Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe
Verified3 reviews
Excellent bike with some flaws – Recently bought Kawasaki Z900rs 2022/23 Black with red stripes ( non cafe version). Looks amazing. It's has a powerful engine with a retro look. The engine loves to rev & bit jerky on low gears. seat is comfy for rider as well as pillion passenger. Only issue I have found is the snappy/jumpy Throttle ( ECU flash might help, however, might void the warranty) and is not cheap to do) Other one is the seat height, I'm 5'8' ..and I'm tipping toeing. might be a problem for shorter riders. Definitely not for Learner riders. * doesn't come with grab rail so sometimes its hard while getting out of parking.
I hope this helps
Purchased in at procycles for $17,700.
- Mileage: 1,000 km
Best bike I’ve owned – Bought the 2017 model Z900rs second hand with low km’s a couple of months ago now…..love it. At 56 and owned many different bikes over the years, I was going to give bikes away. Then I saw one of these…..wow….beautiful bike, a work of art. The good news is that it rides as well as it looks, so comfortable yet still maintains that sporty/hooligan streak when you want to be naughty. Mine is not a cafe, couldn’t find a non cafe product review category, but the same bike anyway. Mine is the incredible Root Beer/Orange colour. It also has a few basic mods to take it to another level imo. Lust 30mm lowered rear with matching front drop , rear tail tidy, max torque decat ( what a sound now !!! ), evotech radiator guard, Kawasaki lower cafe bars, smaller mirrors, blacked out silver parts ( front guard mounts, side covers etc. It now looks incredible and never fails to get attention. The only minor niggles are a slight “fluffiness” when coming off a feathered throttle at lower speeds, an issue other owners have noted, but to me it’s minor and actually gives the bike some character…a bit like a cammed motor clearing its throat at lower revs. Also a slight clunk shifting down from 6th to 5th every now and then, another common thing but no big deal to be honest. Love this bike, I now look for any excuse to ride it. I can now actually double the wife in comfort with the addition of a rear grab handle I bought off eBay, and this is a good thing ;) Will probably be the last bike I buy, it’s that good, and I reckon it will go up in value over the years.
Purchased in for $15,000.
- Mileage: 2,000 km
Unreal in Every Way – If you have thought about buying this bike but haven't yet, then do yourself a favour and go and get it. After reading the abundant amount of positive reviews I decided to test it for myself. And, this bike really does live up to the reviews and online hype. Style; It looks far better in person than in photos. Which is saying something. It appears they have spent a bit of time finishing off this bike. The green/white stripe is retro and stands out from a mile away. The overall detail is pretty good. Perhaps not quite up to Triumph Thruxton 1200R standards, but it is also around $5000 less, and you get so much more value with the Kwaka.
Ergonomics/Tech:
It's got a great sized and comfortable seat for both me and the wife. The riding position is relatively neutral, however perhaps still on the sporty side. Bars are a decent width and angled well for the wrists. You could ride for days straight off the showroom floor. Tech is great. Fuel gauge and traction control systems (3 options) plus ABS all work well. I love the analogue dials with the chrome trim. Importantly, luggage systems have now been released (factory & Ventura options).
Engine:
The power-plant is a de-tuned Z900 motor. However, having personally ridden both, I can safely say it is a better power delivery with heaps more low & mid range torque in its favour. It seems to have a heap of character for an inline 4, which is quite rare in modern bikes. The sound is pretty good, although maybe a bit too much on the quiet side for me. I will be looking to get the Akrapovic headers but retain the stock pipe (seems to be the best way to go).
Overall, I can't really fault this bike at all. The only thing I have questioned is that maybe it could have slightly less plastic. There are already carbon options to replace them. For the price, it wins the 'cafe racer' battle hands down for me. I have ridden all of them. The BMW RnineT racer was extremely uncomfortable. Charismatic, but in no way a user friendly bike from the showroom floor. Plus pillion options are sub-standard. The Thruxton 1200R was a really beautiful bike and sounds sublime, however once again pillion options were ordinary and came at an extra cost from the factory, on top of the already dearer price tag. Not everyone will be so pillion minded, so for them the Trumpy should be high on the list (if the extra $ didn't worry them either). But, ride both and you'll see which is better value.
The Z900RS Cafe filled a much needed sector of the market for me. Finally, we have a superb performing, nice looking/sounding, comfortable and reliable Japanese cafe racer which is ready to go. Ride one, you won't not buy it!
- Date Purchased:
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