Please cover your brake. The time to place finger up would be the difference. Lane filtering at slower speed is still a probable. Very good presentation and really answered my questions. And gave me a lot more to consider. I got to view it twice, that’s where I saw your found your fingers move back and forth. Take care and thank you.
Super late comment, but I must say this has been a great review. I was really impressed with how you packed this so densely with information, but not in a dry way. Enjoyable to listen to and thankfully (someone finally!) talks about the modding, repair/maintenance, and actual commuter usage of the vehicle rather than just pure performance. Thanks for all the work!
Nice review. I have been riding since the 70s I am 61 years old. I just bought a Z 400 and And put handlebar risers from Amazon on it a tale tidy and raise the seat up a little so I’m not leaning into the tank. I got tired of 500 pound bikes and love this little guy for riding around town.
Hi Karl. I am 60 and just recently purchased a 2023 Green Z400 and did the same with the risers (20mm) but have not touched the seat yet. Great bike in the city as it is so light and agile plus the light clutch as well. Now that mine is run in and has had its first service I plan to do a lot of highway trips so I am getting a 15t front sprocket fitted to help with that. I was originally going to buy a new CB500 but there was none in Australia at the time and when I saw the Z400 I really loved the green finish.
@@paulf2534 what I did to raise the seat, there are two bolts underneath the seat on the motorcycle that hold the seat up. Put some washers underneath longer bolts and that helps. Also, Amazon has aftermarket seats that are comfortable, and seat pads. What I did was purchase both and put a sponge between the seat and the pad. I have much more legroom as well as not leaning into the tank. I live in California and avoid the freeways. Lots of Wc roads in the gold country that are 55 miles an hour. I love the gas mileage on this little guy.
I've had mine since September last year and have put 13,500 miles on it. Those Dunlops die at 10,000 miles but throw some good tires on like a set of Michelin road 6 its night and day. I've got a toce full exhaust, graves velocity stacks, sprockets, and a tune. It's a lot of fun, put some bar ends on the bike, those factory mirrors are pretty terrible, clutch bite point can vary on the dealer that set up the bike, mine would slip when wide open throttle after the break in, had to adjust the cable my self, dont give the dealer your money for an oil and filter change there's literally no need, its incredibly easy and you can use common hand tools. When i did the spark plugs at 12,000 miles it literally took 30 minutes. You can do the majority of all the maintenance on this bike yourself.
So many people talk about "getting bored" of a bike if its under a particular bhp and CC..after a 125 anything more than that is gonna be great and i,d rather take the 60 miles per gallon than 42 miles per gallon on the 600cc and above
Good point about how the exhaust heat guard can trap the heel of a normal boot. If I wear riding specific boots, it doesn’t happen, but a hiking boot for around town is more comfortable than a motorcycle touring boot. I do the same thing mentioned - when I know I’m going to be braking, I push my heel out to the side so as to not trap it. Doesn’t help for emergency braking, though. Might be an argument for an aftermarket exhaust, but I like the stock exhaust sound.
@@ayserides You are making progress and that's the important thing and not just sitting in a queue. Sitting in queues of traffic is something that is relatively knew to me as I have always worked and studied very close to home. And I have found there is nothing worse than sitting in traffic. Have you given up on the 125cc idea then?
I've got a 2022 Z400 ABS with 7200 miles. The bike feels pretty compact after 120 miles or so, can't really stretch out on such a small bike. Motorway work isn't unpleasant because of lack of power but because you're 7-8k rpms at speed and the bike is a little rev happy. The bike doesn't seem happy sitting at a constant RPM that isn't idle or deep deep in the revs. I think this is mostly because the Z400 is directly copied from the Ninja 400 and doesn't have a detune like some other naked bikes. Gearing is too short for a naked street bike, still feels short and tight to get all the power out of it instead of being worked well for the road. I was impressed with the equipped Dunlops in the rain, pretty good for a sporty tire. I think the tires will last another few thousand miles as well (9k-12k?). The seat angle is a huge problem for me, probably even worse for even taller riders (another hold over from the ninja 400 where you are tucked into a sporty position). I slide forward every single bump. The clutch could be 30% harder to pull and still be light, wasn't my favorite for parking lot drills either. Even I do best with the stock mirrors with me being wider and taller than Ayse. My key gets stuck between the bars and the dash if I have another keys on the same ring. A small bit of plastic drain tubing hanging from the engine hits my right foot while I'm braking. Haven't found the shielding near that foot peg myself but I can imagine. The styling is kind of ugly. Its really the biggest problem with the bike. I follows the z650 and z900's architecture and they are ugly too. Dying for a Z400 RS with a flat seat and taller gearing. Great bike when I'm on it and can't see how it looks.
Couldn't agree more with all of this. The bike definitely wants to be revved out and live its life above 7k rpm. I actually really like the styling of it! It's looks ugly but I like the strangeness of it. Like the ZH2. It looks hideous but im a fan for some reason 😂
Yet again brilliant review. Regarding the foot pegs riser. My heal got caught and yes over I went so I took a grinder to them, now flat. Regarding wider pegs I have been looking because when took my Ninja to France that was my only problem with the bike. I love the fuel consumption as other members have to fill once or twice on our ride outs. The bad points I had to replace the clutch springs as the clutch was slipping but clutch plates were fine. I have had to replace both stock tires @ just over 5,000 miles. That aside I’m loving every moment of the Ninja 🥷 and don’t have the longing to return to a 650cc as the power to weight ratio is brilliant and is faster than my T120 Other news I took my IAM test and passed so now a GBH 😊😊🥷
Oh no, I thought maybe it was just me with the footpeg. That's really bad to hear that people are actually going over because of it :( I might try to modify or remove that little shield if I can. Let me know if you find any wider pegs that fit. I had a quick look on ebay and the like but couldn't really see anything that looked decent. Congrats on the pass! I'm hoping to take mine in the new year when the weather is a bit nicer :D
02:06 Your arse gets used to it. The first time is always painfull. Your tensing your muscles, when you should relax. After becoming more familiar with it, it gets better ofcourse. ...wait. Really enjoying your content, love seeing you progress as a biker! Keep it going 👍
Hi 👋 Am a new subscriber. My first bike (back in the day) was a 1983 z440. Wonderful to hear a z400 doing amazing. Well done! Great review. Ride safe & enjoy, lady J Rider
Bikes of today just don't have the same charm as the classics, do they? But maybe I'll be telling my kids one day about the petrol z400 I had when they're all on electric bikes!
@AyseRides sadly I think you will. 🥺 there is a great video of a 1%er style biker in the future, on empty roads as no one travels and a narrative that they'll never take our spirit. He's riding an electric bike but his old bike is under a cover in his yard. Sad, but true.
Rode cross country on an old lots 440 it had no issues at all with that trip. People keep comparing this to the ninja400 saying the suspension is softer bla bla bla but the spec sheets only show a difference in weight. You get a different bar position and about 12 lbs more plastic on the ninja and that’s it. It’s about what riding position you prefer
i just got the z500 after watching this review a while ago :) the z400 was completely sold out in my country months in advance and the 500 was the same price new as a second hand 400… your review was awesome! super concise and all the points i wanted to hear about. i wanted to ask what windshield you have in your bike and what height it is? the only ones i’ve been able to find have been very short.
Great review...thank you. Caught between the BMW G310R or this Kawa Z400 ABS for my son to travel to work and University/College. Gonna have to flip a coin cos both bikes appear to be great.
A useful honest review. I have seen the comment about the sloping seat on other reviews so it’s interesting you mention it too. I was looking at your bike as well as the ktm 390. One of your videos shows you riding through Newport Pagnell which is not too far from me.
I must have been near Newport Pagnell when I was meeting up with @thatunclered and @therhythmicbiker Edit: oh, looks like I can't @ people in comment replies!
I am glad that you are still enjoying your Z400. Sometimes less is more. I am still enjoying my Honda CB600S Hornet. Today I test rode a Suzuki Bandit 1250s a BMW K1300S & a Honda CBR1100XX Blackbird. All above are great bikes wirh their own qualities BUT my lighter Hornet arguably has better agility & easier to manually handle & urgent enough Other bikes are tempting but I am sure I will miss my Hornet & it's mixed abilities if I part with it. Thanks for sharing & congratulations on over 1k subs Ride safe 🏍👍
Yup it's best to try to find a nice all rounder, even if it doesn't do everything perfectly. I reckon I'll hold onto this little bike even if I upgrade. I worry I'll miss it too if I get rid of it!
As I watched you filter past so many cars, it made me wonder why so many people choose to drive cars instead of using scooters or motorcycles. They could save so much time by travelling on two wheels.
I have mine for 18 months but not done as many miles on it as you, just over 2000. But I only use it on nice days at weekends or for breaks away. I have a monkey bike which I use for small trips and iffy weather. But I love the z400 for all the reasons you said, it will have to be a special bike for me to change it. I definitely do not need more power.
This is the most through review I’ve seen it helps out a bunch was looking into purchasing one. How tall are you? Do you think it would work well with short riders
Nice honest review. The bike suits you. Maybe you can have someone fabricate a different heel guard for you? Good range on that! Same as my Z 👍 though it costs me a bit more at only 48mpg!
It's not slow. It's just not crazily fast. The only difference I found when I moved from a 250 to a 600 was I could blip past cars quickly But most of the time you would ride the same speed. But just have the throttle a bit more twisted on the smaller cc bike. The 250 was fast enough for me . Someone told me it did 105 on the motorway 😄 I think this would be a good choice for me. I want to downsize in power and weight. I'm torn between 3 bikes and this is one of them I think I'm a bit of a Kawasaki fan though after having a z750 too.
I did a test on z400 I passed first time, I'm 5ft 7 and few extra pounds I found it cramped and pushed into tank it is a nice bike but not for me maybe 650 got more space
You could have that part rounded off with an angle grinder so it doesn't snag on your pants.... best is to take it to a shop where metal fabrication is done ....
I notice that you look to have a short windscreen on the bike in some of the pictures. Does that help with wind management at higher speeds? How do you feel about the comfort level (wind, buffeting) at highway speeds?
Hey man, i saw on one of your older videos that you said you should not buy a used bike if the official owner isn't there. Why is that? Im going to look at a bike in london tomorrow but the owner is away and i have planned to meet with his brother. Is this a bad idea??? Thank you!!!
It is a perfect beginner bike. You do not have to twist the throttle hard to engage the clutch. My 400 will go 5 miles an hour with the clutch dis engaged
I'm 151cm, and I got the bike lowered by 40mm. I have a video called will you fit on the z400 you can look at. Kawasaki sell a taller seat for the bike too. I'd recommend sitting on one if you can
I only learned a few mins ago that such a thing was legal in certain places. Still reminds me of a bicycle that weaves in and out of the sidewalk to curb lane and back@@ayserides
Comfort: 1. girl, you are it would seem a girl. Apparently the seat is a nutcracker 😢. 2 dangle your legs. Put them back onto the pillion pegs. Get creative. Other: take to the offending piece of metal with a grinder. It’s not worth having there if you catch on it. The aftermarket is gigantic. Overall: great review as you packed it with content. Good stuff 🤨
