I like the concept bike from the sidecovers up, the sidecovers down, not so much. To me it has the same problem as the Yamaha, the mix doesn't blend well in my eyes. I like the Honda and Triumph approach much better. I have no doubt they will squeeze every bit of power they can out of those 900cc's and have the honda beat for power, but so does the XSR900, and I wouldn't trade the CB for one of those, even if one can zip past me. If I get a chance to ride one at a demo day I certainly will try it, but I doubt it'll move me off my 2013 CB1100 red.
The still pic of just the bike is an old bike not the new one
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Mono Shock and upside down forks. That's the way to go. The roads are not getting any better. Mono gives more travel out back. So they'll have that right. Motor is a peach from what I've read. Nice easy clutch for commuting. Looks good. Oh, and minus the engineer guy who said, vibration is cool. Japanese guy named Beavis I think he said.
But mon-schocks and upside down forks are not retro.
Aside from the paint color and wire wheels, I don't see many retro (70's) styling or engineering influences on this bike. From an aesthetic standpoint, the monoshock creates too much distance between the tire and the fender, the water-cooled engine doesn't quite fit, and I think the exhaust looks cartoonish. Still, I'm sure it'll be a blast to ride and I hope they sell a boatload of them.
If the bike ends up looking like the rendering in the article that the ferret referenced then my hat is off to Kawasaki. I think that such a bike could potentially find a new market of buyers. These would be folks who don't want a full-on retro bike, appreciate modern day suspension components/geometry and yet who aren't exactly crazy about today's transformer styled machines.
To me, this rendering shows a nice integration of a couple of key classic Kawasaki styling cues (tank/duck tail) that work on a bike with a more modern configuration. This is similar to the approach that Yamaha has taken but the Kawasaki appears to be much more well thought out and better executed in my opinion. An air-cooled engine might have had greater appeal to me personally, but I appreciate the fact that Kawasaki has taken a straight up approach with their choice to not attempt a mask the non-retro components. This appears to be very straightforward motorcycle.
So no, I wouldn't call this a retro bike, but I would call it a really nice "modern standard". I actually like the looks of this rendering quite a bit. I'll be interested to see what the actual production bike looks like by comparison.
(09-08-2017, 05:15 AM)Guth_imp Wrote: [ -> ]If the bike ends up looking like the rendering in the article that the ferret referenced then my hat is off to Kawasaki. I think that such a bike could potentially find a new market of buyers. These would be folks who don't want a full-on retro bike, appreciate modern day suspension components/geometry and yet who aren't exactly crazy about today's transformer styled machines.
To me, this rendering shows a nice integration of a couple of key classic Kawasaki styling cues (tank/duck tail) that work on a bike with a more modern configuration. This is similar to the approach that Yamaha has taken but the Kawasaki appears to be much more well thought out and better executed in my opinion. An air-cooled engine might have had greater appeal to me personally, but I appreciate the fact that Kawasaki has taken a straight up approach with their choice to not attempt a mask the non-retro components. This appears to be very straightforward motorcycle.
So no, I wouldn't call this a retro bike, but I would call it a really nice "modern standard". I actually like the looks of this rendering quite a bit. I'll be interested to see what the actual production bike looks like by comparison.
Exactly! I bought the CB1100 not because it was retro, but because it was a modern standard bike. I would have also been interested in the XJR1300 or CB1300 had they been available in this country.
For those looking for a retro bike, I agree that the Honda and Triumph products probably fit the bill much better than this modern standard with retro styling.
I am excited about this bike. The Z900 is a fantastic ride. For those who want a lighter, faster Japanese retro, this is it.
I prefer an aircooled engine and if possible, not an easy art in a so say lost world for it, with a lovely looking engine. Nowadays no other motorbike with more than 1 cylinder can beat the CB in this discipline. In former years only a few came close.
Wisedrum