New Z900RS

[David Richard]

ah good job your on the case ,the power s to be don't want us to have to much fun

[Stu]

Seen it, rode the Zephyr to the Dealer, paid deposit, signed contract, home again. Waiting.

Nice. Did you get a firm price?

[andye]

Its on the UK website, but still no prices.

https://www.kawasaki.co.uk/en/products/ ... VEMC15QXlg

Torque is listed as 98.5 N•m at 6500rpm which is 72.

[Freddy]

I've made up my mind I'm going to buy one. The only delay may be waiting for a Ventura rear rack to become available. Without that there is no way to carry what I take on all day and longer rides e.g wet weather gear, water, place to keep keys phone etc. The chance of a late heavy rain afternoon storm is just a fact of life in the Summer time where I live, regardless of what the weather was in the morning when you set out. So full one piece rain suit goes everywhere the bike goes.

Around town I always just use my little XT250, brilliant little commuter bike when fitted with rear bag, screen, and fitted sheep shin seat cover. So need for it as a city commuter.

[Freddy]

Here's a thought to ponder ......

Wonder what the arrival of the Z900RS will do to Zephyr resale prices?? At first I thought well that just knocked a couple thousand of the value of my bike. However, maybe jogging everyone's memory of just what a great looking machine the original Z1 was, and that its son (Zephyr), and now its new grand-son (Z900rs) are all good timeless design ...... maybe that will actually drive up prices as the 'classic' UJM is back in vogue.

Obviously most of us here probably thought it never went out of vogue, otherwise would we be on this forum???? I predict the demise of the transformer/insect head design has just been speed up a bit. Not suggesting the whole naked market is going to revert to a 'classic' look, but back toward more flowing aesthetically pleasing, rather than in your face designs, sure. Don't think it was ever a case of if, just when the trend would change.

[bunyip]

Stu, no firm price but I did find a USA price and the conversion came to around $16400au and that is close to the invoice but with a big caveat that the price could change. Really thought I would never say this to anything but I just don't care, I was prepared to double that. Before everyone goes off about being rich, that is not the case at all. My last new bike was in 1981 so I figure 36 years =$455 per year, I deserve that or what is the point of living? I have had a serious illness and lining up for a triple bypass when I get brave or sick enough.
Just going to order it was fantastic. I rode my Zephyr 1100, my son came on his z1000 and Grandson had his first ride ever on the back of my bike (any bike), happy day.
Had a look at some numbers;
Bike Horsies Kilo's
My 1973 Z1 82 230
My 1981 GPz1100 108 237
My 1993 ZR1100 93 243
My 2017 Z900RS 110 215

What does that all mean? FA, that Z1 was the most powerfull machine you could imagine at the time. In terms of HP the GPz had plenty and after a Moriwaki kit, flowed heads, cams, Kerker etc is probably still more powerful than many modern bikes but with skinny tyres and a bendy frame. Zeph looks like a loser really but has been a fantastic bike. So I am getting more power,lighter weight, suspension and brakes that work. The practical side of numbers is that I have been very happy with all of them, never thought "gee I wish I had more power to do 300kph down the main street". Each new bike the bits I noticed were suspension and brakes.
By the way I still have all my bikes, they will never leave me.
I realise life sometimes gets in the way but if you can swing it, go buy the bike of your dreams before it's too late.

[andye]

There are already custom versions. I am expecting the full hit of Custom parts for this bike like Harley & Triumph do.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new- ... ow-custom/

Not sure about Carbon fibre, but a 4 into 4 would be nice. (I'm showing my age again).

[Rob@TZP]

Just noticed it's a monoshock. BOO! Can't have an oldschool monoshock lol.

[Freddy]

Just noticed it's a monoshock. BOO! Can't have an oldschool monoshock lol.

The rear wheel travel on a Zephyr is 115mm. On the new Z900RS it is 140mm. Just one of the many performance advantages of a rear monoshock.

[Freddy]

Just noticed it's a monoshock. BOO! Can't have an oldschool monoshock lol.

Just for the sake of the discussion ......
You touch on a interesting point. Should a 'retro' stick faithfully to previous technology, at least where it is obvious, even to the point of making the bike substandard by the standard of the day?

If the answer was yes, then this new Z900RS would have twin rear shocks, it would also not have upside down front forks (it could still have cartridge damping inside a conventional fork). But both these changes would adversely affect ride and handling. So people aren't going to buy the bike. I wouldn't.

If I made a list of all the things I think could be better on the Zephyr 750 ..... the new Z900GS just about perfectly addresses each of these items.

Would I like a bit more grunt, yes
Would I like better suspension, yes
Would I like ABS, not something that concerns me greatly but, yes.
Would I like 2 mode traction control to go with the extra grunt and keep the front wheel down if I really pin it, yes
Would I like the bike to have popular tyre sizes, yes

All of this takes nothing away from a Zephyr. Clearly it should be obvious I'm a fan of mine. But I do accept things move on, and there is a need for a good looking new retro in the style of the original Z1, and reckon Kawasaki seems to have completely 'knocked it out of the park' with this latest effort. Is it perfect, perhaps not. Using handle bars and a riding position that sounds like they have tried to emulate the original very upright position is something I would probably want to change. I want a slightly more aggressive modern position, nothing that some rear sets (for ground clearance) and slightly lower bars couldn't remedy. I expect a cafe-racer version to be too aggressive.