Head of the new Zeds

Light steel-trellis chassis No TC or modes Sleeved down Z1000 engine

IT’S LUNCHTIME AT a restaurant in a village called Alba in the Sierra Nevada national park in southern Spain, and I’m wondering why our six-strong group of riders is not jabbering excitedly about how good the Z900 is. After all, we’ve just had a brilliant ride over the mountains, following Kawasaki’s lead rider at a brisk pace up and down a gloriously smooth-surfaced and traffic-free ribbon of tarmac called the AL-3404.

The Zeds lined up outside are forgotten though their Dunlops must still be almost too hot to touch.perhaps part of the reason is that for all the Z900’s considerable attributes it’s essentially a grown-up middleweight, rather than a super-naked that offers a new level of performance or technology. Maybe, as a typically refined modern four-cylinder machine, it worked well but not exceptionally, lacking either the flaws or strong character to capture the riders’ imagination.

Either way, the Z900 is an important bike for Kawasaki. As the replacement for the Z800, it is taking over from a model that was not just one of the most successful in Kawasaki’s line-up, but also the most popular big bike in some European markets. No pressure, then, on a comprehensively redesigned machine whose name, as well as its aggressively naked styling, is close to that of the already well-established Z1000.

So too, rather curiously, is its capacity of 948cc – within 100cc of the Z1000’s 1043cc total. The new motor is actually a smallerbore version of the Zed Thou’s unit (sharing its 56mm stroke with a piston diameter of 73.4mm instead of 77mm), rather than enlarged from the Z800 lump. New intake and four-into-one exhaust systems contribute to an output of 123bhp at 8000rpm, 15bhp down on the bigger unit.

However, the Z900’s chassis is all its own: not made from aluminium like the Z1000’s or thick steel tubes like the Z800, but a slender tubular steel trellis frame, attractively finished in light green like that of the Ninja H2. The engine is a stressed member, so the frame weighs 13.5kg. The aluminium swingarm is also light, at 3.9kg, and worked by a near-horizontal shock with rising-rate mechanism.

Styling is also reminiscent of the Z1000’s, though the twin-headlight front end has a slightly less radical “Sugomi” look. (Does Sugomi actually mean anything to anyone outside Kawasaki?) But I got a slight surprise on throwing a leg over the fairly low seat. Up ahead was a small, neat single instrument console and a pair of slightly raised handlebars whose switchgear had buttons for… precisely nothing, apart from the basics including starter, lights and horn.

That made getting under way pleasingly simple – just press the starter button and go. I didn’t miss the lack of riding modes as I pulled smoothly away – aided by the Kawasaki’s light slip-assist clutch. And the controllable feel was enhanced by the Z900’s lack of weight. At 210kg without fuel it’s not exactly a featherweight, but is a handy 11kg lighter than the Z1000 and 21kg down on its lardy predecessor the Z800.

I didn’t miss the lack of opportunity to fine-tune throttle response, either – especially as the Z900 immediately

“The Z900 easily wins the fraternal fight for me”