How dealers lose the sale

[Capo]

mickey, the Z900RS was never really on my list. In the Kawi lineup, I'm more interested in the Ninja 1000 and Z900, and perhaps even the Z650, with different reasons for each.

I've always been interested in the Ninja 1000 for its hard bags, wind protection, relatively light weight, and major power. My worries with that bike center around the potential buzziness of the motor, which many people don't like, and the possibility of noisy turbulence coming off that windscreen. In my experience, any bike with an upright seating position and a windshield that you see over rather than look through has problems with noisy turbulence. I grew so fed up with this phenomenon on my ST1300 and V-Strom 1000, and also on the FJ-09 and Ducati Multistrada, that I swore off ever going that route again. Even with the XSR I've found that any windshield of a decent size creates noisy turbulence.

In the end, I always go with no windshield, or, in the case of the XSR, a shield that is so small that it only covers the instruments. I let the Kawi sales guy know that I wouldn't buy his Ninja 1000 until it passed a freeway test ride.

The Z900? It's about the motor, the fueling, the seating position, and the increased wind protection afforded by the shape of the tank and that unique seating position. This bike does nothing my XSR doesn't do, so it could only serve as a direct replacement, not an addition.

The little Z650 just fits me so well, and it's very affordable. Dirck's praise for it over at MC Daily has me interested in it. I love tiny, sporty yet comfortable bikes, especially when they have two-cylinder motors. Loved my old SV650, so I'm keeping an open mind about the Z650, and also the 2018 Yamaha MT-07.

I'm leaning against the upcoming Yamaha Tracer 900GT, mainly due to the windshield issue, as well as the cost. I have a hard time believing they've solved the turbulence issue by making the windshield slightly larger. If anything, it needed to be smaller.

The CB1100 EX has taken over from the T120, so that's my pick in a retro.

Lastly, there's the upcoming CB1000, which I really like. I suspect it will cost too much, however, and I'm nearly certain that the seating position is too aggressive for my reconstructed neck. Also, like the Z900, there appears to be nowhere to attach soft luggage.

I wouldn't add a Z900RS, nor would I replace my XSR900 with one. Too similar, and I prefer the Z900 in that instance anyway. I think it probably comes down to the CB1100 (the long-term choice: comfortable, and I simply love it) vs the Ninja 1000 (better touring bike that's still sporty), with the CB1000 having a shot if the price is roughly the same as the CB1100, which I highly doubt will be the case. Also, again, there's the issue with its seating position.

It's probably the CB1100, with the Ninja 1000 needing to pass the engine buzz/noisy turbulence tests before it could become a serious option. The CB1100 doesn't really worry me in any regard. I know I'll adjust to the slower motor and less sporty handling. Otherwise, its positives far outweigh its negatives for me.

The Z1000 is the only recent bike I’ve ridden extensively that feels buzz-ier to me than the CB. Irritatingly so. I rented one on the Isle of Man a few years back, and while it was a fine overall machine, my particular sensitivity to I-4 vibes made it unpleasant. Interestingly, I rode a friend’s new Z900 and it was markedly less buzzy. That is a fun bike, really liked it. I’m intrigued by the Z900RS.




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