Kawasaki Z900 First Look Review

The Z800 has been the most successful completely built-up (CBU) bike for Kawasaki India. Its combination of aggressive styling, incredible performance and competitive pricing made the Z800 a very tempting proposition. But at the 2016 EICMA show, Kawasaki dropped a bomb with the unveiling of the Z800 replacement – the Z900. 

For the Z900, Kawasaki has taken the design inspirations from both the bikes – the Z800 and the Z1000. The aggressive headlamp assembly, aerodynamic fuel tank and sharp tail section – all these elements are associated with the Z series. But the major change seen on the Z900 is the usage of a trellis frame. This has helped the bike tip the scale slightly lower at 210kg. This lower weight is paired with a low seat height of 794mm, making it accessible to shorter riders. Powering the new Z900 is the same 948cc inline-four engine seen on the Z1000. But for the Z900, the engine has been re-tuned to develop less power than the Z1000 at 126bhp, but 12bhp more than the Z800. The gearbox is six-speed and transfers power through a slipper clutch. 

The Z900 is equipped with 41mm upside-down forks in the front and a mono-shock at the rear. Both get adjustable rebound and preload. In the braking department, the Z900 has 300mm discs in the front along with four-piston callipers and a 250mm disc with single-piston calliper at the rear. Kawasaki is offering non-ABS version as well for the American market. However, it misses out on traction control system and rider modes, something that is now standard in most big bikes. The Z900 rides on Dunlop Sportmax tyres, with 120/70 R17 at the front and 180/55 R17 at the rear. The fuel tank capacity stands at 17- litres. 

Kawasaki is offering the Z900 in two paint schemes – pearl mystic gray and metallic flat spark. However, expect the Indian market to get only one colour at the time of launch. Just like the Z800, the Z900 will also be made in Kawasaki’s Thailand plant and exported to India. Thanks to a much friendly free trade agreement between these countries, the Z900 will attract less duty resulting in competitive pricing. The Kawasaki Z900 competes with the YamahaMT-09 and the Ducati Monster 821 in India.