Verdict
competitiveDifferent engine,in 2017, morebut somehowpower, lighter Kawasaki’s chassis. newIt soundsZ900 feelslike enoughlike an oldto makebike. Init this respected company the Zed looks dated, especially when viewed from the cockpit. It’s as if Kawasaki are nervous about investing more into what is most definitely a competitive market. And the Z900 suffers because of it. Nimble chassis, sweet fuelling, gorgeous looks – the Street Triple R is a fabulous machine where the quality is in the detail. It’s come a long way from the simple beginnings of 2007. The bike that greets your eyes now is a refined machine, with more power and lazer-focus than ever before. But while the new mid-range R is a little less focused than the RS version, it’s still a naked sportsbike that’s more at home on a track than on the public road. In this form, the Street has lost sight of the energy that made the first model great. And the lucky blighters at Yamaha have found it. That same youthful exuberance that was the lifeblood of the original Street Triple is bubbling out of the MT09’S underslung exhaust. Yamaha seem to understand this, helping rather than hindering it with their recent updates. Leap off Welsh crests within a safety net of traction control? Absolutely, sir. With vigour, sir. It feels as alive on the road in 2017 as the first Street Triple did in 2007.