm3 capacity that can make its way to the front of idling traf c and use no more fuel than a small hatch yet still be capable of comfortably covering longer distances at highway speeds; one like this Kawasaki z800.
On delivery six months ago, the odo displayed 0 km and, for the rst 1 000 km, we were asked to keep the engine revs below 6 000 r/min. When the mileage reached 1 000 km, we took it to Mad Macs Motorcycles in Somerset West where Rob Cragg completed the scheduled oil change and checkup. Once we could ride it properly, we discovered, while it may not have a fancy traction-control system, this Kawasaki does come with ABS brakes to prevent lockup; helpful, especially in the wet. Just be careful on gravel when you might lose stopping ability if you apply the brakes too forcefully.
All three of CAR’S bike testers complimented the smooth and torquey engine, coupled with a slick, quick-shifting gearbox. However, we were less impressed with the instrumentation; the small screen and digital display make it tricky to read info without taking your eyes off the road for longer than is safe. We did appreciate the trip computer with a range to empty which supplemented the fuel gauge, though.
The Z800’s design got the universal thumbs up, too. Motorcycle styling these days is pretty much like car design and, unless you really know your stuff, bikes all look quite similar. This Kawasaki, however, does have quite a distinctive appearance, with 45-degree angular lines intersecting with rounded curves and a high tail to give it an aggressive, almost insect-like aesthetic.
In terms of the riding experience, the Z800 is super smooth but, typically of many fours with their high-pitched whistle, the engine often sounds as if it is revving too high. It is quite feasible to whizz through the gears into sixth at below 60 km/h and, from there, you can choose your speed by simply applying throttle.
The braking is notably excellent and the steering is precise and user-friendly.
During our six months with the bike, we sampled the Z800 over a combination of commutes and longer-run scenarios. For tackling the urban grind, the Kawasaki was perfect and the odd trip into the traf c mayhem that is the Cape Town city centre was easy and quick, with the added bene t of nding parking close to our nal destination.
We also completed a few sightseeing trips into the countryside allowing for faster speeds and spectacular scenery. These included a Cape Point round trip and a spin to Wellington, over Bainskloof Pass to Wolseley and Malmesbury before returning via the N7. The fuel consumption on this excursion was 5,2 L/100 km, which was less than our overall average of 6,5. The reason for this was a lower average speed of between 100 and 110 km/h.
What impressed on these journeys was the lack of wind whip at speed, almost as if an invisible windshield was helping to part the air. In total, three of the trips were between 250 and 350 km. Having covered just under 2 500 km in its time with us, we retuned a well-run-in machine to the dealership which already had a customer lined up to buy it. Whoever that may be made a smart choice and is now the owner of a consummate middleweight comfortably lling dual roles of both cost-effective commuter and capable highway cruiser.