‘The Tracer is fun, but it’s the Z1000SX that really shines’
with a bit more slip. Jumping from Yamaha to Kawasaki feels initially like going back in time. It’s like sitting on the floor after the giddying heights of the Tracer and the SX’s bars feel impossibly narrow, but it doesn’t take long to meld into the sumptuous ride.
As you’d expect with its extra cylinder the Z1000SX is immediately smoother and the grunt spilling from its power station of a motor almost defies belief. You can roll through the entire MCN250 just using the upper three gears (just sixth if you really want to). It might not have a quickshifter, but it doesn’t really need one.
There are no heated grips, cruise control or flashy dash, but what the Kawasaki lacks in toys it more than makes up for with an engine, chassis and riding position that work in perfect harmony. It’s hard to fault. Last year saw the Z1000SX’s third evolution, with sharper styling, Euro 4 updates, new clocks, cornering ABS and traction control. This version comes with larger (28-litre) panniers than the Yamaha, including inner bags, tank pad and satnav bracket.
On the Yamaha there may be plenty of room, but the combination of a forward-tilting riding position and a still-too-hard seat isn’t making life comfortable by the time we join the M40.
Getting on the Kawasaki is like sinking into a hot bath after the GT. It doesn’t look particularly cossetting
‘The Kawasaki skips serenely over twisty, bumpy terrain’
or roomy, but it is. You sit in still air behind an adjustable screen that parts the wind like the Red Sea, and ride quality is so plush and refined you’d swear it was running Rea’s factory
Showa forks and shock. Producing superbike-levels of torque at just 7300rpm you can make the Yamaha a dot in your mirrors at will and I’ve laid in beds that vibrate more than the Kawasaki does at speed.
The Z1000SX Tourer continues to impress with sweet handling, unflappable stability and strong, tactile brakes through the Cotswolds. The latest sports or sports touring rubber would make the SX very special indeed, but bumps and potholes still seem to magically heal as you glide over. The soundtrack is familiar four-pot, but the twin pipes emit a deep, bellowing roar.
You quickly realise the Tracer doesn’t have the balance and stability of the Kawasaki, or even Yamaha’s own MT-07 or MT-10. Better tyres would again improve things, but as it is, steering is heavy at speed and it feels like the front wheel is 10 metres too far ahead of you. It’s tricky to keep a line and pointing it down the seductive sweeps of the B660 you’d swear the frame was less welded and more bolted together with hinges. Dragging the back brake is the only way to steady the Tracer’s rear end. If you’ve no interest in tickling the upper reaches of the rev-range, or troubling tyre edges, the 900GT is easy, friendly and fun, but it’s the Z1000SX Tourer that really shines. You’ll never grow tired of its big mile-eating ability, the ease with which it hustles through corners or its howling acceleration. Who needs an H2 SX, anyway?