throttle bodies feeding the cylinders and they
do it beautifully. Kawasaki always seems to get
its fuelling right, and both these engines are a
pleasure to use in all situations. Smooth, fast and
user-friendly seems to sum them up best, but also
fun, rewarding and responsive at the same time.
An ‘eco’ light flashes up on the dash when riding
economically from a fuel perspective and this is a
handy function for fuel minded riders... but I can’t
help thinking it’s not so important to the rider of a
1000cc plus machine. But I guess every little helps.
Safety features strongly too on these Kawasakis
with a six-axis Bosch IMU (Inertial Measurement
Unit) feeding info into the ABS and traction
control management functions. This is the
same IMU system Kawasaki’s race bikes run, so
we know it works... and surely it is an intelligent
monitoring aid for safer cornering and braking. It’s
a comprehensive system that’s, thankfully, easy to
use. Just choose the Power Mode you want from 1
to 3 (more power to less power) and the amount
of traction control you want from 1 to 3. It’s pretty
simple but covers a large range of riding conditions.
Pulling away, these engines sound awesome, aurally
you can hear and feel the strong mid-range torque
and as the revs rise there is real intake ‘howl’, not to
mention a pleasing exhaust note! There is no doubt
the SX is more enjoyable at a relaxed pace. When
pushed in the twisties it lacks the confidence that
a firmer chassis would provide. I found the forks
Z1000R
Smooth, fast and user-friendly
seems to sum them up best,
but also fun, rewarding and
responsive at the same time.
Z1000SX
soft and the front-end vague when compared to
the sharper and far more accurate R. However,
each has its own strengths, and that’s how they’re
designed to be. Two-up touring with your pillion
enjoying the new longer pillion seat, the SX is a joy
on State Highway 1 type roads. While letting the
R rip in your favourite twisties is its forté. You will
not however, be so happy on the open road with
no screen for weather protection – the wind blast
soon becomes tiring. Really it’s a riders choice and
a serious decision – are you a weekend warrior
who hits the twisties on a fine Sunday or a genuine
tourer who does laps of the country... but still wants
decent performance and handling when riding
solo? Once you decide, the choice is simple. Me? I’d
take the SX and firm the fork action. Speaking of
suspension, both rear ends run a horizontal back-
link linkage, but the sportier R has only 131mm
KIWI RIDER 43