STILL CRAZY
But I did not buy one. By the time I was
ready to actually buy a motorcycle, there
were other things that were making me
crazy and the Z1 was old technology. I only
tell you all this so you’ll know where I am
positioned regarding this new incarnation
of the original Zed.
For that is what the 2018 Z900RS is.
And, as it turns out, I’m still kinda crazy
about it.
It is, of course, as far removed from the
original Zed as an AK-47 is from a flintlock.
And that is just as well. We very quickly
forget how diabolical those 70s monsters
were compared to what we are spoiled with
today.
And on the new Z900RS and Z900RS Café,
we are quite spoiled indeed.
Now, first things first. The only difference
between the two is the riding ergos and
the obvious styling disparities. Both are
inconsequential to the way the bike rocks
your world. Some will prefer the Jaffa-
coloured unfaired RS, some will prefer the
mean, green, bikini-faired Café.
It was entirely predictable this model
would sell well for Kawasaki. The factory
has perfectly nailed the old-school-with-a-
touch-of-modern look, while simultaneously
96 KIWI RIDER
imbuing the bike with enough 2018 tech
to make it one of the sweetest-riding
motorcycles on sale today.
Hand on my heart I did not think it would
be as good as it was.
Of course I’d hoped it would be something
special, because a reinvention of the Zed
deserved to be special. It just had to be,
damnit! Surely everyone concerned could
see what was at stake here?
Well, everyone did see and I have not been
disappointed.
Nor will you.
And please don’t be one of those
thumbless whack-jobs asking why Kawasaki
didn’t put a 1200cc engine into this bike.
It’s the Z900, dung-for-brains. It’s not the
Z1200.
Let us move on…
This is one of those bikes which, if you’re
a little squinty about the fetlocks, is easy to
dismiss on paper.
It weighs 215kg. So it’s on the lighter side
of things, but it’s no whippet.
It makes 82kW and has 98.5Nm of torque.
So it’s not going to set the world on fire in
terms of performance.
But, and let’s be honest here, neither are
most of us.