Kawasaki had
clearly decided
quality would be
a watchword for
the Z900RS. And
it really is quite
top notch
The suspension (front is adjustable for
preload, compression and rebound, the
rear is preload and rebound) never seemed
ruffled or overwhelmed.
And now the sound…
This is the first Kwaka with a tuned exhaust
note. Kawasaki paid close attention to how
it felt the bike must sound on start-up and
low-speed running. And while I can vouch for
how lovely the bike does sound in those two
areas, you won’t be disappointed when you
slam-shift it out of third at 10,000rpm either.
Yes, I would still put a pipe on it. Damn me
for a sinner.
And I would also maybe look to replace the
cast mags with spoked wheels. Kawasaki
made a lot of its cast wheels looking like they
might kinda maybe look a bit like spokes.
Only spokes look like spokes to me. But
then I should come to my senses and stop
modifying perfectly good bikes with ancient
mad shit that occurs to me when I drink too
much red wine.
The Z900RS is comfortable all the time. Not
just on short hops around town. The stepped
seat is very consoling and looks pretty trick.
And I actually prefer the very-so-slightly
canted-forward Bubba Zanetti-style riding
position to the more upright I’m-a-policeman
ergos of the Jaffa-coloured RS. Too tall a seat
height? Nah. Just right. Stop being short.
I would note the white stripe on the tank is
painted and the white stripe on the fairing is
a decal which a hair dryer would soon take
care of, followed up by me spraying the clear
screen the same green colour as the fairing.
Once again, this is just me being an affront to
all that is sweet and good.
I initially struggled a bit with where the side-
stand was placed. But that was only until I
got used to turning my ankle a certain way to
access it. This is one of the problems I have
jumping from bike to bike. Owners will have
no issue.
Horn is an ‘eeper’ and of no consequence,
but the headlight is good. Soooo much better
than that rubbish from back in the 70s, as
you would expect.
My general overview is one of a very high
quality of finish. Kawasaki had clearly
decided quality would be a watchword for
the Z900RS. And it really is quite top notch.
It gets more impressive the more you look
at it. The levers, the pegs, the edging on the
screen, the switchgear and the way it feels
to use (the kill switch is cleverly coloured
that old-style dull red of the original) – all of
it looks and feels first rate, and it should age
very well.
It’s really quite a glorious motorcycle.
And it must be a glorious motorcycle
because it carries the name of a mo