Kawasaki Z1000R Performance Pack test

Menus

• 4 cylinders in line, 1043 cm3, 142 hp, 221 kilos, € 15,549
• An "old-fashioned" roadster, which grows hairy and very pleasant to drive…
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• Engine and transmission
• In the city
• On motorways and main roads
• On departmental
• Part-cycle
• Brakes
• Comfort and duo
• Consumption & autonomy
• Conclusion

4 cylinders in line, 1043 cm3, 142 hp, 221 kilos, € 15,549

An "old-fashioned" roadster, which grows hairy and very pleasant to drive…

To have or not ? Hair on the paws, courage or luck in love … Very often, life boils down to knowing how to decide existential questions. And it’s the same in the motorcycle: what is so 2017, it is to have or not, electronic assistance! Kawasaki, for its part, has decided: the scholarly chips, the Akashi brand reserves them for the moment for the ZX-10R and considers that the other models in the range can do without them. This is the case for its latest Z900, which Kawasaki sells like hot cakes by giving the customer the (real) feeling of having more content (and cm3) for the price of the competition, where Suzuki prefers to equip its GSX-S 750 traction control, while Yamaha goes even further by offering, for the same price, an MT-09 with engine maps (compensating for a by-wire not developed on the first versions) as well as , again, traction control.

The Z1000 being older (its last big evolution dates back to 2013), obviously, it does without these little treats. Suddenly, to put it back in the spotlight a little, Kawasaki adds an R Edition version (carbon shoe, Ohlins rear shock absorber and Brembo radial brakes) at 14,199 euros, which can even receive, in the case of our model test, a "Performance Pack" at 1350 euros, consisting of a pair of Akrapovic carbon silencer with the most beautiful effect. This is to be put in perspective with a standard Z1000 which is worth (price in August 2017), 12,699 euros. Thus, where Honda has abandoned the game with its CB1000R which has not passed Euro 4, where Suzuki only has its GSX-S 1000S to present, Kawasaki knows how to speak to the heart of the biker adept of character roadsters, in offering a machine that opposes a Yamaha MT-10 SP, for example, sold even more expensive at 15,999 euros.

Discovery

"Is that the R version?" Small lunch break in Chauffailles (71), the opportunity to chat with a young couple who are returning from vacation in Austria with lots of luggage on a Yamaha MT-09. Obviously learned, my young colleague continues: "the normal Z1000 is already really good, then the R must be something". When young people know how to grasp the obvious, there is just nothing to add. However, I don’t get paid to deliver blank pages, so please read on..

If the general appearance of the Z1000 does not change (with its very manga-style design, it is always surprising to see its power of attraction with a target not too trendy motorcycle, as we have seen on the road holidays), the R Edition attracts the Boeotian with its distinct colors (black and gray with neon green threads) and the connoisseur with its big Brembo brakes, its Ohlins rear shock with separate adjustment wheel, as well as, in the case of the Performance Pack version, its dual Akrapovic carbon output, which has the good taste of emitting a perfectly calibrated sound, very hoarse and metallic as it should be, neither too muffled nor deafening.

For the rest, it is obvious that this bike exudes a real aggressiveness and inspires performance..

In the saddle

At 815 mm high, the saddle will suit a large number of users, especially as the riding position, a little sporty, but without excess, is not too tilted to the front, the legs fit well in the notches of the tank. As on a Z1000, in fact, which is to be expected. And then, as we said, no checklist to do before departure: even in R Edition Performance Pack, the Z1000 is a man’s motorcycle that does not care about your moods. Engine mapping, traction control, raccoon tail position, all that, she doesn’t care about her first burn. It’s up to you to see if you have enough faith to try to tame it.

Suddenly, we find this small dashboard, appreciating the fuel gauge and the gear indicator engaged; the counter is readable, minus the tachometer which is shadokement in two parts, below 4000 rpm by a baregraph on a black background in the digital window, above 4000 rpm by light diodes in the bar superior. It is not very precise nor very readable, but we don’t care, first because a Z1000 R with Akra, it behaves by the ear and with the feeling for this expressive mechanism, then because the diodes start flashing like a shiflight when you are high up in the towers and you cannot miss it. It must also be able to be configured, but with the two adjustment buttons on the dashboard, you should probably have done Polytechnique et les Mines. This is not my case…

Engine and transmission

We are not here on the highest values ​​of the category (the 4-cylinder CrossPlane 999 cm3 of the Yamaha MT-10 SP delivers 160 horsepower, to stay on 4 legs) and out of modesty, we will not talk about bullets. category war (which are admittedly much more expensive), such as the KTM 1290 Super Duke R and its 180 horsepower V2. However, if we remember that it was for its 2010 vintage that the Z1000 (remember, its dashboard in the style of a 1970s radio alarm clock, with its orange tinted glass, as well as the snakeskin saddle on the burgundy color!) went from 953 to 1043 cm3 and then came out 138 hp, we say to ourselves that this engine still has beautiful remains. Today, it develops 142 horsepower at 10,000 rpm and 111 Nm of torque at 7300, which is all the more sufficient given that the final gear ratio is quite short and the motor character of the Kawasaki is no legend..

On a daily basis, we appreciate the smoothness of the throttle control, its precise and linear response, the smoothness of the clutch lever; the gearbox, as often with Kawasaki, gives the feeling of hanging a little at low speed, to be forgotten then, to the point even that in the absence of shifter, we can still up the gears on the fly without disengaging, in "attack" mode.

In the city

As flexible as a parliamentarian having to debate an amendment on the moralization of political life, the 4-cylinder in-line would even allow this ZREPP (ZR Edition Pack Performance) to be used as a big scooter, like we pass the sixth once and we leash it for eternity! It is true that we cross the villages on the last report, at 50 km / h and at a small 2000 rpm and that the machine does not flinch. For a 1000, it is relatively compact, thin enough not to ask existential questions during the lifts and does not make its weight felt too much (221 kilos with full tank). Without being extraordinary, the turning radius is average of its kind. And we appreciate, in addition, the small space under the rider seat (which opens via a lock placed in the wheel arch, which means that the WD40 will have to be your friend because it is exposed to dirt) allows to accommodate a block disk.

On motorways and main roads

Protection: zero. At the same time, it’s normal, it’s a roadster, but the optics placed low enough and the small headlight cowling that goes down far forward obviously plays no role. As we have already mentioned, the 4-cylinder turns quite high: 4000 rpm at 90 km / h on the last report, around 6000 rpm at 130 km / h, this is more than some average displacement since memory a Suzuki GSX-S 750 is only 5750 rpm in sixth on the highway, at legal speed. We will see in the section ad hoc the impact that this has (or not, because we are trying to keep this unbearable suspense a little longer!) On consumption and therefore autonomy. The advantage is that as this engine is expressive, there is no shortage of potato. Even more on big roads, because if the maximum torque is available at 7300 rpm, in fact, from 5000, it seriously potato, in the serious sound of Akrapović which add a ladle when the handle is seriously turned.

In fact, the times on the last report above 5000 rpm (110 km / h) are of the canon type. To the point that you will have to watch your speed often, so as not to overdo it. Because overtaking a caravan or two trucks on a highway climb quickly takes you to the status of serious road delinquent, without you really realizing it. So, at the beginning, during the repeats in sixth, you even wonder if you are not, in fact, in fourth (that’s the definition of having potato).

And since we are talking about delinquency, a short passage on a German motorway section allowed me to keep cruising 8/9000 rpm in sixth (only for scientific purposes, out of pure professional conscience), to find that the stability is impeccable, but that, as always on the generations of Z, hearty vibrations are felt in the footrests.

Finally, since we are on the R Edition: what is the contribution of the Ohlins rear shock absorber: for the moment, everything is fine, because even on big shocks, it does not release hits with the racket in relaxation, is conciliatory in compression. In short, it’s a bonus.

On departmental

It is obvious that a sporty roadster can only flourish on this type of road. And that’s good, because during this test, I stuffed myself with departmental, whether in Vercors, Burgundy or Morvan. There, the findings are as follows.

If the engine is appreciated for its great flexibility in ride mode, it is really expressive in the revs and encourages to get into it, with a range of use of more than 6000 rpm (from 5 to 11000), a big lengthens and a nice noise. In short, it’s a bit of an "old-fashioned" four-cylinder, but after all, in the past, we knew how to make beautiful and good four legs and no doubt that the Z1000 R will appeal to those who are still sensitive to this genre. arguments. As for the gearbox, as we have said, it is a treat in the towers and no false neutral point was manifested during this long test..

Chassis side, if we appreciate the agility of the bike and its ease at a smooth pace, we must also recognize that the Z1000, even in R and even in Pack, still requires a little arm to go really fast. Do not hesitate to put it under stress and play on the supports to make it turn. That said, the Ohlins shock absorber continues to appeal, especially because it provides flawless traction and the rear end never seems frozen. Too bad, moreover, that the tire fitting is, especially in this configuration, rather banal: the Dunlop D214 do the job, but do not deliver much information and a more incisive front tire would allow even more fun. As for braking, nothing to say: power, dosage, precision, the Brembo do the job well..

Part-cycle

The Ohlins shock absorber is of type SD4DR1S, with adjustment of the preload by remote wheel. This is not very high-end at Ohlins (so not what we find on sports RRR version), if only because there is also the SD46DR1LS, with an adjustment of the trigger in addition . This shock absorber is mounted by demanding motorcyclists on machines which can be improved in this area, such as Yamaha MT-07 or MT-09. Without being the top of the genre, it nevertheless brings satisfaction, in particular by gains in terms of traction and comfort (especially in relaxation, more progressive even with a fixed configuration). It debates on 131 mm, compared to the 135 mm of the rear shock of a standard Z1000.

Brakes

On the braking side, we have 310 mm discs on both models, the difference is in the radial monobloc calipers which come from Brembo on the R. Nothing else to say that they are faithful to their reputation; It is however good to specify that although powerful, this braking is never neither brutal nor indosable.

Comfort and duo

Little duo on this test, but between the knees under the chin and the micro-saddle, the occasional passenger hastened to get back on the BMW R 1200 GS of her Apollon. Too bad for her, she lost some thrills in the process. The comfort gains indeed from this new shock absorber, but it is without forgetting that the rider’s saddle ends up being a little hard in the long run. In short, on long journeys, refueling breaks are more than welcome..

Consumption & autonomy

Be careful, here is an equation that will not please Nicolas Hulot: big engine, bigger potato, shorter gear ratio, more playful character, not equal to the queen of the economy run! Driving at 120 km / h on the highway (just because I wanted to go home without refueling and it was doing it a little bit by gritting my teeth): 5.6 l / 100. On the motorway at legal speed + VAT: we are close to 7 l / 100. For a ride on a small road: rarely below 6 l. In short, the Z 1000 heads a bit. The fuel gauge takes a little getting used to: nothing happens for 100 terminals, then you lose a bar every 20 kilometers, which is a little stressful at the beginning. Before realizing that there are 4 liters left when the reserve is displayed. But once again, given the saddle a little firm, we do with the 17 liters of the tank without wanting to send a notice to Kawasaki Japan to have 5 liters of rab ‘in the 2018 vintage.

Conclusion

The Kawasaki Z1000 R Performance Pack does not lie about its intentions: do you like roadsters with character, do you like machines with a sharp look, four cylinders that send, healthy chassis, but which require a little trade? So without risk of being mistaken, the Z 1000 R Pack Edition has something to satisfy you..

The new brakes, the rear shock absorber and the exhausts indeed significantly improve the driving pleasure even if there is already something to be enjoyed with a basic Z1000. As for the absence of electronics, it is not absolutely prohibitive: between the flexible 4 cylinders and not too powerful under 5000 rpm and the good traction allowed by the Ohlins, it does not lack in the dry. In the wet … well we dose, as in time.

In short, with this Z1000 R Pack Performance, Kawasaki capitalizes on its fundamentals and after 2000 km of testing, it is impossible not to admit that this bike is both endearing and downright fun to drive (or even drive). However, this does not prevent us from being lucid about what the competition offers: for 500 euros more, a Yamaha MT-10 SP offers a shifter, an Ohlins set of even better quality (NIX30 fork and TTX36 shock absorber), almost 20 more horsepower and a complete electronics package. Of course, there are no Akra, but the sound of the CrossPlane makes up for it. On the other hand, the Brembo M50s are indeed to the credit of the Kawa. An argument that hits the mark if you like to brake like a trapper !

Strong points

• No electronics !
• Really punchy engine
• Akra sound, as it should
• Typical look (for fans)
• Ohlins shock absorber that brings a plus
• Powerful braking
• Driving pleasure: a big old-fashioned roadster !

Weak points

• No electronics ?
• Saddle hard in the long run
• Original tire assembly without splinting
• Price that climbs in this configuration…

Kawasaki Z1000 R Edition technical sheet

Test conditions

• Itinerary: two weeks of testing and 2000 km with a big trip in the Vercors and the Chartreuse massif, descent by the motorway and ascent mainly by small roads (Burgundy, Morvan, Loiret), plus a week of daily journeys in Ile de France
• Motorcycle mileage: 2.400 km
• Problem encountered: none

Competition: Yamaha MT-10 SP, possibly Suzuki GSX-S 1000

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