Kawasaki does retro really well

 

 

 

A month or so ago I did some desk research on Kawasaki’s Z900RS, their latest offering to the retro taste. I looked at the stats and some photos and thought Kawasaki is really onto something here. And I was right.

Not that they would need an excuse to build such a nice-looking bike, but Kawasaki says the Z900RS is a tribute to the legendary Z1 of 1971 – one of the Japanese bikes to establish the “superbike” class of motorcycle.

At the time, the Z1’s 903cc engine kicked out just over 60kW (81hp), which made it the most powerful four-stroke four-cylinder motorcycle engine to come from Japan. Its spiritual successor, the Z900RS, has the same 948cc as its naked Z900 sibling, but the engine has been reprofiled for more usable power and torque right through the rev range, especially at lower engine speeds.

This makes the engine extremely tractable and the bike really easy to ride. The retro-looking bike starts like a brand-new bike and the short exhaust makes for a pleasant sonorous buzz. The clocks are analogue and even have chromed bezels. It’s only the flashing red light of the immobiliser between the clocks that will make you realise this is not a restored bike.

When you switch on the ignition, the instrument panel between the two clocks light up into an easy-to-read digital display showing fuel level, gear position, coolant temperature, trip data and the level of traction control that has been selected.

Kawasaki says the newest Z is a synthesis of the traditional and the modern: “The traditional in-line four engine, backed by Kawasaki’s latest rider support technology, the engine and frame design both benefit from the latest in advanced analysis technology, and carefully crafted styling elements are complemented by high-tech features like LED lighting and digital instrumentation.”

The Z900 RS is available in three variants: the Z900 RS in a very handsome metallic black (my test unit), the Z900 RS SE in orange and the Z900 RS Café in green.

While I had the bike on test, quite a few people congratulated me on the condition of my classic bike and it wasn’t always easy to convince them that this actually was a brand-new bike, recently imported by Kawasaki SA.

On closer inspection the Z900RS has a radiator, mag rims (although styled like spokes), bigger modern-looking brakes and a very modern LED headlight. The seat looks like it could have come off a 1970s bike and is comfortable, although fairly firm.

It is a very nice-looking bike and, unlike some retro-styled bikes, delivers exactly what it promises. I would’ve like to have ridden the Café version with its café-racer bubble fairing, but in my opinion the entry-level RS is closer in spirit to the original Z1. There is no fairing to clutter the lines and when you start twisting the throttle, there is nothing to protect you against the elements. And as Joburg is experiencing August-wind conditions currently, I know exactly how exposed you are on this bike.

But that is what makes a naked – and retro – bike so much fun. This bike is not for sissies. It is about raw motorcycling. The wind will batter you in August and the rain will drench you in November. And you will come back for more, because the Z900RS is proper fun bike to ride.

When you start pushing the bike, you can hear that there is a Ninja heart beating underneath the tank. Although it is easy to ride it smoothly under 6 500rpm, the fun does take a step up once you pass 7 000rpm.

It has the modern engine, mono-shock rear suspension, proper brakes and ABS. But you feel like a “breker” from the 1970s on this bike. Riding the Z900RS makes you appreciate what biking was – and should be – about. It is not about the electronics and the fancy stuff. It’s about riding. You and your machine against the elements.

The price will make it a sensible buy, but don’t listen to your head. Go and ride the Z900RS, because it will bring back memories of the advertising slogan of “out on your Kawasaki, nothing can touch you!”

Technically speaking: Kawasaki Z900 RS

Engine: 948cc, in-line 4-cylinder, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, liquid cooled

Power: 82kW @ 8 500rpm / 98Nm @ 7 700rpm

Gears: 6 speed, chain

Fuel tank: 17 litres

Seat height: 835mm

Tyres: 120/70/17 front, 180/55/17 rear

Brakes: 4-piston 300mm double disks (front); 1-piston 220mm single disk (rear)

Wet weight: 215kg

Price: R162 995