Kawasaki Z1000SX
60bhp short in Kawasaki’s sports tourer arms race, but 1000 people per year can’t be wrong…
IT TAKES APPROXIMATELY one mile to realise why the Z1000SX is such a big-selling hero for Kawasaki. It’s just so friendly. The clutch makes the ZZR14’S feel like some macho grip strength test, the screen can be adjusted with a pull of a lever (the H2 and ZZR’S are non-adjustable) and the riding position will be familiar to anyone getting off an adventure bike or naked – slight lean forward to the bars, wrists almost weight-free, legs sensibly accommodated and your neck able to swivel so you can look round at junctions. And as you filter through traffic to get out of town, the ease continues. The fuelling is perfect, with a wonderfully smooth transition as you open and close the throttle (the H2 jerks as you close it at low speeds), the gearbox is slick and, because the bars are narrower than the motocross-style jobs on adventure bikes, you can squeeze through traffic effortlessly. You sit high, and those bars make it easy to boss the Z, weaving between lanes at walking pace, deftly skewering traffic while never once considering putting your feet down. It’s a well-balanced bike. This is the third generation of Z1000SX and, because the first one in 2010 was such an excellent effort, most changes have been either incremental detail improvements or cosmetic tweaks. The last revamp in 2017 brought things like improved saddle comfort (it now matches the bike’s easy 180-mile fuel range), more effective headlights, a gear indicator, and sharper throttle response. You also get the latest electronics from the ZX-10R, which means cornering ABS and three-level traction control (the next generation system to the ZZR14’S). The result is the Z1000SX feels utterly sorted – you can ride it all day and realise that not once has something niggled you – no buzzing wing mirror, or unreadable fuel gauge, or baffling switchgear. The only annoying detail arises when you run low on fuel – the range to empty figure suddenly disappears when it drops below 20 miles, which means sometimes you look down to check the range and it says ‘-’, prompting garage panic if you don’t know how long it’s been like that. Aside from user-friendliness, the other reason 1000 people a year have bought a new Z1000SX since 2010, is fun. Open the throttle hard in second and it lunges forward with a snort from its airbox, picking up the front wheel until the electronics bring it back down with a flurry of irate orange flashing on the dash. Up into third and there’s still dramatic acceleration thanks to the 140bhp top-end, of which you feel the full effect because of the upright riding position. Imagine a Speed Triple with a proper fairing and get close to how good the Z1000SX feels. The impression of speed isn’t just down to that riding position though. The gearing is roughly 10% lower than that of the H2 and ZZR14, which offsets some of the power disadvantage at lower speeds. It’s a sensible decision by Kawasaki – sure, the Z1000SX’S top speed of 144mph isn’t headline-grabbing and is 40mph short of the other two but from the saddle that’s irrelevant. What you notice is the generous thrust when you open the throttle at sub-80mph speeds (above that you’re probably in sixth and there’s nothing the gearbox can do to help). Which is a roundabout way of saying the 140bhp Z1000SX is a rapid motorcycle… unless your riding buddies are on an H2 SX and ZZR1400, in which case no amount of clever gearing is going to save you from watching them turn into tiny green dots. It’s awe-inspiring, annoying and makes you want another 60bhp. How far they get out of sight depends on the road and your skills though because if the straights are short and the corners tight, you could actually catch them. The Z1000’s commanding riding position, shorter wheelbase and 30kg less weight makes it feels frisky compared with both the H2 and ZZR. The steering geometry of the three is similar, but it’s the Z1000 you’d want for a B-road scratch – shave off speed with the excellent radial brakes, let the suspension rattle over all the bumps as you lever it in and carry masses of speed in towards the apex. On the firmer H2 and ZZR the same road is jarring, and it never feels like you’re getting their quality suspension working properly. The final feather in the Z1000SX’S cap is it looks the part, despite being £5000 cheaper than the ZZR1400 Performance Sport and £8000 less than the H2 SX SE. The plastics are thick, the metallic paint deep and neat touches such as the integrated pannier brackets abound. The Z1000SX is a seriously high-value motorcycle, which is a real problem for the other two…
‘It’s the Z1000SX you would want for a B-road scratch…’