2017 Kawasaki Z900 review

I think I’ve just found my favourite Kawasaki, but it’s not a big-ticket item: it’s the $12,495 Z900 replacement for the Z800. A bike so simply dynamic, so above-weight-punching, it’s hard not to grow attached to its attack-mode prowess, which mixes in so well with its average-duty abilities. This bike is easy to ride, fun to ride, sensible to ride, all in one. I like bikes like that.

It depends what you are looking for, but buyers in this bike’s price range are generally after something that leave their mark in the above boxes, and the Z900 answers the call with a bike built to a price, but not lacking the major ingredients to fun on two wheels – good engine, good chassis.

Z900 IN BIKE SHOWROOM, INCLUDING SPECS

Engine-wise, there’s a 948cc in-line four – Kawasaki has built its fair share of those! It’s not a brute in the mid-range, not as grunty as the Z1000 powerplant it’s based on, anyway, but it has enough to comfortably be stroked along without pushing the tacho into the redline zone.

Smooth as silk
I didn’t need to bother the adjustable shift lights much, even when pressing on, partly because the engine is so smooth in that mid-range, and partly because the gearbox is one of Kawasaki’s best, so short-shifting is easy. I loved punching away from the lights in first, clicking second, then third, fourth and fifth in quick succession, leaving me ahead of the traffic and making the most of the fuel range (320km or so) the 17-litre tank offers: many tanks are smaller these days.

That’s not to say it can’t make short work of big revs, though. That tacho is one of Kawasaki’s better ones, and pumping that digital needle past 11k certainly wakes the beast up. It remains smooth up here, despite the 36mm throttle body liking mid-range revs better, and a front wheel unencumbered by traction control is happy to gently loft up hills and over crests – fun factor 10.

That lack of traction control – the bike’s main competitor, the Yamaha XSR900, has it – is both a vote of confidence in the user-happy nature of the bike’s power delivery, as well as a cost-saving measure. This is not a bike that gets all spooky on the throttle – power is linear for a big four, fun and predictable.

Easy clicking
The reason I am so impressed with the gearbox is that it is light and precise, neutral is easy to find and it’s a quiet cogbox. Snick, snick, rather than clunk! Bang! It’s a pleasure to swap ratios with this teethbox.

There’s a satisfying roar from under the tank as the Z900 hits top-end stride, and it’s not by coincidence! Kawasaki is proud of the work it did on the airbox, tuning the shape of the airbox, positioning the inlet faces, varying lengths of intake funnels and adding a dividing wall in the centre of the upper case all in the name of “sound research”. It does sound good, but Kawasakis always have when throttles open, so I’m not sure I can call it a big step forward. Crank the throttle, it sounds good – ‘nuff said.

I will say, however, that whoever pushed their case for a bright green frame was brave – and right! It looks wicked from many angles and even helps the bike handle well. The Z900 has “light-weight” littered through the marketing material, and the start of that is the frame. 210kg is all Kawasaki claims for a Euro4-compliant, ready-to-ride 900 naked, and with the weight low in the frame, it certainly feels that way. The rider’s weight is definitely south, with a 795mm seat height, though this made me feel cramped as the seat to footpeg distance is miniscule. It does lower the centre of gravity, though, and I am sure it’s part of the reason this bike out handles its price tag.

Solid feedback
The Z1000’s front end is typical weapons'-grade Kawasaki and the Z900 follows in those footsteps. It doesn’t quite hit the same levels of front-end security but does hand back admirable feedback via the rebound and preload adjustable fork, despite it not being as high-end as more expensive front ends.

Like its engine, the chassis is well thought-out and treads the dangerous line between being a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none, sub $13K machine, beautifully. Ground clearance is good, stability is great, it steers as neutrally as you could expect and the rear rides our shocking roads without bouncing your butt into orbit as the shock bottoms.

Leg-room aside, it is a comfortable bike to spend hours on, sitting deep in the bike but with upright bars to steer with and good reach as well. The bike looks tiny when you see it in the flesh, so it is surprising how mid-sized it feels other than leg room, and at 178cm it is a snug fit for me and a joy in the twisties and traffic.

Well, nothing is a joy in traffic, however the Z900 has the kind of inherent balance that makes scything through the mobile carparks nimble, effortless and its compact build means sliding through tight areas is easier than even slightly bigger machines.

Constant slipping of the clutch in these arenas also make you appreciate the clutch assist function – essentially a light clutch. It works really well, and I appreciated it more than the slipper clutch the bike is also equipped with, but mainly because Kawasaki wouldn’t let me take it to the track!

Clean downshifts
On the public road, the throttle and clutch feel let me downshift so cleanly I never felt like the slipper was needed; for me it’s a nice-to-have rather than a necessity. If you like slipper clutches, this one works great!

Matching the easy to use engine with the easy to steer chassis, makes for an easy to ride bike. The only downside of this is on the odd occasion you feel so relaxed with the bike you are on, you forget it’s a 900 and get an almighty wake-up call when the thing jumps you away from the lights even faster than you were prepared for. It feels small and harmless, because it’s so effortless to ride, but there’s bite behind that throttle!

Riding the bike away from traffic is when the simplicity of it strikes you. No traction control, a broad, linear engine, a chassis you can depend on – it all adds up to a ride you enjoy for the sheer effectiveness of the bike you are on. It corners with feel, rolls out the power exactly as you expect it to and you know it only cost you $12 and a half K. It all works.

Aside from the 125hp (claimed) engine, slipper clutch and speccy green frame, there’s plenty of value in this bike.

Enough of the good stuff
The dash with its shift lights, gear position indicator, easy to read LCD screen and multiple display modes is a solid bit of gear, important as you spend so much time looking at it, and neat features such as the Z-pattern taillight – only noticeable from a distance – quality seat and adjustable rear shock (rebound and preload only) mean the bike is simple, but not sparse.

It is sparse when it comes to electrickery, however, with zero riding modes, traction control, powershifter, etc. And I like that. I rarely change riding modes on anything I ride regularly, I think traction control is overrated (how many people do you know who have high-sided on the road? And if so, would traction control have really prevented that anyway?) and the one electronic aide the world knows to have reduced crashes is ABS – of which the Z900 has a good system.

It’s not the fastest-acting system available, but it’s unobtrusive and effective, luckily, because you can’t turn it off! For a bike this level, it’s all the gadgets you need, I believe.

Like the rest of the bike, the brakes – including the dual 300mm discs and calipers up front – are easy to use. Solid and powerful enough, with the ABS back-up, you can stop the bike hard into corners or for some muppet on their mobile phone while driving their car…

Bases all covered
Kawasaki’s Z900 has feel in tray-loads, a dependable engine and chassis, enough features to make you feel like you got a bargain, but most of all is the kind of bike you can ride in most situations and yearn to get back on when it’s over.

For those on a sub-$13k budget, there’s some quality options, including the aforementioned XSR900, but you won’t feel like you are missing out on a more bespoke bike by being financially constrained to the Z900. When it comes to satisfying the basic needs of a bona fide motorcycle nut, the Kawasaki has you covered – it goes, it stops, it handles and it sounds and looks good.

For those with more to spend, this bike is worth looking at, too. Spend your savings on a pipe or training courses or a new set of riding gear, because the Z900 is a machine worthy of that famous name and at that ticket price, a bargain.