i went to my local kawasaki dealers on friday,met a couple of my mate's there 4 a coffee & to look at the bike's on offer, the new Z900 caught my eye,especialy the orange/black one, the down side is the 4 into one exhaust ,although the 4 into 1 produced a good note though & looked ok & the mono shock rear suspension, that's my only criticism,it should have 2 rear suspension strut's & either a 4 into 4 or a 4 into 2 exhaust system.they offered me a test ride i declined, if i did i'm sure if i had done so i'd have wanted to have it !!! i already have the thruxton 900 & a kawasaki gtr1400,one of those would have to GO.in hindsight i shouldn't have gone there.i was like a kid in a sweet shop !!!!!!
I know the feeling Bro! I have a dealer just about 2 miles from my house and haven't been to see one yet. I also remember when the original came out and much like the mighty 500 triple, set the world on it's ear. I love all these retro bikes, hell, I just love all bikes!
I couldn’t resist, it took me back to my early biking days when the original Z1 was out of my reach. I liked the brown/orange but also thought the black scheme suited the bike, and the waiting list was about 6 months shorter
I agree Smilinjack, sure Kawasaki have kept something back to ensure they can keep attracting people of a certain age group to either buy into the RS or keep changing if they already bought in. Triumph have done a great job with the retros and have a dedicated following as they keep doing good things with the range.
I've looked at the Z and like a lot of people I'm smitten and very tempted, the thing I don't like though is the indicators, they don't befit the bike , or is it just me that's being picky.
Truth time! did you ever ride one of the originals? I did and at the time the power was awesome but I wasn't too keen on the hinge in the frame at 100 +. More food for thought the two stroke triples absolutely mental, my mate Derek had a 750 and I can remember overtaking him on the outside at the roundhouse bend Ince woods doing around 75/80 on my Triton (he was doing 60 so said later) the bike was like a bucking bronco. Good old days hey? P.S. I've seen the new one and that is one tasty piece of kit.
I had a Z1B back when they were current and loved it to bits. Still owned it when I started working for Honda UK. I can still remember the desire I felt for the Z1 as soon as they first came out. It totally supplanted my former desire for a CB750. Bikes then didn't handle anywhere near as well as we're so used to nowadays, but I didn't find it a bother at the time. I'm not against old bikes, but I wouldn't want an old Z1 now. However I do think Kawasaki have done a cracking job with the new RS, especially in that original Z1 brown and red. But, I still wouldn't buy the new one as I find the in-line 4 a very uninspiring engine. In a similar vein, the Thruxton R reminds me of Tritons I built and owned in the past. But in that case, I bought one.
i used to have a Zephyr which was Kawasakis first attempt at copying the Zed in the early 90s,i thought it handled and stopped pretty good, probably much better than an original Zed
I bought Z900 new in may 76 price £1250.00...then a z13 in 79..£3150..still got it...now run a rocket classic.explorer and a Bonnie..amazing what you can afford if you dont have kids....
Had a 750 Zephyr in the same colour about 10 years ago and yes it did handle and stop better that the original Zed. But then again things had moved on.
It's me... Thruccyboy.... & it is a very nice machine indeed. It has a very throaty sound from the 4/1 but I agree it would look better with 4/2 at least + 2 shocks too.... That said it gets positive reviews wherever I go.... Roll on summer
I agree.. They don't do it justice.... I like the ones off of the big yams of the day or even the ones I had on my SR500.
I think the Kwakker is the best of all the retros. Beats Ducatis into a cocked hat and much more period feel than the Yamaha jobs. The Triumphs of course are really a class of bike all on their own. One thing I did read somewhere was that the service intervals on the new Z are likely to prove expensive if you ride more than a few miles, so deffo not a tourer or a commuter.
I dont think they are any dearer than any other manufacturer....my first service was £80 inc a free oil filter...kawasaki run a scheme whereby if you fill in a quick online survey they give you a free filter voucher each time to download saving you about £9, dunno if Triumph do that yet do they? LOL
