Kawasaki Z900RS

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Wow dealer near me ordered four! He does not sell much. Spoken for too he said. But he also has three Z1000s from the 70s/80s as well so... He is a fan. It really just comes down to whether you're a KAW fan or a HONDA fan or maybe both. It's lighter if women want to ride it, or those of us of WSBK size. It's certainly not enough to change. Tis a tad sportier.

It's way sportier. There's a huge difference. For those who really like the CB1100, don't buy a Z900 because it's not going to be anything like the Honda.

A few things about the Honda to compare with the Z: the CB's engine revs slowly and smoothly, and the chassis is very stable and handles the open road considerably better. If you plan on touring or two-up, the CB is a much better motorcycle. The Z feels very light and compact by comparison; the center of gravity is extremely low on the Z, it feels much lighter than it is. By contrast the Street Twin, for example, which weighs almost exactly the same, feels much heavier. The Z will feel quite nervous compare to the Honda although in reality it is very stable.

The throttle response on the Z is going to be much more immediate and it's going to rev a lot quicker.

The Ferret called it on this point; there is little real-world difference in outright power between the Z900 and the Z900RS, they are both very strong and there is not much between them until you hit about 9K rpm. But the Z900 is really a pretty stupid fast motorcycle. In fact I would say it shreds, and has more low end than most super bikes, certainly more than a late-model ZX-10R or YZF-R1, as an example. The Z is geared very, very low.

I am still quite intrigued by the idea of the CB1100EX with the six-speed and that big air-cooled mill. I'll bet it's nice on the superslab.