What is everyone's opinion on the new Kawasaki z900 rs?

loudhvx wrote: The retro-bikes, one would think, would be successful like the Dodge Challenger or Ford Mustang, but they just never seem to sell, at all. I have yet to see a Kawasaki "W" bike on the street or even the CB 1100 retro. I come across KZ's at a 10:1 ratio compared to the Zephyrs ...maybe 50:1.

That does seem to be true in the States, though the Zephyrs at least were popular in the UK and Japan. In any case, I don't really think of Zephyrs as retro, at least not the 550 and 750, because they were part of an unbroken chain from the original Z1 (via the 400 and 650). The Zephyr 1100 was a little different since it was a completely new design using an unrelated engine (a modified Voyager engine, originally water cooled). I'd like to see what Kawasaki could do if they picked that chain back up and added some modern goodies...rather than just making a modern bike look like a more classic one.

There's one thing I really like about it but that's about it.................................... the name on the tank.

i think kawasaki tried to keep a foot in both camps to please the retro group and just to bring a new bike ,did they get it right ? im sure it performs very well but i notice there are alot of used rs for sale on eb with very little mileage on them why are people selling them so quick , for me there are to many odd bits on it that dont look right to want one ,i have a zephyr 750 d1 with spoked wheels and a z1r so im fairly modern but not lookin to change ,david

I like mine. I bought it in March 2018 and have about 5500 miles on it. It's the first new jap bike I've considered buying in the last 25 years. It's fun to ride it has great suspension and brakes and a motor that howls plenty loud and fast enough for a guy who's been riding KZ's on the street since 1977.
The bike has a great transmission in it 1st gear is a bit low but the rest of it blends perfectly. I like the roll on power at 60 in 6th gear you roll it on and you're within a second or two doing 85 and pulling hard. My KZ900ltd pulls like that but you need to bang a gear before you're on the pipe. With the RS roll it on and hang on. I've done a couple 750 mile weekends and my ass is sore after that but it gets sore riding my Harley that far. The seat is a bit stiff. I junked the hideous rear fender that was stock issue and put on the different plate holder. It has the Kawasaki traction control and it's the first bike I've ridden that had it. I keep it in mode 1 generally but it'll still wheelie right over backwards. The paint is sweet and I dig the bike.
Will it become what my Z1 has become in 40 years? Doubt it but I dig it.

While I am sure many people like the new(er) z900's they just don't do much for me. If it wasn't for the paint schemes on the new bikes they would hold almost no association with the old ones. I really dislike the big open area on many new motorcycles between the rear fender/seat and the rear tire. On some bikes this can be hidden via panniers or saddlebags, but without bags of some sort it looks odd to say the least. The original "Z's" looks started at the front fender and went all the way to the rear taillight. That "look" is what helped sell those bikes to the public and told everyone this is no Honda or other UJM. Remove or change the front fender or rear duckbill and viola, UJM. Unfortunately as some have already stated, Kawasaki just hasn't gone that extra step, other than paint design, to build a true retro bike. I like the black painted engines on the new z900, but all the silver colored nuts and bolts take away from the look. They should just leave the engine color natural. The real eye sore to me is the front brake master cylinder reservoir that is just sticking up off the handlebar like it was an after thought. I find it hard to believe they couldn't have incorporated that reservoir into the master cylinder., but of course other manufacturers do the same thing with the same result. I am sure those that own these so called retro bikes will chastise my opinions, but that's okay, we all have opinions. I am sure they run great, but the killer is a one year warranty unless you go with an extended one. One year in my area really means 7 or 8 months. Would a two year warranty be too much to ask? Or do they have such little faith in their product?
Rick H.

I was really excited for these when the rumor first dropped, but after I saw one it was a disappointment. Like others said they got some things wrong, the weird wide turtle shell tank. Weird gap at the rear from the monoshock. Bobbed out back like a cat without a tail. Etc. Wish they would just do an Air cooled variant from the z1 dna like the zephyr or something but with EFI.

a z650rs is rumored, but if they just do the same thing as this but with the z650, whats the point? A zephyr 750 with doremi z2 kit looks much much better. W800 is very nice looking but im not into british twins, but i might pick one up for my next bike for now if they dont roll out with a cool aircooled inline four ujm which is what I'm dreaming for. Oh well.

I have a 2019 Z900RS... I LOVE it !!! I'm 6'6"and 340 and it is a comfortable ride. I have had it for around 2 months and have put just under 1300 miles on it. I've done the initial break-in and oil change/inspections. Loving it so far!

I am now selling my ducati1098s to buy one. I lovely 80 resto mod but it's not reliable enough for road trips or daily riding.

Good topic and here's my two cents, the only "problem" as far as I can see is that the new 900 is a proper modern reinterpretation bike and the bike that inspires it is without doubt one of the most beautiful, iconic and historically important bikes, this causes problems because kawasaki want you to be reminded of an old Z but of course you end up comparing new and old which is just impossible, it's like painting an F18 jet like an old mustang fighter plane then saying now compare the two! Both beautiful aircraft but the passage of time and technology are miles apart.
If the new 900 was just called for arguments sake the 900 pacer and it came in modern metallic kawasaki colours it might be easier to accept as its own modern bike ,like adding salt to a meal just a little bit, a hint of z1a just subtle here or there no problem , but if it's dressed up as a modern clone then you run into the old new comparison I mentioned just now.
Having said that there is an age thing to consider, anyone who was 20 in 1973 will be head over heels for the original Z but anyone who's 20 now might lust over the new 900 and love every square inch and in 40 years time they'll describe it as a legend and icon! I suppose kawasaki probably had this in mind when they bought out the new one.... either way to each his own I say, let every man own and love the bike he loves without judgement ,the bike only has to please the rider and if we all rode exactly the same bike the world would be a very dull place! :lol:

Sheath wrote: and the bike that inspires it is without doubt one of the most beautiful, iconic and historically important bikes,

I totally agree with that part of what you said. I was 23 when the Z1 first came out and 25 when I bought one. It was important for many reasons. It broke records and won many races before the competition inevitably caught up. It had style and grace. But most of all for those of us who liked power on the street...it had loads of it. So my question is this...

Do you think the new 900 has the style and grace? Does it have outstanding power compared to the competition? And has it or will it win any speed records or races? To be valued like a Z1 when it's 40 years older it will have to have all of those features.

Maybe (matter of opinion), no, no

IMO Mike

Yes that's also a good point the Z1 broke new ground in so many ways and made so many other bikes look like old history over night , it had all the power and performance to match the looks and it did prove itself in many speed events, also they made the motor so tough and easy to work on that it encouraged many guys to get their hands dirty and service their own bike and tune it up too, I always think that if you work on your own bike and have it in bits then back together enough you forge a real bond with the machine, modern bikes are a little different, often no need to think about tuning, not very easy to take apart and generally no need to, just oil, brake pads oil brake pads repeat! Finally the decade and society that the Z1 entered into was special, lots of anti establishment, police clashes, fighting, Led Zeppelin, pink Floyd, the movie Stone, mad max. If you wanted to show that you didn't care too much for Rules and at random you might perform a smoking donut in the road or pull a wheelie a truck long then get the hell out if you saw blue lights, the Z1 was THE bike to do it on. I suppose the new 900 is a bit like if a pop song was bought out right now and it referenced a lot of 70s things ,you'd smile and nod and feel nostalgic and you might really like the song but then you'd remember that your not listening to a lovely well known 70s song, just a modern memory lane tune, that kind of sums up how I feel around the new 900