Z900 RS

[greekcb_imp]

Hey everyone! Dont know what it is lately but ive just started scoping out the Kawasaki Z900 RS. Actually i know what got me started on it. Aside from seeing it a while back when it was released and not really thinking much about it, i saw one on the road the other day and was like oooh what is that. Then it clicked.

Anyway, i really love the old school orange/brown paint scheme and the aggressive styling of it. So naturally ive been watching YouTube videos and looking at reviews, common issues, mods etc. Seems like owners are very happy with them. Im definitely not a fan of liquid cooling whatsoever. All of my bikes have been or are air cooled and i always felt there is no place for the extra complication on a motorcycle ya know.

However, i cant find myself staying away from it. Now mind you the CB is going nowhere, shes a beauty and very true to the roots and i love it. But, i think i might try to look at one in person down the road and get a feel for it. Im seeing in reviews that they seem to have a higher seat height. Im 5'9" so not super short but i dont want to be tip toeing on any bike etc.

Anyway, just figured i would share my thoughts and see if any of you guys have any experience with it or rode one etc. I get that its not super close to the original but i think its a cool package and came out great. Take care!

 

[Honda_Fan_imp]

I loved it the first time I saw it at Paris motorcycle show last year but I’m waiting until they are couple years old to scoop one up for cheap. Nothing stands close to CB1100 in terms of style and being true to its mission. Only if those 2017 would finally drop to $7500 as left overs I’d pick one up.

 

[greekcb_imp]

I loved it the first time I saw it at Paris motorcycle show last year but I’m waiting until they are couple years old to scoop one up for cheap. Nothing stands close to CB1100 in terms of style and being true to its mission. Only if those 2017 would finally drop to $7500 as left overs I’d pick one up.

Sweet, i would absolutely like to see one in the showroom and sit on it. Im seeing some 18's new for a little over 9k vs 11k msrp. I would hate to see a great bike lose its value and maybe not produced anymore but just like the CB, swoop in when the time is right ya know. Got my 14 new for 6K so i wouldn't mind the same for the Kaw ! Winter might be the time to do it.

 

[the Ferret]

I've sat on one at two different shops. IT's definitly a tall booger. One thing I didnt care for was the gap between the tire and rear fender. ALso didn't like the fact that I could see the radiator cap from the seat of the bike. If I recall the master cylinders were also those urine cups on stalks that I don't like, but aside from those visual nit pics, I bet it's a really fun bike to ride.

 

[flynrider]

Last year I was in the market for either a '17 CB1100 or '18 900RS. My current #2 bike is getting long in the tooth and won't last forever. Unfortunately, I had an unexpected budget busting expense and new bike plans are delayed until later this year or early next year.

I was nearly ready to pull the trigger on the 900RS. I'd been to the dealer and did find it a bit high for my 5'8" height. I couldn't quite flat foot it, but I wasn't imitating a ballerina either. Kawasaki makes a low seat for it that reduces the seat height by 30mm (slightly more than an inch), which should do the trick. Like you, I'm also not crazy about the liquid cooled engine, but I think I can probably live with it.

Prices are down to about $8.5K (in my area) for leftover '18 models, which is about what I was shooting for when I still had bike money. I'm thinking by the time my budget has recovered, there might even be some better deals available.

 

[the Ferret]

Yea I'm a couple inches shorter than you flyn, and it was a ballerina thing for me. Good to know they have a low seat for it.

 

[KiowaEagle_imp]

I've sat on one and yes it is tall but I like that being 6'. They're having Kawasaki Demo this Friday and Saturday at a local dealer (the one I bought my CB from) with demo rides. I've got a long ride scheduled Saturday so I'm trying to figure out a way to get out of work to get there Friday. I'd love to get a test ride in.

 

[greekcb_imp]

Thanks for all the input guys! Always exciting when a new bike really catches your eye. Ill find one in the near future and go check it out. If it feels good in the saddle then ill do a test ride etc. My only issue now is too many bikes in the garage ! Lol. I might be selling my beloved Roadliner, been a flawless bike, just dont really have the need for a couch on wheels anymore. I enjoy the simplicity and more nimbleness of a lightweight standard type bike. If i do get a Z900 RS down the road, i can always get a GIVI top box to go along with the GIVI rack i have on the CB. This way if i need to store something or do a longer ride i can have the luggage option that my Roadliner offers. Ah well we shall see!

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I loved it the first time I saw it at Paris motorcycle show last year but I’m waiting until they are couple years old to scoop one up for cheap. Nothing stands close to CB1100 in terms of style and being true to its mission. Only if those 2017 would finally drop to $7500 as left overs I’d pick one up.

Very cool. I was at the 2018 Paris show too. Remember this line-up at the Kawasaki exhibit?

 

[Desert viper_imp]

I rode one at the Long Beach Progressive motorcycle show last November....it was a 2019 and performed flawlessly. The 2018 models have a fueling glitch that can be corrected with an ECU flash by GUHL. I wish it had twin rear shocks and a hidden radiator cap but I will be parking an orange/brown 2019 next to my CB1100 as soon as I sell my ZRXes. A lot of owners are trading seats with some taller Canadian owners because their bikes all come with the low seat version.....at 5’7” I’ll also be looking for someone to trade with.
The low seat is 35mm lower by the way.
It was getting a lot of attention....

 

[2017EX_imp]

Back in the day, the Kaw Z1 was a real competitor for the 750 Four. Lets face it, the styling and extra displacement was very appealing back then. My humble opinion however, is that Kawasaki had the chance for a grand slam with the Z900 RS, but ended up with a double. Having just put fork boots on my 2017 EX, I admit that I am biased toward the classic naked bike old school styling. I was at my local Honda dealer to look at the Monkey recently, as in the near future one of those will be keeping the CB in my garage company. That dealer is also the local Kawasaki dealer. When I scanned the sales floor I immediately located the Z900RS.

I went over and sat on it, and noted right away that it sits quite a bit higher than the CB. I suppose that I could get along with a water cooled engine, but like the Ferret, I do not care for the huge space between the rear fender and rear tire at all. That look is sport bike, so I think it is out of place on a retro naked bike. I think Kawasaki blew it by not going with a 4 into 4 exhaust like the Z1, or at the very least a 4 into 2 like my EX. Again, being old school, and although it is not 4 into 4, I prefer the balanced look 4 into 2 exhaust of the Deluxe, EX, and RS. Maybe 4 into 4 will be offered by Honda and Kawasaki from the factory in 2020?

No doubt the Z900RS is probably a great bike, but it is just not my cup of tea in its current configuration. As we all know, the differences in styling, performance, handling, riding position, and on and on, all make each persons motorcycle a very individual thing. The CB1100EX is the one for me unless Honda comes out with a modern version closer to my beloved 1974 CB750 Four. Maybe a factory White House with 4 into 4?

 

[Stichill]

I loved it the first time I saw it at Paris motorcycle show last year but I’m waiting until they are couple years old to scoop one up for cheap. Nothing stands close to CB1100 in terms of style and being true to its mission. Only if those 2017 would finally drop to $7500 as left overs I’d pick one up.

Very cool. I was at the 2018 Paris show too. Remember this line-up at the Kawasaki exhibit?

What's cool is LR saying, "I was at the 2018 Paris show too."

 

[Gone in 60]

I've sat on several of them at the local dealers in LA. My wife followed me into one of them and noticed the price tag.
That was the end of that.

 

[Wisedrum]

The Z900RS is just a revised Z900. Not enough for me to be attractive. I only dig the brown orange colour that reminds me a bit on the pretty nice Z out in 70s. All other aspects I don't like were mentioned before by other forumists like being watercooled, the space in the rear etc. . Not long ago I saw a rider passing by on one and the seating position didn't look right, because his knees were too much angled. I agree that the CB is the better looking motorcycle. Much better.

Wisedrum

 

[peterbaron]

The Z900RS is just a revised Z900. Not enough for me to be attractive. I only dig the brown orange colour that reminds me a bit on the pretty nice Z out in 70s. All other aspects I don't like were mentioned before by other forumists like being watercooled, the space in the rear etc. . Not long ago I saw a rider passing by on one and the seating position didn't look right, because his knees were too much angled. I agree that the CB is the better looking motorcycle. Much better.

Wisedrum

^^ +1

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I agree with the above, but in 30 years, I think the Z900RS will be retro cool, while the CB will just look... old.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

I agree with the above, but in 30 years, I think the Z900RS will be retro cool, while the CB will just look... old.

Heh, heh, ... well, many of us will just look ... old ... or dead ... whether on a Z or CB.

 

[pdedse]

I agree with the above, but in 30 years, I think the Z900RS will be retro cool, while the CB will just look... old.

Better to look real-time cool now than retro cool in 30 years! : )
:beerchug:

 

[Wisedrum]

I agree with the above, but in 30 years, I think the Z900RS will be retro cool, while the CB will just look... old.

Better to look real-time cool now than retro cool in 30 years! : )
:beerchug:

Better to look real-time cool now than retro cool in 30 years! : )
:beerchug:
Looking old, beautiful as a motorbike and being well function is the real cool retro in the future no matter how far away in many years from now. My taste will most likely not change that way to find a bike like the Z900RS realtime cool.. Not yet, not in the future.

Old CBs 750 and Z900 50 and 60 years later are still looking better than most other motorbikes that followed, although they were not intended to be retros, but developed into role models for the retro boom as time went by. Timeless beauties.

No other motorbike with a gasoline engine will ever gain a comparable image.

Wisedrum

 

[KiowaEagle_imp]

Went to the Kawasaki Demo Days at my local dealer and it turned out the demo rides were only in a tiny obstacle course set up in the parking lot. Took a hard pass. Wasting all that time and energy to get a short 3 mph ride wasn’t worth it. Not much different that just sitting on it.