Honda CB1000R+ vs Kawasaki Z1000: Competition Check

The Honda CB1000R+ recently found its way to India and awaiting its arrival was the bike’s direct competitor, the Kawasaki Z1000. We might pitch both the bikes on road soon but until then, here’s how they fare against each other.

Design

The Kawasaki Z1000 is where all the other members of the ‘Z’ family got their looks from. The low-slung LED headlamp and the muscular fuel tank lend it an aggressive stance. It is also unabashedly futuristic and undoubtedly dropped from an alien spaceship.  

On the other hand, the Honda CB1000R+ sports a modern-retro, café racer design. Yes, it is majorly modern and gets LED lighting, but the circular-shaped headlamp cowl adds a little more to the retro side of its appeal. The CB1000R+ gets a chiselled fuel tank and being a top-spec variant gets a rear seat cowl, fly screen and aluminium finished components all around. 

Engine 

At the heart of the Honda CB1000R is a 999cc, inline-four cylinder engine that produces 141bhp and 104Nm. This unit is mated to a six-speed gearbox and two-way quickshifter as standard.

With these numbers, the CB1000R+ is more powerful on paper than the Z1000. The Kawasaki’s bigger 1043cc, inline-four motor produces 139bhp and 111Nm and is mated to a six-speed gearbox along with an assist and slipper clutch. The CB1000R+ weighs 217kg which also makes it lighter than the Z1000 that weighs 221kg. 

Features

Honda has equipped the CB1000R with a TFT-screen that has a unique, eclipse-shaped tachometer with a gear shift indicator at the centre. The electronics package consists of ABS, traction control, four riding modes and a ride-by-wire system. The CB1000R+ which is the only variant on sale in our country also offers heated grips as standard. 

The Kawasaki Z1000 may not get a TFT instrument cluster but it makes do with a well-lit semi digital unit with a horizontally-spread tachometer. However still, the Z1000 is only equipped with an ABS unit, a big let-down for such a futuristic looking motorcycle. 

Cycle Parts

The CB1000R+ and Z1000 get similar suspension hardware with 41mm inverted front forks and a rear monoshock sourced from Showa. Braking on the Honda is done by 310mm dual discs up front and a 265mm disc at the rear. Meanwhile the Z1000 uses twin, 310mm front discs and a 250mm rear disc. 

Now, Kawasaki also offers another version called the Z1000 R which gets higher-spec braking and suspension sourced from Brembo and Ohlins respectively.

Pricing

The Honda CB1000R+ is priced at Rs 14.46 lakhs while the standard Z1000 costs Rs 15.10 lakhs. If you want to opt for the Z1000 R, your wallet would be lighter by a lakh more as it retails at Rs 16.10 lakhs (All prices ex-showroom, Delhi).