Kawasaki Z800e SE test

Menus

• The first "big bike" intended for beginners, 806 cm3, 95 hp adjustable at 47.5 hp
• Simple recipes for a beautiful rewarding machine
• Discovery
• In the saddle
• In the city
• On motorways and main roads
• On departmental
• Part-cycle
• Brakes
• Comfort and duo
• Consumption / autonomy
• Conclusion

The first "big bike" intended for beginners, 806 cm3, 95 hp adjustable at 47.5 hp

Simple recipes for a beautiful rewarding machine

In its great kindness, its permanent concern to contribute to the spiritual upliftment of the People and its unwavering desire to promote access to Motorcycles, our splendid Government has just imposed the A2 license for all (including when you lose yours). ). Joy and joy in the cottages! You are 50 years old, young reader, do you want to get on the bike after a life dedicated to motorsports and years of filing the circuit behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT3? Well, whatever your background and your experiences, you will have the right to ride a motorcycle for two years on a machine of 47.5 horsepower, the base of which must not exceed double the power of the clamping, that t ‘will learn to have subversive ideas. And that now concerns everyone and no longer young people about whom the idea of ​​progressive access to power might seem reasonable. Don’t look: it’s just sadism.

Hence the importance for manufacturers to have the sheep on five legs: a motorcycle attractive enough to make dream the largest possible range and which is easily bridle. Thus at Kawasaki, in the Z dynasty, below the Z1000 and its fiery 1043 cm3 engine of 138 horsepower and just next to the Z800 and its invigorating 4-cylinder 806 cm3 now making 108 horsepower in free version, is find the Z800e, constrained to 95 horsepower, or even possibly to 47.5! And the range has just been extended to a Z900 of 125 horsepower, so not restrictable.

Financially, the hierarchy is respected: next to a Z800 offered at € 8,899 in ABS version, the Z800e is displayed at € 7,999 under the same conditions. But to complicate things a bit, Kawasaki offers a "Performance pack" at 900 € for its Z800e (consisting of a set with tank protection, seat cowl, small screen and Akrapovic silencer), while a special version, the Z800e SE (our test model), is sold at 8,249 € and is distinguished by its engine guard, its tank protection and its specific color. The Akrapovic pot mounted on our test model remains an option. Kawasaki therefore blurs the tracks on purpose since the difference between an 800 and an "e" is in the absence of engine guard and a simpler front end..

In any case, we are still quite far from the Z1000, displayed at 12,499 €. Because the essential is there: it’s a Z !

Besides the fact that the "Z" marked the imagination of old bikers as well as the history of motorcycles (the Z900 from 1972 was the first large displacement Japanese after the Honda CB 750 and it offered much juicier performance) , it should also be noted that the Z new gen will later deserve just as much its place in museums (the Z Series made its comeback with the 1000 in 2003 and the 750 in 2004. The 800, for its part, is one of the logical evolutions. of the series and appeared in 2013). Because with them, Kawasaki can be satisfied with three things: having made solid commercial boxes for many years (the Z 750, let’s remember, was the best seller in France for X consecutive years and bringing in the brouzoufs by full containers in the crates is often seen as a cheerful prospect), to have fed the fantasies of biker riding (many novice bikers love the Z – for example, Antoine, Olive’s son, the guy who lent us his beautiful Honda CX 500 Turbo, wants to get on the bike and while he doesn’t know anything about it, already swears by the Z1000, much to the despair of his father). And incidentally, this beautiful Z saga has allowed Kawasaki not to devalue its image by offering a product that sticks well to its DNA: look, efficient and, in addition, not badly placed on the price side..

Because the Z is a bit like Bahlsen’s Monsieur Plus. Remember, that guy who put peanuts in the bag, out of pure altruism. The Z, its success, it built by giving buyers the feeling of being able to afford a 750 for the price of a 600. It is a little less true now (and the 600 4 cylinders are a little in distress. ), but the success of the Z is also due to the fact of being associated with a good deal image.

Discovery

How do you recognize a Z? First, its taut, almost futuristic lines, giving the impression that the motorcycle comes straight out of a manga. Kawasaki has indeed worked a lot on the visual impact of its machine, even if it means forgetting that the technical solutions are very conventional. In the series "rock your friends", "We are not the type to draw plastic covers and weigh the bike down to make it look like good old metal is aluminum", used to say about la Z, Gerald Kiska, acerbic Austrian and keen KTM designer.

Because the mechanical basis goes back to the ZX-9R fire blocks (either in the mid-90s), more or less under or rebored to make blocks from 750 to 1043 cm3. Ditto for the chassis: apart from the last generation of Z1000, seriously updated and pushed by a competition that did not give up, the Z 750 and 800 lived on their achievements, with a good old tubular steel beam as well as rather basic suspensions and brakes (apart from the Z 750 R, which tried, somewhat in vain, to do better, with its radial brakes and its Z1000 shock absorber).

But that doesn’t matter. Because the main thing is that it is all well packed and it is, because the Z800e SE is a rather rewarding machine. The more so as a Z 750/800 generally arrives quite early in the course of a motorcyclist and that this one is not yet at this critical stage on the smoothness of the chassis. He is more sensitive to the look of the bike and to the promises delivered by this big 4 cylinder. And he’s right.

In the saddle

834 mm. It’s pretty democratic and the Z800e should be able to suit a wide range of builds, with average ergonomics for this type of machine. We will pay attention to the central stand, the lug of which will hide behind the footrest. Then, everything falls well in hand, with commodos after all very classic (but with control of warnings on the left). In front of us: a large digital dashboard with the tachometer, bar graph style, which occupies the central place. We will quickly see that it is not very readable.

The 4-cylinder comes to life with a stroke of the starter: the optional Akrapovic exhaust silencer emits a very pleasant hoarse sound, without ever becoming too heavy for the ears or the neighborhood. From the start, the 4-cylinder generates generous vibrations in the saddle and the fuel tank. This is nothing really embarrassing, consider that it makes a small free gonad massage.

In the city

What really matters in town? The weight, the flexibility of the engine, the agility of the front axle, adjustable brakes, soft and responsive controls? Good news, then, the Z800e is quite comfortable in the city! Admittedly, the selection of speeds, to be frank, does not manage to depart from a feeling a little "cartilaginous" to the touch. But afterwards, the flexibility of the four-cylinder is just remarkable, as is the linearity of the response to the grip. The 229 kilos do not feel too much, erased by the beautiful balance of the machine. There are fears that the tapered and pointed mirrors will beat against those of the automobiles: but with 800 mm wide, the Z800e SE plays the interface with ease. Another good point: gentle braking at the bite and progressive at the dosage.

On motorways and main roads

Even without developing its full potential, the 4-cylinder has resources. At 130 km / h, it turns in fact only at half speed. That is to say at around 6000 rpm, but it is difficult to say precisely because the tachometer is really illegible. As this is a roadster, let’s not quibble about the lack of protection. The driving position, however, allows you to bend your back without forcing, in order to gain a little fluidity in the face of the elements. Thus, the Z, although restrained and bridle, traces its course without flinching. Nothing to say about the stability of the machine.

Do not be fooled by its status as an "access bike": 95 horsepower is already more than a large number of motorcycles on the market and in the Z800e SE, they are all there. Of course, they are high: we have already praised the progressiveness and linearity of the response to the accelerator (an asset for beginners in urban areas); well, that quality continues down the road. Never in its speed range the block of 806 cm3 surprises by its brutality, one just feels a slight access of liveliness in the take of mode between 8 and 10.000 rev / min. Accelerations are therefore gradual and measurable, but the excess speed is no less quickly arrived. Then, at the top of the tachometer, we feel that the 4 cylinders can give more in other circumstances and we will have more interest in staying in the useful power range than in fetching the last rpm. Unless you want to take advantage of Akrapovic’s vocals.

On departmental

If we consider that a roadster is more suited to strolling with its nose to the wind, then the secondary network is open to you. The Z800e SE continues to assert its qualities: a flexible and supplied engine, at the service of a healthy and neutral chassis. In short: beginners should quickly feel at their ease and learn, investigate limits, become real bikers and build their relationship with Z! And by doing that, guys (and girls), we build memories for life !

And the others, not beginners? Well, the observation is the same, provided that you are not overly demanding on dynamic qualities. Let’s get on well: when we see what I was filing the Ardennes countryside on at the turn of the 90s, next to it, the Z800e SE is a pure bullet of war. Except that in the meantime, the average level has also evolved. This downside obviously does not concern security, but grace. On her handlebars, a young driver will find her fast, powerful, stable and super good braking. He’ll think the top step is just MotoGP. And me, the Yamaha XJ 400 of my first emotions in big cubes, it accelerated so much more than my Peugeot 103 SP that it took my breath away! So much memories !

Everything is therefore a matter of reference. In absolute terms, the Z800e SE does the job squarely. In detail, with a low-end shock absorber that can swing dirty snowshoes on the angle despite its travel, however correct 137 mm and with average braking, it does so without grace. And in any case, the comfort is quite firm, the fault, once again with the rear shock absorber and the a little stiff saddle…

Part-cycle

Only classic for this Z800e SE: the frame is a classic steel beam with lower cradle, connected to a 41 mm inverted fork at the front (travel: 120 mm) and a single shock absorber behind. Compared to a standard Z800, the "e" saves adjustments on the fork (adjustable in rebound and preload) and the rear shock absorber is adjustable in preload, but loses its rebound adjustment. Too bad, because we could have played a little on the delicacy of its lifts. But once again, a beginner clientele is not necessarily sensitive to these arguments..

Brakes

In theory, there is a difference in braking between the Z800 and the Z800e: the entry-level version has 2-piston calipers on its front discs (with a diameter of 310 mm). But this difference concerns the non-ABS version. We had the ABS version: 4 pistons for everyone. Nothing to say about the progressiveness of the response: it’s soft and this will not surprise beginners, the preferred target of this machine. Question power, on the other hand, it is average (we still have 95 horses and 230 kilos and finally, it deposits!). Suddenly, it can be useful to apply the rear brake (250 mm disc, single piston), on heavy braking.

Comfort and duo

When you are young, you have strong skin. That’s good, the Z is firm: saddle and rear suspension do not give in the soft. So what ! Roll, young reader, swallow the terminal, you will take care of the comfort later. When your young passenger, lovingly glued to your back, she’ll hug you so hard that she won’t even think about focusing on the comfort of her passenger seat, which puts you strictly on an equal footing. And since you like to feel her against you, you didn’t even tell her that there were little notches under the saddle to hold on.

Consumption / autonomy

A 17-liter tank and an average consumption of 6.3 l / 100 recorded during this test, that’s easily more than 250 kilometers of autonomy without problem. Time for a welcome break. The fuel gauge is standard.

Conclusion

It’s a fact: in addition to being a great commercial success, the Z family is the dream of many bikers (and the new Z900 should continue to carry the legend). In this sense, for Kawasaki to be able to offer a version of access to new licenses is a great step which then makes it possible to retain bikers within the Kawasaki universe..

Because the Z800e SE does the job. More than 13 years after the release of the first "new gen" Zs, it is astonishing to note, at red light as in the street, the emotional power of this machine which still seems capable of casting a wide net among the greatest number. The arguments are still flying: a look that speaks, a rewarding template, finishing details in tune with the times (LED light at the back, behind its smoked glass, various mat black covers …) and above all, a big 4 cylinders flexible and powerful, although linear and tame. Bonus: an almost precise front axle, a relatively neutral chassis and adjustable brakes, which put it within the reach of all.

As has been said, she just lacks grace in action. But do experienced and demanding bikers buy Z800e ?

Strong points

• Smooth, linear, pleasant motor
• Rather easy to get started
• Machine with a rewarding look
• It’s a Z! It weighs in the imagination !
• Sound with optional Akrapovic

Weak points

• Average braking
• Poor rear shock
• Firm comfort
• Unreadable tachometer
• Vibrations
• Heavy weight

Kawasaki Z800e technical sheet

Test conditions

• Itinerary: one week and 400 km of test with daily use in Paris and a small trip in Chevreuse
• Motorcycle mileage: 600 km
• Problem encountered: none.

Related articles

• Comparative motorcycle test Kawasaki Ninja 650 A2 and full

  Daily trial for 15 days of both versions 649 cc, 68 hp – 47.5 hp in A2 – for 193 kilos Who remembers the ER-6, the model unveiled in 2005 and since…

• Kawasaki Ninja 650 test

  Evolution or revolution of the ER6-f with the in-line twin of 649 cm3, 68 horsepower for 193 kilos A more sporty look but, paradoxically, a gain in…

• Kawasaki Z400 motorcycle test

  Roadster with Sugomi sauce or decarenated sports car A2 licenses have the choice between large bridles, sometimes very badly bridled, and smaller ones,…

• Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R KRT motorcycle test

  An integer character 4 cylinders in line, 998 cm3, 203 hp, 114.9 Nm, 206 kg all full facts, 18,099 euros. Nice surprise for me to find the Kawasaki…

• Kawasaki Versys-X 300 test

  40 horses at 11,500 rpm 25.7 Nm, 175 kilos with full tank, two colors, € 5,799 An easy and sparkling little trail: what if life on a motorcycle was as…

• Kawasaki Z1000 test

  The Z ReviZitee From the top of its eleven Z’an, the Z rolls mechanics and adopts a new look which is scary . For this new model, the manufacturer…

• Kawasaki W 800 test

  W always The Neo-retro is good. And when the neo-retro is available in A2, it’s even better. And that’s good because the Kawasaki W800 is a modern…

• 2012 Kawasaki ER-6n motorcycle test

  New test: Kawasaki ER 6N: Sparkling with mischief ! Appeared in 2006 and restyled in 2009, the ER6 N gets a new facelift that makes it even sexier,…

• Kawasaki 1400 GTR motorcycle test

  THE GT There always comes a time when every motorcyclist wonders about the positioning of his passion. And the current offer, with its various…

• Kawasaki VN 900 Custom test

  Rock’n roll attitude ! Sitting less than 70 cm from the ground, feet propped far forward and holding the wide handlebars of the VN 900, I taste the…