12-26-2017, 04:37 AM
(12-26-2017, 03:57 AM)jedd_imp Wrote: This might be old news, but what's interesting to me is how strong and forceful Kaw's Marketing efforts have gone down for this bike. ever since June, I've been trying to keep up w/ all the latest buzz on it.The fact that the Z900RS is still truly a high-performance motorcycle in pretty much every way means the press is going to love it. The CB got very lukewarm reviews due to its performance limitations. Nonesuch exist for the Kawasaki.
Even more impressive is how quickly production got ramped up from showcasing it to the public (mid OCT) to being on the US dealer's show room.
I didn't have a CLUE that the CB1100 had been in production for 2 yrs before I first found out about it by accident (right about this time 2 yrs ago). So, in hindsight, I think Kaw's marketing debut is going to pay off HUGE (vs. Honda's CB1100 debut).
In truth there is not much between the RS and R; good riders will run generally a comparable pace on either.
Yes, the R will pull up the front wheel quite easily but that is more a thrill thing. It don't have traction control, and the RS does, which means the rider can really give it full stick whenever (within reason, of course).
It's just a very different machine with a lot of curb and sex appeal (which the CB1100 has, naturally) but that extra 25 HP and 80-pound weight difference will attract a lot more buyers.
Still and all I will be looking for a CB1100EX next year.
