A new hero...

As a teenager I lusted after a 70s Kawasaki Z1 and have always wanted to buy one. Then I rode the one Richard Hammond was given by his wife for his 40th birthday.

What a disappointing ride, but what a fabulous looker. The obvious solution would be to buy this bike: the Kawasaki Z900RS SE. This retro machine is now available in the classic Yellow Ball livery of the original 1972 bike. The SE model gets Ohlin rear suspension upgrades too, so it handles and stops better. Not something the original did very well.

Kawasaki hasn’t quoted a price yet but the standard Z900RS starts at just under £12,000 so the SE is likely to be near £13K.