Z900 test: the new Kawasaki roadster without aids !
True to form, Kawasaki has decided to replace its popular Z800 with a beefier Z900: larger engine, lighter cycle part and more modern look. Electronics and some peripherals, on the other hand, are not more sophisticated. Is the "nine hundred Zed" on track? Test.
Page 1 – Kawasaki renews its best-Zeller
La, the Greens’ best-selling in France in 2016 and n ° 2 in the motorcycle market behind La, is bowing out this year. To replace it, Kawasaki has decided to use a method that, until now, has always smiled on it: to offer a motorcycle that is sweeter than the previous one. !
- MNC Premium :
- MNC special file :
"The Zs are one of the longest dynasties in motorcycle history and the 900 cc models are also very important to Kawasaki with iconic models such as the Z1, GPZ900R or ZX-9R," notes introduction of his press conference the spokesperson of Kawasaki Motors Europe.
- MNC Video :
To hear them, it was written that one day, the Greens would propose a Z900. However, this motorcycle, unveiled at the last Eicma Motor Show in Milan, has just been presented to us in Almeria, in the extreme south of Spain, in cool temperatures – below zero in the morning – but under a bright sun..
- MNC special file :
- MNC special file :
If the Z800 could be integrated – with the shoehorn – in the category of the roadsters of medium displacement, this is no longer the case of this descendant which cube 948 cc (read our). The new "Zed" therefore fits between the "mid-size" roadsters (from 650 to 800 cc) and the maxisportive maxiroadsters (1000 cc and more).
Another Japanese motorcycle shares this situation and is posed as the big competitor of the new Kawasaki: the! The Z900 project manager, Seiji Hagio, knows this very well and recognizes, during a round table with French journalists, that the Yamaha and its 3-cylinder are formidable rivals….
However, "from our point of view, the MT-09 has a more ‘supermoto’ style to evolve at reduced speeds and offer a lot of response in terms of throttle," said Hagio San. "Kawasaki’s vision is more traditional: our Z900 is designed for twisty roads and slightly higher speeds, for slightly more experienced riders. The concepts are different, so are the customers.".
Regarding the engine, the father of the Z900 is very clear: "we respect the identities of each brand. For us, the triple is above all the identity of Triumph, ours is the 4-cylinder. The fact that Yamaha chose the 3-cylinder surprised us "… and taken aback? Not in France.
Last year in our territory, the Z800 sold 3,740 copies, against 846 MT-09 (and 2,383!). The "nine hundred Zed" therefore has the task of maintaining this – large – domination over the "nine hundred MT", which is also evolving in 2017.
- MNC Premium :
- Test MNC Yamaha MT-09 2017 :
And it is clear that the Green leaves with a slight handicap: offered at the same price as the Yamaha ("just below 9000 euros", estimates Kawasaki France, or 8999 euros most certainly), the Kawasaki does not include traction control despite its 125 horsepower and 98.6 Nm (read the).
"This point was the subject of much discussion at Kawasaki", admits Hagio San, "and in the end we decided to do without" Traction Control "because we did not want to interfere in the relationship between the rider and his wheel. back". Convinced, dear readers ?
La Zed does without help
If the choice is perfectly assumed, it nevertheless deprives the Z900 of a line on its sales pitch, far from being insignificant: the unfortunate victims of small slips on a white strip, or big high-sides at the exit of undergrowth, know the value of such assistance (broken levers, broken casings, crooked handlebars or even split frame, not to mention any possible injuries to the pilot)…
For Site, the absence of mapping modes – also offered on the Yamaha – is much less penalizing: this type of piloting assistance is often a gadget: hardly tested, so quickly forgotten, it is especially less essential on a roadster of this type than on a Superbike of 200 hp approved for the road.
Unlike the – which remains in the catalog! – and the famous MT-09, the Z900 also skips the LED headlights, however "ten times more enduring than traditional bulbs", welcomed the Greens at the launch of their last maxiroadster in 2014 !
- 2014 Kawasaki Z1000 MNC Test :
- MNC S1000R, Monster 1200, Superduke R and Z1000 comparison :
- MNC S1000R, Z1000 and GSX-S1000 comparison :
The replacement for the Z800 therefore retains a good old set of bulbs / reflectors whose lines are modernized: more fluid and elongated, the fork crown is closer to the "gaze-qui-kill" of the Z1000 and is given in addition to the false- sports tunes with its mini-spoilers.
At the rear, however, at the end of the new particularly sharp hull, a new brake light is posted with a "Z" which means Kawasaki roadster. The news has exactly the same element. The binoculars too, except that the LEDs of the little sportswoman light up to form an "X". Naughty !
- MNC special file :
- MNC special file :
We are also surprised not to find radial mount calipers on the new Zed: classic Nissin models bite the petal discs, traditional at Kawa. The master cylinder on the other hand is very stylish and fits perfectly to the handlebars. A good point for the pilot who constantly has this element under the helmet, unlike the calipers !
While continuing its inspection, the Journal moto du Net realizes that the Z900 does not bother to equip itself with elbow valves, but has a small engine guard which partially conceals the vast expansion chamber. Thanks to the latter, the exhaust remains very compact and offers a superb view of the cute rear brake caliper and its impressive grinder large petal disc !
There are fewer plastic covers on the Z900 than on the Z800, but the side covers that overhang the rider’s footrests and the gearbox are still too much. They do not fool anyone: the frame, the real one, painted in green on our test model, is located below.
However, Kawasaki did not install these gray plastoc elements without reason: the welds of the tubular trellis which seem coarse in places are probably for something … This lack of care is all the more regrettable as the chassis is one of the strengths of this new "Zed" !
Lighter than that of the Z650 (read our), the brand new frame of the Z900 greatly contributes to the drop in weight observed between the Z800 and the Z900: in all, 19 kg were gained between the two models (210 Vs 229 kg), despite the increased displacement of 140 cc.
It should be noted that Sieji Hagio worked for many years at Kawasaki as a chassis engineer: on the ZX-9R then in the cruisers department, on the second generations of ER-6n and Versys 650, on the Ninja 250, etc. The Z900 is his first "global" project: it had to have an excellent frame !
- MNC special file
- MNC special file :
Asked about the choice of steel rather than aluminum, the Japanese official indicates that preliminary studies with an aluminum perimeter frame had been carried out: "the performances were comparable, but the price was higher". Was it worth the "cost" on the Z1000, but not on the Z900? This is what we will check on page 2…
The swingarm on the other hand is made of aluminum and does not attract any negative criticism from the point of view of aesthetics and finish. Likewise, the rider and passenger footrest supports shine – despite their discreet black color – by their elegance and finesse..
The two-tone crankcases go particularly well with the biton color of our test model. On this version still, we taste the yellow borders on the rims and radiator scoops which underline the tangy flavor of "our" Z900 with the all green frame (black on the other two colors).
The raw plastic license plate holder is nicely drawn at the base, but lacks a fender at the end. Who knows, maybe the next XXL license plates will offer adequate protection? Our driving "flooded" with the sun did not allow us to check the efficiency of our plate (German)..
To complete this little tour of the owner, Site takes a look under the saddle … or rather under the saddles, since it is possible to put the two elements. Under the pilot, you have direct access to the battery and a little more difficult to the tool kit, which is also very complete. Under the passenger, we can slip the regulatory yellow vest and an elementary disc lock, but no U or chain.
And "on" the Z900 pilot’s seat, what does that look like? The Kawasaki team has entrusted us with the keys to one of its very first units to land in Europe (the others will arrive in dealerships in early February). He’s just waiting for us to storm Almeria and its surrounding hills: en route (s) !
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