Kawasaki Z900RS

[Ulvetanna_imp]

Sat on one yesterday. Sent Kawasaki a tweet about that bulbous tank. Sat on the 18 CB11EX down the row from it. Much better. I liked the 9RS otherwise though. My 919 had a radiator. I don't mind. The Z9RS is not retro retro but I'd still ride one. My 919 was so sweet at exactly 72 mph on the highway. Smoooooth. So there is something to be said for water cooling. And she sure did like an exit ramp. Just roll her on in and lean. A touch of front brake. Nice. But the CB11EX is still a beauty. What a piece of art.

That's how I feel about it. The Z900RS is a liquid-cooled motorcycle, and needs a radiator; a discussion of the engineering strategy behind the bulbous tank (to allow a full 4.5 gallons of fuel and the huge airbox needed for the engine's low-end torque) is found in another post. So I have to wonder, in this case, just exactly what could Kawasaki's engineers have done differently to assuage these aesthetic concerns?

There is only one answer: they could have built an air-cooled motorcycle! And they've already done that, over 15 years ago. The ZR750 was a beautiful motorcycle, in profile very similar to the new Z900RS. When it first came out, my buddy bought one right away, and I had the chance to ride it. It was a superb machine in every way.


A bone-stock Zephyr 750, circa 1992.


Not bad with the MRS pipes.

[url=https://www.cycleworld.com/focusing-in-on-kawasaki-zephyr-to-find-out-if-it-was-ultimate-750-from-archives]Cycle World has published an article about the ZR750, where it has named that bike the best standard of 1992, on its website.

Kawasaki produced versions of the ZR (Zephyr) in 400, 550, 750, and 1100 versions.


The Zephyr 1100 shares the "bulbous" tank design of the Z900RS. It's a Kawasaki signature throughout the line.


Not a bad-looking mill.

[url=https://www.cycleworld.com/riding-impression-zephyr-1100-from-archives#page-4]Cycle World has also posted a review of the Zephyr 1100 from 1992, which has a lot of interesting information about the bike's performance, its adherents, and its development.

I had another buddy who had a few of these retros, the 1100 in particular. He commuted for years on that bike. Later he upgraded to the ZRX1200 and rode that bike for tens of thousands of commuting miles. He still had one, last time I checked.


The ZRX1200 was the first liquid-cooled machine in the retro line of ZR's.

Kawasaki has been all the way down the road and back with respect to making retro-styled inline fours of the air-cooled variety. And what they've learned is that, these days, they just don't sell very well. The Z900RS is a very slimmed-down example of the same kind of bike as the ZRX1200. Motorcycle sales are down right now, and KHI has made the right decision in choosing the style and technology for the new Z series.

Anyone who owns a CB1100 today should be thanking their lucky stars that they got one now, since it doesn't look like the bike is going to be back in the USA, at least. Those folks have the bike they want, it doesn't have an ugly radiator, bulbous tank, or the wrong badge on the tank. And hopefully, the bike they have is the bike they want, and it'll make them happy. I can't say, but it may be that no one bike can have everything one might want. I suppose that's why we have a lot of good choices. And if another person's choice differs from ours, it can still provide the same satisfaction of ownership.

I leave it to Cycle World's excellent staff of 1992 to sum it up; these thoughts are equally relevant 15 years later:

Good times are what motorcycles are for, though if recent sales figures are anything to go by, a smaller percentage of people than ever are enjoying good times on new bikes. But who knows? There would seem to be strong demand, among riders and former riders, for a liter-class standard-style motorcycle that offers a workable combination of style, comfort, performance and value.

Those words, written over 15 years ago, couldn't be more apropos.