Yet another amazing video. Your other video on the z900 made me look like an expert when I picked mine up sight unseen. Thanks for this comparison video and keep up the great work Peter!
Great comparison! I picked up a 23' Z900 and absolutely love it. I prefer the sportier styling over the RS but the RS still looks great and part of me wants one as well.
I have to admit. I don't love the look of the Z900 in pictures, but every time I walk by it in the showroom, I think it looks great. I can totally understand why people would prefer that over the RS. The regular Z900 is also a better buy if you just consider features for the dollar. Can't go wrong with the Z900!
Mr Lowe. Excellent review of these 2 bikes. I think I commented before, but these are my observations. I have both, except have standard RS. The Z in the comfort dept. is no where as nice as the RS. Z has as much or more grunt from 2k rpm as does RS. Z's tranny is smoother. Z IMO will blow RS off thru the gears. Higher top end. Handling thru twisties is easier on RS, because I busted elbow in an accident. Higher bars, much easier to wrestle thru turns. Brakes are equal in stopping distance, but radial brakes at lever feel much better. These bikes, let alone engines, share little in common. Different crankshaft, cams, head, exhaust,transmission, hence Z's more power. From what I can tell, the only parts they share are turn signals, swingarm. rear shock, chain guard and crankcases and a few asst. bits. I'd like to have Z's engine and RS's comfort. Build quality is superb on both. Much better than my KZ 1000 of yesteryear. All in all, both are above what the average buyer can handle.
Thanks for sharing! I know that there is a lot different between the bikes, but they do start from a similar place. I agree with you, they're quite different, and in many cases, the person who likes one of these bikes may not even like the other. I quite like them both... but I like a lot of things on two wheels. Again... thanks for sharing!
The 1970s Kawasaki Z1 was a beautiful bike. Its looks evoked excitement, as did the sound. I still get the same feeling with the new Z900RS. At the time the first Z1 came out, I had bought a Honda 750K1 and I didn't have the cash to trade-up to the Z1. Consequently now in my late 60s, I've decided that I'm going to get one, 'by hook or by crook'. By the design, Kawasaki has captured something special, and with the liquid cooling , larger tires, better brakes and suspension, has improved on an iconic legend. Kudos to Kawasaki for bringing out the Z900RS. It was the right move.
Great comparison. As much as I like the look at the RS more I went for the Z900 SE, even with the suspension and brake upgrade it was still cheaper than a stock spec RS and considerable cheaper than the RS SE. Retro styling was not worth it for me.
I totally agree. The Z900 is the better buy. I love my bike and have no regrets, but it's not the better value between these two. Enjoy your new ride!! Thanks for watching!
A motorcycle shouldn't have to much distractions so I don't agree that the tec is a upgrade
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RS undoubtedly. but not sure about the SE improvement coastwise. You could also say the price for the Z900 SE (nonRS) or the z900RS non SE so people could compare apples to apples. I do believe that is around this Z900>z900rs>z900SE>z900rsSE Reasons for going RS== Looks, looks, looks, less technology.
I like the RS (I bought one!), and I'm not sure that the value of the RS is equal to the extra dollars over the Z900. I do think the SE is a fair value over the regular RS though. The Ohlins shock and Brembo brakes are worth something, for sure. At the time that I filmed this video, I didn't have two NON SE or two SE models to compare. We now have an SE in both the models, so I could do that comparison, but I'll also do more comparisons coming up this next year.
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@@PeterLoweOne I am always under the impression that you can only feel the difference on the materials on the SE if you take the motorcycle to a track day... Not on a regular day-2day city ride... It might even be worse as a bit more stiff/racier setup... I would not have the fingers to feel the differences, I believe... It is like the speed triple RR... Excelent components, way better than the speed triple RS... But worth the difference on aesthetics alone?!?!
I am curious if you have experience on your RS or customer's RS with the delkavic four into four? I'm not concerned with bike picking up some weight or losing a bit performance. I think a four into four is slightly more pleasing to the eye.
Great review, thank you. As an English guy I liked hearing you say “zed”. I just wish that the pillion seats were less ridiculously small and not 6 inches above the rider’s. My Mrs. Would not last long on the Z900. Nothing personal, but don’t bike makers know that a lady’s derrière is usually bigger than a gentleman’s? Facts is facts.
Why you have incandescent signals? Kawasaki chose Canada to DUMP the remainder of their old signal inventory and hey they probably figured the retro market might think it made it more retro idk lol I bet next year they will be LED...that is what KTM did with the US market my 2020 had incandescent lights later models LED
Great bikes, but you'd be a bit cramped. My brother is 5'11, 240 and he's up against the tank. Better with the flat seat of the RS. Would be difficult to lower footpegs.
Sorry to not get back to this earlier. The 900 would traditionally be a lot to handle for a beginner motorcyclist. Not saying that it can't be done. One bike that you may want to consider is the Versys 650. It's a taller bike which would fit your frame. It has a manual preload adjuster in the rear so you could set the bike up to handle your weight and maintain ride height, and the front suspension is also adjustable. I'm about 175 lbs or so, but I've taken passengers on that bike and it's been fine, so it should work well for you. Just something to consider!
I've thought FAR too long about this. I need the Z900RS SE that I already bought. I also need the KLR Adventure. Then I need the Ninja ZX-4R that's rumoured to be released to Canada as early as February 1st (but may not be coming at all, and that may not be the name of it) Throw in a Vespa Primavera 150, and I think we're good. Although if I'm going to have all that, I think I need a Ninja H2 SX as well! 🙂👍
That can really depend on your riding style. I own the Z900RS SE in this video, and even when you look at the bikes estimated range remaining, you can see a big difference when I change my riding style.
Wanted to throw this out there just so the information is known. But there is a tiny bit more to the difference in the motors than just the mapping. The RS has about a 10% heavier crankshaft. Which is to give it a little bit slower spool up and change the feel of the motor characteristics. Helps the feeling of torque in the lower RPMs. The RS is also running a lower compression ratio.
Yes. You're mostly correct. In another video, I cover the 12% heavier flywheel, (not crankshaft) and the other differences in these engines. They don't run identical parts, but in the end they are VERY similar.
I have the 2021 Z900 RS café in the silver paint and I absolutely love it!! by the way even here in the US, the turn signals for whatever reason are incandescent and everything else is full LED
Great video but you need to remember it's a retro so it shouldn't have rider modes besides a cell connection wich are a distraction that is not necessarily necessary
But it's not a retro... It's a fully modern bike with retro styling. The W800 is a true retro. I'm not saying you're wrong or I'm wrong, but it's tough to please everyone with a retro styled bike.
I hate that they have all but eliminated a decent rear seat on so many motorcycles. We have wives or girlfriends that would like to come on an all day ride from time to time 😠
I have a ‘21 z900, and i also noticed after riding longer then 30mins i felt a bit fatigued because of the forward lean. I put 25mm risers on mine and it made a world of difference. also makes the bike easier to steer.
I think there are some TFT displays that do a good job, and I quite like Kawasaki's TFT, but I do like these gauges! TFT's aren't going away because you can get so much more information on them, and riders (and people who grew up on screens) like having more information at their fingertips. My concern is that it can get distracting, and having things like Lean Angle showing up on a dash of a motorcycle is a bad reason to take your eyes off the road. Having said that, I'd happily take a Ninja 1000 SX with that information on the dash, and I wouldn't want them to take that feature away!
I do enjoy how, without fail, there is always an American that feels their way of saying something is superior even though "their" language is literally named after the country in which it originates... Not the United States. Thanks for your kind words about the video though!
Yeah, but that does make them different. To be fair, I don't know what low power mode looks like on the Z900, and the Z900RS has less power to begin with, so while I assume that the low power mode on the Z900 makes less power than the Z900RS, I can't be sure. Certainly the mid range of the Z900RS will always feel strong, but yeah, it's a little bit of an apples and oranges comparison when I start talking power modes on two bikes with different power curves.
@@PeterLoweOne my beef with your presentation is during the RS part, you don’t talk about the KTRC setting at all, not during the display part, and you completely blow it off when talking about the grips and controls. “Road, Rain and Sport” on the standard Z are the exact same thing as 1, 2 and off on the KTRC settings on the RS. The only things you don’t get over the standard Z are that custom rider mode, and low power mode.
@@edritchotte6659 yeah. You mentioned that yesterday. I've filmed these bikes many times and sometimes I don't mention every single thing, every single time. You make a good point that I should have talked about the KTRC system in the RS in every video that I do of that bike, and that's fair criticism. But again, I'll never cover everything in one video, that's why, on this channel, I continue to come back to the same vehicles again and again. So I appreciate your feedback, but just keep in mind that when I don't go into the details that you'd like me to go into in one video, that allows me the time to get into the details that others have asked about where I didn't go into enough detail on what they're interested in from videos that they have seen previously. This channel will never be perfect, but I'll continue to touch back on things to round out the information to the best of my ability.
So I was considering the Ninja 1000 SX in addition to the Z900RS SE that I bought. Where I'm from they have certain bikes on a "restricted list" which makes them a different class to insure (and more expensive) It's a funny list because you can end up with VERY fast bikes like my Z900RS NOT on that list, but other slower bikes ON that list. In my case, the Ninja was more expensive to insure, so the short answer to your question is that the Z900RS is less expensive than the Ninja 1000, and the Z900RS isn't on the restricted list. It will depend which sport bike you're looking at to determine if it's cheaper or not.
The cafe would put you a little bit more leaned over, but to me, it would be equally as comfortable, just a little different. Same thing with the Z900RS compared to the Z900RS Cafe, they're different, but neither one is less comfortable to me.
@@toofastnobrakes I guess that's my point. They're different, but to me, it's not like one is more comfortable or less comfortable. Tall footpegs really don't bother me too much, but for some people, that's a huge difference. I don't remember exactly how they compare. There will be an inch difference here or there, but for my preferences on this style of bike, it's just different, not better. So it's probably best for you to see how the bikes fit you. The bikes share a basic frame, so they're still in the same basic class of a relatively upright naked bike. How you fit and how you're comfortable is what's most important. I do think that if you are comfortable on one, you'll be comfortable on the other.
I am a taller rider who suffered horribly at the hands of a stock 2023 Z900ABS seat. Somehow it simultaneously bruised my taint, pulled my pants up my butt and my pant legs over the tops of my boots. Coming off of an FZ07 the slight foot back position of the Z lead to a week of leg cramps and backaches. One Ergo Fit Saddle part number 99994-1336 solved all of the problems. It's slightly taller in the front so the scoop to the back of the seat isn't as pronounced. My love for the machine is now complete!
I feel like you're insulting Kawasaki for making great bikes that are desirable by a lot of people? Motorcycle manufacturers don't have the seemingly unlimited resources of automotive companies. I think they're hitting home runs by using the pieces they have developed and tested, and turning them into highly desirable models.
Still a bit disappointed with the rs engine, they sacrifice 15 horsepower for not much more torque either, some say its abit less, but you do get it earlier on the rev range. I was hoping it makes higher peak torque earlier in the rpms. That being said, id still pick the rs over the standard 9 anyday. What a stunning machine.
I thought the same thing until I looked into the numbers. If you compare dyno charts between the two bikes, you see that the RS actually makes MORE power through the mid range, the only place in the rev range where you see it making less power is above 8000 rpm (or so). What that means is that in your ever day driving, it's actually making more power. On the track, if you were to rev it each out to redline, you'd see a difference, but I'm perfectly ok with losing a peak number which wouldn't happen until 9500 RPM, to have a stronger engine in the area where I'll use it the most on the street. It's one of those things, that when you study the information, it actually makes sense. The 12% heavier flywheel is the one thing that I wonder about. That reduces the feeling of immediacy a little bit in the on the bike feel... but having the power band where it is, with a lower first gear and a taller 6th gear makes a lot of sense for the type of riding that I'll do.
I just bought a RS, you will not be disappointed in the way the engine makes power. My last 2 bikes were a Concours 1400 and a Goldwing F6B. I like the RS better, if you NEED more power, check out Brocks Performace. They do amazing things with Z900's.
Haha! My issue with the Z900 is that I actually like the looks when I see it in person, but I can't seem to get a picture or video that looks the same to me. Having said that, the Z900RS SE is a motorcycle with very intentional styling, and I think it looks great! (That's part of why I bought it!) Thanks for watching!
