In Feb. of '22, I purchased a Z900. I can't say enough good things about it. Last week I added a 900 RS to my garage. The level of quality of both is impressive. Will be keeping them for a long while. Power wise, the Z seems to have as much low end grunt. The other day , my brother pulled upside of me and I was distracted and didn't downshift the Z. The light turned green and I took off in 4th gear. These engines are superb.
Nice review but seriously you should’ve muted the music especially running down through the hills with the “gang”!🤬😎 My mate here in Oz has just picked his up 2 weeks ago & loves it!!! 👍🏻
Nice review! Totally spot on in regards to the build quality. I first saw the bike in person indoors at the December NYC IMS show. This past Saturday, I finally got to ride the bike. You really notice the exceptional paint job when the sun hits the tank and you see the beautiful sparkling paint job. I loved the bike and thought the handling was excellent. However, there was one item that I did not like and it's a deal breaker. Unfortunately, I'm referring to what has been noticed by others which is the "snatchy" throttle response which to me had a very abrupt on/off feel. Kawi really needs to fix this one flaw. Otherwise the bike is perfect with the optional center stand and heated grips.
Nice bike but why does it cost a few thousand dollars more than the new Kawasaki Z900 ? is it just because it has retro styling ? that alone doesn't justify a higher price.
I have two bikes....2002 W650 which is chopped, customized, cool but she's rough. A '94 Kawasaki Estrella 250 Custom. Bone stock, gorgeous little bike one of best Estrella model's front and rear disk, the good speedo, the two seater. It's too much to have two bikes, but now I have seen this. I can't stop myself. Re-entering middle-aged boy crisis? This is messin with me. This Z900RS is just the most perfect machine. Everything i wanted in one bike. I wouldn't change a thing. I am 55. Too old but I can't help it.
This is a beautifully designed bike made with top notch materials and attention to detail. The USA market gets a helmet lock but other markets miss out.
Nice job. Just found this. Had the early Z and finally traded it because I figured it, or I, would kill myself on it, since I couldn't get it to go slow. I've matured a lot since then and I love this new RS and have test ridden numerous times. What stinks is I like the BMW R9Tpure as well and can't make up my mind, but wow, what a nice machine this Kaw is.
Danny Deering interesting! The original Z was way before my day but for its time it was a rocket ship. I can’t speak for the Beemer but I did ride the cafe version of the Z900R and the Thruxton R (videos coming soon) and that made for an interesting comparison. I’m hoping to ride the R9T Urban GS and possibly the CB1100rs as well this year, would be a nice comparison between them all.
Good stuff. Miinor error spotted. Suspension is not the same as mentioned, the front suspension is upgraded + also it has more adjustability on the front than the regular Z900. Did he mention the brakes ? The brakes are better stuff on the RS, it has monoblock brakes, the Z900 does not.
Thanks! Regarding the suspension, I asked that exact question at the press launch and was told it's the same as the Z900 but with different factory presets. Their website and press material confirms this; 41mm USD forks with adjustable rebound, compression, and preload. Keep in mind the RS does have a different geometry and wheelbase and therefor feels quite different. Brakes were mentioned too ;-) I rode the Cafe version in Spain two weeks ago and those radial monoblocks are very powerful.
You are absolutely right. It would've finished it off perfectly. I hope they offer it as an accessory; then I'd buy one. I had one in '73 and if it had 4 pipes, I would buy one.
Speaking of "details", there is a HUGE air gap between the rear tire and the cowling underneath the seat. It just looks WRONG. If this were a street-trail bike, then such a large gap would be acceptable. If you compare this bike against the Z1 that it's emulating, then it's obvious that the designers messed up in that area.
