All Tests – 2014 Kawasaki Z1000 Review: the big bad look – The new Z1000, it has the look that kills

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2014 Kawasaki Z1000 review: the big bad look

All Tests - 2014 Kawasaki Z1000 Review: the big bad look - The new Z1000, it has the look that kills

After the Z1000SX 2014, it is the turn of the new Z1000 to pass between the gloves of Site. Kawasaki’s outright roadster differs from the old model with a more bestial attitude and multiple mechanical tweaks. First try !

The new Z1000, it has the eyes that kill

The more we advance in the 2000s (2010!) And the more difficult it is to qualify the look of the roadsters, in particular those that come out of the Akashi factories: “manga” style, always more “radical”, “tuning” inspiration, very "aggressive", super "ugly" for some, "super hot" for others…

Z1000 2014: availability, colors and price

  • Availability: December 2013 in the

  • Colors: Black, Orange / Black or Green / Gray (Special Edition)

  • Price: € 11,999 (ABS + € 600, Special Edition + € 200)

Fortunately, Kawasaki has found "Ze" term that defines the Z1000 of the year 2014: "Sugomi"! A purely Japanese notion which expresses, according to the Greens, "the aura or the intense energy released by a being yes an impressive object, and perceived by the spectator.

"Own the sugomi", develop the Japanese,"it is to inspire awe mixed with admiration, to leave a strong and indelible impression, to impose by his stature or his talents and to inspire respectAnd we have to admit that the new 2014 Z1000 is particularly intimidating…

Everything happens at the fork crown, placed very low on the front suspension. For the first time in its history – half a century of existence including! -, Kawasaki uses LED headlights without reflector, "ten times more durable than traditional bulbs", calculated the Japanese.

Thanks to this innovation, the gaze of the Z1000 gains in intensity and becomes almost disturbing. In his black dress (and matte black), the new Zed really takes on an animal air … Batman himself would not deny this frame with the bat head !

The general attitude of the new Kawasaki maxi roadster is just as explicit and the manufacturer’s "designo-marketing" spiel does not appear completely "capilo-towed": the effort of the imagination to capture "creative research, the artist’s delirium"is not insurmountable !

After taking a bite of the Z800 and Z1000SX, designer Shibuta San (see our video interview on the following pages) tackled the Z1000 with, in mind, "the silhouette of a crouching panther, muscular shoulders, head tucked in"and"the eyes (revolver, NDLR?) riveted on its prey".

The prey, in this case, is the biker. And it doesn’t matter whether he owns an old-generation Z1000 (the, his or the), a competition maxi roadster, a too exclusive sports car or on the contrary a too shy mid-displacement roadster..

While the features of the tank and the fork crown of the Z1000 are accentuated in 2014 to give the roadster an increasingly wild look, the imposing fork guards of the 2010 model disappear altogether, which allows to admire the new Showa SFF-BP (Separate Function Fork – Big Piston), similar to the one fitted to the !

The absence of these plastic covers which once protected the fork tubes from projections while improving aerodynamics and engine cooling – according to then chief designer Fukumoto San – considerably lightens the front axle..

However, this is only an impression: "the weight of the motorcycle alone is distributed 51% on the front wheel and 49% on the rear wheel, against 50/50 on the old model"Says the" Project Leader "of this new Z1000, Yoichi Utsumi, to Site (see our video interview on the following page).

When getting on the bike, the rider is naturally tilted forward via the handlebars placed slightly straighter and lower than before. The saddle, on the other hand, remains 815 mm from the ground and still allows the majority of bikers to put both feet on the ground simultaneously..

The prominent tank remains sufficiently flared not to spread the driver’s thighs too far. Note that it contains two liters more than the old one, ie 17 liters in all. Enough to make an extra round trip to work or hold on the highway to the next gas station, gasoline always a little cheaper in accordance with Murphy’s relentless law !

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