Kawasaki Z900RS
Discussion
Rode one last Saturday.
It was a lovely bike, great grunty engine (no real top end to speak of), very comfortable riding position, good brakes and it looks fantastic, its also nice to have all the modern electronics on it, the top fairing made 80mph cruising very serene, the gearbox was a bit crap I thought and the retro dials with tiny numbers were hard work after being used to digital speedometers, you always needed a second look to check your speed, its rode and handled really nicely and felt well planted but they are not remotely sporty, it looked and felt like a premium product, as a day to day bike for cruising around/commuting/posing it would be brilliant but if you get your kicks scratching around at weekends you need to look elsewhere.
They were on offer at £1200 down and £120/month on a 3 year PCP, can't remember the GFV but it was quite good.
It was a lovely bike, great grunty engine (no real top end to speak of), very comfortable riding position, good brakes and it looks fantastic, its also nice to have all the modern electronics on it, the top fairing made 80mph cruising very serene, the gearbox was a bit crap I thought and the retro dials with tiny numbers were hard work after being used to digital speedometers, you always needed a second look to check your speed, its rode and handled really nicely and felt well planted but they are not remotely sporty, it looked and felt like a premium product, as a day to day bike for cruising around/commuting/posing it would be brilliant but if you get your kicks scratching around at weekends you need to look elsewhere.
They were on offer at £1200 down and £120/month on a 3 year PCP, can't remember the GFV but it was quite good.
Edited by Jazoli on Tuesday 5th June 12:27
poo at Paul's said:
I went to Kawasaki dealer on the Island when was passing, and saw these in the Lawson green and a weird like brown and orange. Both looked really cool, and the dealer said their demo had surprised people with its "gruntiness".
Brown one had no top fairing.
The 'weird' brown and orange is a hark back to a seventies Z900 colour scheme. I think it looks great. Here's its grandad:Brown one had no top fairing.
Jazoli said:
Rode one last Saturday.
It was a lovely bike, great grunty engine (no real top end to speak of), very comfortable riding position, good brakes and it looks fantastic, its also nice to have all the modern electronics on it, the top fairing made 80mph cruising very serene, the gearbox was a bit crap I thought and the retro dials with tiny numbers were hard work after being used to digital speedometers, you always needed a second look to check your speed, its rode and handled really nicely and felt well planted but they are not remotely sporty, it looked and felt like a premium product, as a day to day bike for cruising around/commuting/posing it would be brilliant but if you get your kicks scratching around at weekends you need to look elsewhere.
They were on offer at £1200 down and £120/month on a 3 year PCP, can't remember the GFV but it was quite good.
I took delivery of one early march but not before id had it painted Akashi and i absolutely love it.It was a lovely bike, great grunty engine (no real top end to speak of), very comfortable riding position, good brakes and it looks fantastic, its also nice to have all the modern electronics on it, the top fairing made 80mph cruising very serene, the gearbox was a bit crap I thought and the retro dials with tiny numbers were hard work after being used to digital speedometers, you always needed a second look to check your speed, its rode and handled really nicely and felt well planted but they are not remotely sporty, it looked and felt like a premium product, as a day to day bike for cruising around/commuting/posing it would be brilliant but if you get your kicks scratching around at weekends you need to look elsewhere.
They were on offer at £1200 down and £120/month on a 3 year PCP, can't remember the GFV but it was quite good.
Edited by Jazoli on Tuesday 5th June 12:27
Now 1500 miles in and shes nicely loosened up .
The gearbox can be clunky when changing down from 6th to 5th but that's about its only fault so far. The brakes, as you say, are great so no grumbles there and the riding position super comfy.
At anything over 90 its a but blustery but its not a bike for silly speeds i don't think.
Its easy to ride at low speeds and around town too so it's very versatile . I've gotten to an age where sports bikes now hurt too much so the RS now very much fits the bill for my needs.
Looks wise in Akashi its stunning especially when the suns out. I had the chrome grab rail fitted along with tail tidy and the retro tank badges too.
I cant fault the bike personally. The exhaust is decent enough but and the engine is standard fare although it doesn't have the character of a V twin or similar .
Mines a keeper especially now ive personalised it so much
PS The clocks you get used to quickly enough. The cool thing is that they look so nice in the dark and the way the needles move when u put the ignition on is super cool.
Edited by FocusRS3 on Tuesday 5th June 16:03
Thanks for the feedback, appreciated.
My sporty days are over ! Comfortable, cruising around , posing, in the dry hits the nail on the head.
The various on line reviews are pretty good; next step, wander off to the dealer for a chat and test ride.
Not so keen on the green cafe livery, but I do like the battleship grey colour scheme which seemingly is not a UK option. The Akashi paint job is very impresssive !
https://www.roadrider.com.au/kawasaki-z900rs-gets-...
https://www.colchesterkawasaki.co.uk/road-bikes/ka...
My sporty days are over ! Comfortable, cruising around , posing, in the dry hits the nail on the head.
The various on line reviews are pretty good; next step, wander off to the dealer for a chat and test ride.
Not so keen on the green cafe livery, but I do like the battleship grey colour scheme which seemingly is not a UK option. The Akashi paint job is very impresssive !
https://www.roadrider.com.au/kawasaki-z900rs-gets-...
https://www.colchesterkawasaki.co.uk/road-bikes/ka...
TJS10 said:
Thanks for the feedback, appreciated.
My sporty days are over ! Comfortable, cruising around , posing, in the dry hits the nail on the head.
The various on line reviews are pretty good; next step, wander off to the dealer for a chat and test ride.
Not so keen on the green cafe livery, but I do like the battleship grey colour scheme which seemingly is not a UK option. The Akashi paint job is very impresssive !
https://www.roadrider.com.au/kawasaki-z900rs-gets-...
https://www.colchesterkawasaki.co.uk/road-bikes/ka...
Funnily enough I bought my bike through Colchester Kawazaki . My sporty days are over ! Comfortable, cruising around , posing, in the dry hits the nail on the head.
The various on line reviews are pretty good; next step, wander off to the dealer for a chat and test ride.
Not so keen on the green cafe livery, but I do like the battleship grey colour scheme which seemingly is not a UK option. The Akashi paint job is very impresssive !
https://www.roadrider.com.au/kawasaki-z900rs-gets-...
https://www.colchesterkawasaki.co.uk/road-bikes/ka...
Once I’d had it pained they took the decision to get one done themselves and put it in the showroom . It didn’t take long to sell surprisingly enough !
So I think once they sell one they then get another painted .
The cafe racer wasn’t for me especially as I wanted a more upright riding position but I can see the appeal for some .
If you take look at Surrey Customs website there are a host of colours on there and I’m sure they can put together any combination you’d like .
For me the Akashi was both retro and classic and I’ve no regrets .
I made sure I spec’d the bike right up and to exactly what I wanted and although it was more expensive to let the dealer do all the add ons it was easier to let them crack on with it .
For me it’s the bike for keeps so I’m happy with my purchase .
All I can say is you won’t regret buying one if you enjoy the test ride .
Let us know what you think .
Jazoli up there ended up buying one if my memory serves me right...
I love mine. They're softly sprung so if you're a bit heavier you might benefit from a stiffer spring or better shock. Like others I found the throttle twitchy, especially mid corner, but a flash sorted that. I swapped the front master cylinder for something a bit softer and the brakes feel much nicer to me now. Stock tyres are a bit meh but I'm waiting until they need changing.
I run mine without the nose and slightly wider bars and the wind blast doesn't bother me. And wierdly despite doing about 300 miles over the last few days my back feels better!
I love mine. They're softly sprung so if you're a bit heavier you might benefit from a stiffer spring or better shock. Like others I found the throttle twitchy, especially mid corner, but a flash sorted that. I swapped the front master cylinder for something a bit softer and the brakes feel much nicer to me now. Stock tyres are a bit meh but I'm waiting until they need changing.
I run mine without the nose and slightly wider bars and the wind blast doesn't bother me. And wierdly despite doing about 300 miles over the last few days my back feels better!
lukeyman said:
Jazoli up there ended up buying one if my memory serves me right...
I love mine. They're softly sprung so if you're a bit heavier you might benefit from a stiffer spring or better shock. Like others I found the throttle twitchy, especially mid corner, but a flash sorted that. I swapped the front master cylinder for something a bit softer and the brakes feel much nicer to me now. Stock tyres are a bit meh but I'm waiting until they need changing.
I run mine without the nose and slightly wider bars and the wind blast doesn't bother me. And wierdly despite doing about 300 miles over the last few days my back feels better!
I did indeed, its alright but I think I bought the wrong bike, its not really comfy for me for more than a couple of hours as the seat isn't great an its a bit cramped, I fitted Rosso Corsa 3's to it and it transformed the feel of the bike, apart from that I've done no miles on it really as I can't be bothered riding the same old local roads at weekends and longer trips are simply out of the question.I love mine. They're softly sprung so if you're a bit heavier you might benefit from a stiffer spring or better shock. Like others I found the throttle twitchy, especially mid corner, but a flash sorted that. I swapped the front master cylinder for something a bit softer and the brakes feel much nicer to me now. Stock tyres are a bit meh but I'm waiting until they need changing.
I run mine without the nose and slightly wider bars and the wind blast doesn't bother me. And wierdly despite doing about 300 miles over the last few days my back feels better!
Jazoli said:
I did indeed, its alright but I think I bought the wrong bike, its not really comfy for me for more than a couple of hours as the seat isn't great an its a bit cramped, I fitted Rosso Corsa 3's to it and it transformed the feel of the bike, apart from that I've done no miles on it really as I can't be bothered riding the same old local roads at weekends and longer trips are simply out of the question.
Good excuse to go bike shopping!I swapped to the higher seat for some extra padding. Was OK for two hours outward bound but started to get a bit restless on the return leg. The wider bars help increase the reach too. I'm long armed with stumpy legs.
blade7 said:
In it's day the Z1 was the daddy, wasn't the Z900 detuned? The latest one is a pale imitation.
Is it b
ks, it never set out to be a 'superbike' it's just a modern retro, it's also faster and rides and handles a million times better than the original, I guess that's progress for you.Jazoli said:
blade7 said:
In it's day the Z1 was the daddy, wasn't the Z900 detuned? The latest one is a pale imitation.
Is it bks, it never set out to be a 'superbike' it's just a modern retro, it's also faster and rides and handles a million times better than the original, I guess that's progress for you.ks indeed.I didn't buy one as I wasn't comfortable after a short journey, however I'd say the Z900RS is meant to appeal to people who like the idea of having a Z1 but want it to be easy to live with like a modern bike; I think Kawasaki have done a fantastic job, the bike is really enjoyable to ride and looks amazing in both standard and Cafe forms.
I must be really behind the times as I saw this and thought it might be for me, until I saw the price for a 2 year old model.
It may be retro but it's a far from retro price. I thought it'd be about £6k lol.
Did have a GPZ900R back in 1988. I earned far less money but it didn't break the bank and was easy and cheap to insure despite being in a bad part of London.
Grump, grump, grump
It may be retro but it's a far from retro price. I thought it'd be about £6k lol.
Did have a GPZ900R back in 1988. I earned far less money but it didn't break the bank and was easy and cheap to insure despite being in a bad part of London.
Grump, grump, grump
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