BIKE TEST
pages throughout its restoration. We
thought it would be nice to show you
the old versus new bikes. There’s not
much either of them share, but we
don’t care: they both look good in
their own ways.
The new bike’s all-new 948cc liquid-
cooled, in-line four has a quick-
revving characteristic and a strong
midrange hit that pulls strongly to
the redline. This is all delivered in a
silky smooth way, a bit like a lightly
melted Milky Way chocolate has that
smooth and stringy goodness that
you can’t get enough of.
But the smoothness of the engine
is only one aspect of this sweet
motorcycle. There has been major
emphasis placed on the intake note.
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that acceleration can be enjoyed
aurally as well as physically,
the sound of the intake is a
key component of the Z900. I
really think it is one of the most
intoxicating on the market, even
more so than big brother Z1000’s!
Matched to all this smoothness
and aural goodness is one of the
slickest gearboxes available. Short
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5th gears, which also contribute to
the Z900’s strong acceleration in
the everyday riding area. Sixth gear
is an overdrive and is just right out
on the open backroads. There’s also
Kawasaki’s well-known assist and
slipper clutch which gives you a light
lever pull with the ‘assist’ part of the
mechanism and the added safety and
performance on down changes with
the slipper part.
Handling is super light and stable.
It’s rare that you can explore the very
edge of a sports tyre during urban
riding, but you can on the Z900 –
- Silky smooth
- Look into my eyes...
- Attention to detail is top notch
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