Modern Retros. They are undoubtedly the coolest things on two-wheels in the biking world, and yes I’m biased…
Do you remember the Kawasaki Zephyr 750 above? I said I’m biased earlier because I actually owned one of those Zephyrs many moons ago, and when I learned of the new Z900RS, my immediate reaction was that Kawasaki were reviving the Zephyr.
But they weren’t. Not a single mention of it was made during the course of the launch recently, in fact, the only retro reference made was to the above Z1, the original sportbike from Kawasaki in the early 70’s, and the first production bike capable of 200kmh+ top speed.
This pristine example above is in the country and is on display at Gasket Alley by the way. But back to the Z900RS. We recently had a short ride of the bike thanks to Kawasaki Motors Malaysia, and folks, despite it being just an hours’ ride, this thing is absolutely incredible.
First off, apart from the single mono-shock in the rear (both the Z1 and Zephyr had twin-tube rear shockers) the Z900RS (RS = Retro Sport) looks like an amazing throwback to the bikes of the 70’s, right down to the ‘fin-tail’ rear cowl, fins on the engine, double-walled exhaust headers (that won’t tarnish no matter how hard you ride), round front headlight (full LED) and typical upright riding position.
As it was just a short first-impression, I had to max out every kilometer, and the first test was acceleration, right of the parking lot, and yeah, not too smart seeing how the tyres were still cold, but hey, I was riding the ‘spiritual’ successor to my old Zephyr, I was excited, and that’s putting it mildly.
Despite having the same engine as the current Z900, the RS has been tuned and its gear rations altered for better low-end and roll-on acceleration, and damn, does it show. Acceleration is phenomenal for a 948cc 4-pot, and even in 6th gear, there is still a lot of acceleration left, so downshift if you want to hear that exhaust “tuned” for a more retro sound, but there’s no need to.
Stability and composure are the other aspects that make the Z900RS a bona-fide joy to ride, be it a short hop or a long haul. Yes, the seat could use a bit more padding, but the riding position (above) is absolutely spot-on, even for my 6’2″ frame.
Roll-on acceleration is also incredible, and I think I surprised the marshal on a Kawa GT-R1400, when I was able to keep up with him during hard acceleration. Of course ABS & KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control with 2 ride modes) also helps a lot in the background. Here’s a video on how KTRC works:
In typical Kawasaki fashion, stopping the bike only requires a 2-finger pull of the right lever, which brings the bike to a safe, sure-footed stop. There are 2 models to choose from, price below, and both are identical, one is just a sporting a retro paint job and a bit more bling, more importantly, both models have ABS and KTRC.
The Z900RS is the kind of bike that is perfect for anyone thinking of getting back into the biking world after a long hiatus, and anyone graduating from a 600cc who really doesn’t want a supersport. Honestly, I would have gladly ridden this bike for a lot longer, it has that allure of being an ‘all-day ride’ kinda bike, and that’s exactly what I plan to do when I get the bike all to myself in the near future. Care to join me? – Chris Wee.
Specs that matter:
Engine: 948cc, 4-cylinder, DOHC, 16-valves, liquid-cooled
Max Power: 111Ps @ 8,500rpm
Max Torque: 98.5Nm @ 6,500rpm
Kawasaki Z900RS Photo Gallery…
