Love my 2018 Z900 with full titanium SP Project muffler kit, but would like more power & torque now, and better brakes and suspension. I ride hard and fast through the twisties, and the Z900 handles well. I just need a bit more now. Probably the best bang for your buck sportsbike on the market ...
Great video! About to purchase a 2024 Z900 ABS and this video couldn’t have cemented my thoughts more. It’ll be my first ever new bike with like 5 miles on the clock, very excited to be the only person to ever touch it (aside from dealers). The only thing I can think about for the reasoning behind the awful rear seat is that most riders don’t ride with backpacks. It’s hard to cater to a minority of riders.
On my ‘21 z900, I concur that first, second, and sometimes third gears are choppy and don’t … feel right … for me. I’ve got a ways to go before I’m out of the warranty period. I’ll consider an ECU flash when I look at exhaust options, but I hear an ECU flash will help with the throttle and I’m hoping it smooths out. In the meantime I’m making small adjustments. Since Day 1 (really, since I decided I wanted this bike) I’ve been saying I want to remove the decals. They really just subtract from the bike’s look. That’ll be a winter project, methinks. I’ll keep an eye on the battery, thanks for that consumer warning.
Hey, real great video. I got a leftover 21 (blizzard pearl) in my sights. Some great info here!! Was very helpful. I had one of the first 900's in 1984 here in NY. Gonna be interesting to put a Z next to my 92 ZX 1100!!
I appreciate the feedback it really helps me make better content my man! I bet that pearl Z is gonna be 🔥 Dude I got to ride my friends 1994 ZX11 7 years back and have been hooked on Kawasakis since!
Bro that looked🔥🔥🔥I didn't think I would like the red it's awesome. Here's an Amazon link to the one I got my dude! Check out this list Z900 Mods from GoGoober www.amazon.com/shop/gogoober?listId=1RLR545UFTX75&ref=inf_list_own_gogoober
Yooo thanks man! My buddy had a Z1000 and said the same thing, I'd love to test ride a Z1000 though🤙See if kawasaki does any demo events by your area- thanks for watching!
I have a 2018 and still love it. Plenty of power, and even with just a slip on, sounds great with that induction noise. The only thing I’d like to improve are the brakes. I feel they are a touch on the weak side.
I have a 2018… I added 14 cm aftermarket shield… makes a big plus cutting the wind off your chest… love mine as well But going to add a ZX14 to the mix… then I will have one for local.. and one for distance Thanks..Ride safe brother…!!!
the short exhaust pipe sound great! i took a Akrapovic off for a short aftermarket and finally sounds like a crotch rocket! mines same color and love it!!! i added a Puig wind break and frame sliders is only upgrades. ive bought other new to modify a lot! lol new 636 now too. with SC exhaust, unbaffled and SCREAMS!!! lol
Broooo nice choice of mods and bikes!! Yeah crash protection is the most jmportsnt in my opinion I spent the $120 on the ones I have. Post a clip of that 636 would love to hear it thanks for watching😎🤙
Yeeewww thanks bro! More coming out just got the ECU flashed and the suspension setup for my weight, now the bike doesn't make me slip and slide when I break hard with full leathers on😂
@@GoGoober I still need to do my suspension on both my 900 and 636. I haven't changed any settings, but the 900 has some SERIOUS engine breaking with sudden let off throttle! Lol I'd like to dampen some but it saved my ass 2x so I've not messed with. Lol enjoy!!!
Broooo I feel that it's a serious concern to note it dang near stops me when I roll off. After flashing my ECU it smoothed that out and power wheelies are more consistent too LOL
Picked this up as a second bike next to my dyna street bob. Freakin love it but am a bit skidish about getting on it too hard and "accidently" looping it in sport mode.
Nice I've always wanted to review some harley bikes I bet it's a nice ride! But yeah dude the Z900 is no joke- I do think the weight of the bike helps balance it out. I got humbled real quick riding it for the first time! If you have the 2020-2021 model go low power mode, turn on traction control and practice smooth throttling from every stop🏍
Totally agree with your comments on the throttle. That and the front peg placement are the only two negatives I can say about the bike. Otherwise I love my 2020.
protip: you're supposed to kick the stand down using the huge stub that the spring is attached to. i mean, you can do it however you feel works best for you, but just try it and see what you think. you can almost just push straight down if you use that pin thing. just takes some practice to remember it's between the peg and shifter instead of behind.
Lead acid batteries: If you crank to start the bike, commute less than 10 minutes, you're not replenishing the battery adequately. 15-20 minutes at max charge output (5,200 rpm usually) should replenish a crank session. Otherwise it's like a fuel tank, burning more fuel out of the tank than you put in it, it will run out. The stator in many sports motorcycles just doesn't have a large output, many of them less than 400watt.
Hey man, good video! im waiting to get mine this month. I have a question pls, those kawasaki engine sliders/protections, are they enough? I really dont like what people usually install on their bikes, the look of those bike protections sticking out so far from the sides. I just want to know your opinion, in case you drop the bike, will thos original kawasaki will protect it from damage? Thank you ;)
Great question! These are the best sliders you can get for this bike in my opinion I'll link from Amazon if you're interested! If you get the ones that stick straight out they'll make your bike flip if you low/high side going fast. If you're more worried about dropping your Z in low speeds like in a parking lot I'd say just practice and highly recommend my sliders and doing easy white belt/blue belt drills from Motojitsu to get that confidence in low speeds! I haven't gotten any rear sliders yet will be doing some more mods this season!🤙
@@GoGoober thanks for the quick reply. I live in Spain, there are similar ones (copys) on Amazon, not kawasaki branded, but are way cheaper then the original ones. Here in Spain the kawa ones cost about 235eu..260dollars I think. Quite expensive for what they are. Thanks for clarification tho. Have a good one and ride safe bro!😉💪💪
Cool, thanks GoGoober. I test rode a Z900 and a 650. In both I had a couple of missed gear changes. Most into third and fourth. I worked out that the position of the gear shifter was different from what I am used to, and the lever has to drop back to the bottom of its range to pick up the next gear, if i accidentally left my foot under it there was some play and i needed to consciously drop my foot for the next change. I rode a GSX S750 and Street Triple and both had crisper gear boxes with less movement in the lever and I could not really miss a gear. Similar for my Honda. Any comment for you or followers? Is this a Kawi gear box thing?
Never missed a shift in 3-4 gear but very commonly in 1-2 and having to sit in neutral for a moment haha. As a solution I just make sure to bang it up a little harder not by much, won't break anything doing this! Yeah I think it is a Kawi thing I hear about this happening a lot in the Z900 FB groups I'm in. I'd be interested to see how the z900se compares as well. I didn't experience this at all riding a Z900rs! Thanks for watching😎
Jag har en Z1000. Älskar den motorcykeln! Men jag håller med dig, passagerar sadeln är hård. Tycker även förar sadeln är för hård. Kan inte köra 60 miles innan jag måste ta en paus. Kör försiktigt! 🙂👍
Your mustache is awesome. Your voice matches the 'stache...manly. Im looking for my first bike, I have noticed the Z900 sells second hand pretty cheap, do you know why? Is it just because it's not like a mainstream model that people want or something? The specs seem pretty awesome.
Thanks brother!! Yeah some of the parts are unfortunately on the cheaper side. The fairings for example are easily bent when removing them for maintenance ): BUT yeah the internal components are where it's at, tons of power and torque for fun on the street and glad they didnt cut cost there. I love winding it up in 4th and hearing the induction of the engine it makes me laugh everytime!
Hey Goober, nice video! No issues at all? Do you maintain the bike yourself? Mine has 5k miles and still no worries... Gonna put new shoes and keep riding... Did you put bigger oil in forks? Is it worth it?
Haven't done the oil in the forks yet! Fixing up my DRZSM track bike and getting full custom racing leathers. The suspension on the Z900 isn't bad but I know it could be better and will upgrade later🤙 Yeah no issues so far, really just the battery thing was a bummer!
@Adriano Rocha I love the round profile shape of the Q3+ and I'll keep them on a slightly higher pressure for long commutes and when it's time for the weekend fun I'll bring the psi down for performance and they're nice and soft/grippy/heat up quick. Haven't tried the s22s yet myself!
i've had my sv650 since 2017 and it still has the factory battery. i've got nearly 75k miles on it, but there are times i went months without using it. and it still starts like it just ran yesterday every single time, even when it's well below freezing. so that dude saying if you get a year on a battery you did well, is playing you. not sure why though; i mean if you need a battery you need one so why try to talk it up? it's just luck of the draw as with everything. some components are going to go bad early, some may never need replacing.
Suspension you just need to set your sag, compression, and rebound. It is a new bike with fork oil recommended by the manufacturer, I don't think it needs to be replaced but could be wrong. Replacing fork oil is way harder than setting all the dials so I would try that if you haven't yet. I know you said you dialed it a little, did they set all that shiz?
Already set all of the dials in the front and back with Motojitsu this vid is exactly what he did with me ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KSnlWswL4wU.html Thicker oil in the forks is our solution, he even had the same bike and had it done as well!
I have a short commute to work too but you know what I do I leave a half hour earlier than normal and then I go for a ride for that half hour that was me to get my bearings for have to go to hell
2WDW flashes the ECU 🤦🏻. 4th gear in the twisties??? I guess we don’t have the same opinion of what twisties are considered but that’s okay. Also those Q3+’s are great and I loved mine, but recently threw a set of Diablo Rosso 3’s on my 2020 and good lord what a difference. I mostly ride pretty spirited canyon rides in Northern Colorado. 🏔
Cool I'll check them out! I can be smooth with 4th and have plenty of power still, I'll def down shift before the real tight ones. Engine breaking in 1-3 can be really effective but not consistent and I'd like to master the front brakes right now!
My 2020 z650 had a sh!t battery too. My 2021 tundra factory battery only lasted for 1.5 years before it crapped out. Seems manufactures are cutting the battery corner.
So if the stock battery starts your bike enough to run it drains some power if not at 100%? If that’s the case I never knew, I have a lithium and I love it, but only noticed the weight difference, 7 lbs
Yeah so I would charge it and would read lower than last time after it sits for a day. Repeated that cycle a couple times and just had to buy a new one. I went on long rides too was worried about getting stranded haha
Going from a DRZ400sm, seems miles apart🤣 My buddy has hit the rev limiter on my z900 quite a few times, he's used to his ninja zx6r that goes to 16Krpms
How do you feel about the wind when riding at 80mph plus on it? I have a 790 Duke and the wind gets crazy at high speeds. Im wondering if this is just a naked bike thing because my zx6r does not have this issue very much.
Very common for naked bikes. A few rings on that, I commuted 5+ years on my DRZSm freeway and all. Any freeway time on a Z900 feels like a luxury ride comparatively😂 Also, whatwas the main purpose of getting your 790? Only for freeway commuting? If so the KTM Adv bike would have been the better option. Maybe just try an after market windscreen on your 790 see if that's all you needed do change! Seriously, though thanks for watching😎🤙
@@GoGoober yea I can understand that. I bought it to mainly go around the curves and not ride on freeway but I find myself out on the freeway a lot on my zx6r so Ive been trying to have fun on the 790 out there too.
i added frame sliders first, then slip on only cause warranty. BUT my biggest love is a Sport Touring Puig windshield it looks different, sticker section, lol but i only owned dirt and 31 years NO bike and i feel less stressed on hwy cruise or pulls! lol ive got no regrets, i also just got after 5 mo. deposit a 2022 KLX 300 too be street and back to my roots dirt!
Ayyy thats the way to go! Yeah love the frame sliders on my Z but looking for some for the rear. Yeah I'm not a fan of those big windscreens but I'm sure they work well. Dude I would love a klx to shred in the dirt, just did a Baja trip on a Honda 450 tons of fun. Thanks for the comment!
@@GoGoober you can get nuts without the risk of cars too look for, trees dont pull out in front of ya and dirt, sand or mud is way SOFTER to drop onto if so! lol still wear a helmet at least. lol
That's so true probably a nice break from being on guard all of the time in the street haha. I'll definitely be checking out more dirt riding this year and will post vids!! There are a couple great places around here in SD and by LA🙌
@@GoGoober no sweat, man. Ari Henning did a video that had a shot for shot dupe of your pogo fork, and explained why that happens and how to fix it with the simple twist of a screwdriver on the rebound adjuster.
They made the tail section ridiculously high to push people to the more expensive and user friendly z900rs.... it’s pushed me away from the Z900 straight to the updated mt-09.
Dude, what’s the riding outfit brand? I realllly want one of these Z900’s butttt I haven’t ridden in 20yrs. I really like this look and want a bike that will make me grin every time I ride. Wonder if this bike has rider modes, sure it does and I may be able to select “rain mode” and drive for a while in that mode until I feel comfortable? Side Note: I have been exploring a rear seat design for carrying my Wife. I perused the interwebs last night and there’s very few options with aftermarket seats.
You're making my day right now man! The Z makes me grin everytime I ride it, it's like my personal roller coaster. Yes it's got all of the riding modes, here's a recent vid I did skip to the end to see the modes. Low power, rain mode, sport, road, and a customizable "rider" mode for what ever combo of power and traction control you want. The Z900 in low power mode is pretty tame, if you haven't ridden in a while you might be fine, maybe rent a lower cc bike for a day or 2 and practice your riding fundamentals ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iNMaVEnVpfs.html
Oh and my wife hates the rear seat lol! But she's got her own MT03 so problem solved haha. Join the z900 Facebook groups they're really helpful, and a few people do customized seats maybe theyll do a rear one! Riding outfit is Icon airflite helmet, fly racing summer jacket, and alpine stars pants and shoes!
Personal taste but I got rid of all the stickers, including the ones on the wheels. I hate that green, doesn’t match that beautiful frame and looks cheap.
Big difference in bikes! Test ride and sit on both, my Z900 isn't terrible and can do long rides fine, my buddy's mt09 seat is superb. The Z900 feels planted/steardy in high speeds yet nimble!
Bro I feel you!! There's not much we can do about that haha, there are aftermarket z900 passenger seats and seat covers but she's just got her own bike haha😂
@@GoGoober I always have mine set in sport mode. So I guess traction control is always on I've never tried it off. Don't think it would make much of a difference in the dry?
@@NooDLES411911 I also love that my DRZ doesn't have ABS or traction control. Practicing emergency braking with both kind of bikes has seriously helped my riding
Vagabond eliminator worked great for my 2021 z900. Bit more expensive than a lot of Amazon options, but it’s not a bad price and fits/looks great with stock signals and plate light. Also it’s the one lots of cheap Amazon versions mimic.
2022 MT series fixed suspension problems finally, my friends 2018 MT09 needed a steering stabilizer because he'd get speed wobbles going high speeds. Z900 feels altogether planted and the front wheel comes up when I want it to! Good amount of weight to feel planted, it's smooth, and it still makes me smile everyday riding it. I did test ride the 2022 MT09SP (tones of fun) and gotta say the suspensions, autoblip, and quickshifter are freaking awesome. All in all very similar bikes and you'll have fun on either. Thanks for watching!
