2014 CB1100 Standard ride review/XSR900 comparo

[flynrider]

In the for what it’s worth department...The Kawi 900RS I sat on yesterday felt much lighter coming off the kickstand than the CB. However. The seat of the RS definitely felt as if it was higher. That may or may not be related to the fact I have an aftermarket cafe seat on my bike that is narrow at the mid seat area and maybe a hair lower in profile.

The Z900RS defintely sits way higher than the CB1100. I tippy-toe the Kawi. I flat-foot the Honda. The U.S.-spec Z900RS comes standard with their much thicker, taller seat. In other markets the Kawi comes standard with the optional shorter seat, and that's the seat Kawi uses to achieve their claimed 31.5" seat height. The U.S. version is nearly 33". Compared to the Honda, the Kawi's seat is also wider at the front, which takes up even more of my leg-length.

Did you also happen to notice how crazy-wide the tank is on the Z900RS? I couldn't believe it. I thought I'd noticed something a bit unusual in the pictures taken directly from the front. It had sort of a beached whale aspect through the middle. Once I sat on the bike, yep, there it was, that Oprah-sized, oddly-shaped tank.

Not a fan.

I only noticed it last week, when someone posted the video of the dyno run. When viewed from above, it's noticeable. Funny thing was that I'd never noticed it in all of the pics of the RS that I'd seen on the 'net. I just went back over Kawasaki's Z900RS gallery and it seems that it only looks oddly shaped from above. I can live with that, especially since it delivers a comfortable 4.5 gallon capacity.