Road – Kawasaki Z750 vs. Yamaha FZ8: the 2010 match! – 4th and 5th set (expressways and bank account): FZ8 and Z750

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Kawasaki Z750 vs. Yamaha FZ8: The 2010 Match !

Road - Kawasaki Z750 vs. Yamaha FZ8: the 2010 match! - 4th and 5th set (expressways and bank account): FZ8 and Z750

Unbeaten for 5 years, the Kawasaki Z750 sees the appearance this year an opponent to its size: the Yamaha FZ8! Cubing a little more and offering a compromise more oriented towards comfort, can the newcomer win this decisive match? ? Duel !

4th and 5th set (expressways and bank account): FZ8 and Z750

On expressways, the two roadsters offer little protection against wind and bad weather … but after all, that’s not their job !

Stalled at 135 km / h at 6000 rpm in 6th gear, the Z750 and FZ8 do not tire their mechanics. On both motorcycles, the rider’s ears are not overwhelmed by decibels, the times in the last gear are more than enough to overtake and the stability in a straight line as in a curve is impeccable..

Only a few poorly made or aging connections can slightly hinder the handling of the Yamaha, or hit the rear end of the one rolling on the Kawasaki. But in either case, these minor faults are far from compromising.

What better way to combat the drowsiness inherent in its endless ribbons of asphalt than repeat tests, the only impartial judges of raw engine performance? ?

By simultaneously opening wide the throttle of the two motorcycles, we realize – oh surprise – that the Kawasaki takes the advantage at low revs – yes, the two testers weigh the same and the roles have been reversed to validate the first tests !

At first, the good old ZX-9R 4-cylinder bored to 749cc holds the high pudding to the new Yam ‘of 798cc. But the difference does not however exceed the half-length and past 6000 rev / min, the FZ8 rebels and nibbles the delay conceded !

The intake pipes of different sizes of the new Yamaha seem to indeed inflate the capacities of its engine … While the hiss of the pot – and of the small air intake located on the tank – gains in presence, the FZ8 leaps in front of the Z750 and keeps its half-length lead into the red zone: the Zed is not dropped, but beaten !

Still on the highway, more and more vibrations appear on the Z750: around 7000 rpm, especially at constant speed, they become frankly unpleasant. The FZ8, even if it is not totally free, therefore scores big points on long-haul runs. !

Its smoother saddle, its softer suspensions, its slightly more cushy position make the FZ8 the winner of this 4th set. It even ends it on a masterful "ace" since unlike Kawasaki, Yamaha offers larger riders a semi-faired version of its 2010 novelty: the Fazer8 (read our).

At this stage of the confrontation – two sets everywhere for those in the back who do not follow! -, a fifth and final set will prove to be decisive, although as a reminder, every point, every game and every set counts in a match !

Offered at € 7,999 this summer (count an additional € 400 from next fall), the Yamaha FZ8 charges dearly for its aluminum frame and arm, its better finish and its relative "novelty" on the market. This price may indeed seem a little high for a machine lacking originality and whose soft and non-adjustable suspensions, as well as the too low ground clearance, exclude the pure and hard arson of the program. FZ1 molds are still not amortized at Yamaha ?!

In addition, how many bikers will be sensitive to this argument when next, Kawasaki displays its Z750 at € 7,399, or even € 6,999 at certain dealers? The Zed also responds better to the idea that young bikers have of a "real" motorcycle: dry suspension, full at all speeds and racy look….

Delivered as standard with a pair of Dunlop Qualifier – "qualified" as unsuitable by a good number of bikers – the Z750 has however benefited here from its installation of Michelin Pilot Power 2CT: a set of sporty tires which greatly improves the feeling of the front train of the Verte and which costs around 260 € or half – a third soon – of the price difference separating the Zed from the FZ8 !

The FZ8 is finally positioned more as a comfortable motorcycle in the city, efficient on the road and capable of doing long journeys in the Fazer version. But it is certain that the Z750 will retain its supremacy in 2010, the FZ8 arriving anyway too late in the season to play the win … Game, set and match: Z750 !

But 2011 will be a whole different story: will a new Z750 modeled on the current Z1000 land? If not, aren’t Kawa customers likely to get bored and look elsewhere if the grass is more … green, or wait for the new Zed one more year? In both cases, the FZ8 could then pass in front … The bets are off !

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