KAWASAKI Z1000SX (2010 - 2013) Review

Year: 2013

Best all rounder only the stock seat lets it down.

Version: Standard

Year: 2013

Good do everything bike . Not quite a sports tourer. More like a sporty do it all bike.

Buying experience: Bought privately for £4950 with 5000 miles

Year: 2013

Annual servicing cost: £50

Easy and fun to ride for miles. Rock hard seat

Version: ABS

Year: 2013

Annual servicing cost: £280

Good all-rounder. Plenty fast enough and not too bad for long trips (if you can live with the seat). Have done 600 miles+ in a day which was OK, but not as easy as on my old Fazer 1000 (which to be honest was probably a better bike bar the harsh gear changes, soft suspension and slightly weaker brakes). No mechanical problems in 12,000 miles and will do 180 miles to a tank with no bother.

Buying experience: Purchased from a dealer for around £5k with 8k miles on the clock and with FSH. Bargain really for what you get.

Year: 2013

Annual servicing cost: £200

Positive: Good all rounder quick, comfortable, reliable and well made. Negative: Could be better equipped, poor lights I would recommend to friends

Year: 2012

Great Bike: Plenty of power and useful low down grunt, handles very well - I can take corners with confidence much better than my previous bike (ER6 F 650) which I bought after a break from biking of 24 years. I wanted a sporty 1000 cc four cylinder bike but didn't want the full ass in the air, chin on tank cramped sports bike thing at my age (50) as I would need a visit to a chiropractor after an hour on one of those! The Z1000SX fits the bill nicely - a really quick bike but with a comfortable upright riding position and it looks great! much better than other similar type bikes. Would have liked ABS and traction control though for additional reassurance in the wet.

Year: 2013

Annual servicing cost: £149

Does everything well....

Buying experience: Clay Cross Kawasaki are a class outfit!

Version: Non ABS

Year: 2011

Annual servicing cost: £200

The best aspects are the build quality, performance, handling and riding position. The parts I would change if I could are the mirrors; you just can't see what's behind you, only either side. I'd also have liked the bars to be adjustable. They seem to be tilted up slightly instead of down and gives me a bit of an ache on the outside of my hands. One thing no-one's mentioned; in hot weather the heat blast from the exhausts when you slow down and stop can be really hot on the back of your legs. Quite uncomfortable.

Buying experience: I bought mine from Lloyd Coopers in Watford, only £7999 as it was last years model at the time. 0% finance over 2 years too. What's not to like.

I have owned one of these for 2 years old and its "touring" capability is a fantasy. The seat kills you! Its not for lack of padding - its the trendy design. You just have to look at it. All the padding is right at the back of the seat and you have to push yourself back. So there's even less room for a pillion!Where you naturally want to sit... its nowhere near wide enough! Kawasaki sell a gel seat for £300 - why should we buy it on a £10k bike and it won't make a scrap of difference! On the 2014 bike the seat has "more padding" - so what? its the same design and the tester of the 2014 machine says after 2 hours.... I've had enough! Sorry Kawasaki this is not good enough. YOU CANNOT TOUR ON THIS BIKE! panniers or no panniers BUYERS BEWARE!

I left a Honda VFR 800 behind for this rather awesome machine. Handling is spot on, as is everything else about the bike... Except 2 things: 1 - With the mirrors i can either see my hands or the hedge rows,, but not much else. 2 : After a couple of hours in the saddle I start to get a numb right hand because of some minor vibration through the throttle. The bike handles equally well in town traffic, twisties and open road. The adjustable screen makes a surprising difference on a run. The gearing makes it easy to ride in all traffic conditions, although at lower speeds this gearing ratio does reduce engine braking (but that's what brakes are for I guess) Having test ridden a range of bikes, this is a definite all rounder and in my eyes worth the extra few quid. And it looks n sounds the dogs dodahs!

Best bike I ever had. Nothing is perfect though. The build quality is pretty good. About what you would expect for a bike in this price range. Handling and everything else is brilliant. Just back from 3,500 Km tour to Germany where it performed really really well. A major problem on the trip though was at 110MPH on the autobahn's it started to wobble. Once luggagae and panniers were removed the wobble went away. So if your are buying. Forget panniers if you want to travel at speed and aim for tanka nd tail bags. If I were in the market for a new bike I would buy the same again without the panniers.

I ditched the RT for this machine after the reviews & a test ride. I have owned 'sporty' bikes in the past but getting older (60) I plumed for the comfort factor but was not getting the buzz, enter the SX great riding position, fairly comfy, performance? well more than enough for me, went for the ABS version no where near as obtrusive as the RT & that is a good point, no panniers just went for a decent rucksack. As the missus pointed out "you never use them" Highly recommended but put on a pair of Acros if you don't want the panniers, it also cures the bobbins issue, they catch the stock exhausts especially with a pillion on

I've had mine for 2 months now and it is better than i expected. If you can only have one bike in your garage, this is it. It can be a tourer, it can be a sports bike or it can be your commuter. Excellent fairing design that keeps a good amount of wind blast away and directs nearly no engine heat to the rider. Engine pulls throughout the entire rev range with some serious steam starting around 6500rpm. Handling is very secure and 30kg seem to disappear when underway. Suspension can be dialed from nice and comfy to sporty hard (which isn't that uncomfortable). I average about 38 to 41 mpg. The gearing is fairly short and think I will drop a tooth or two in the rear to see some lower revs. Wish the windshield blocked a little more air in the full up position but isn't bad. Engine has some vibration that is noticeable above 4000rpm and only gets worse. Digital display will washout in direct sun but, it has to be at the perfect angle to do so. Brakes are nice and strong. Watch out doing your own oil change and having to "burp" the oil filter. All in all, a few niggles but easily forgiven or remedied. Can't wait to get it on track next year.

truly the most versatile and enjoyable bike i,ve owned, love everything about it.useable power,looks sharp.test ride it and see. people say it,s short of gadgits, why pay more for things you dont need. wont be changing for a while

Tested it last week as a higher bars/lower weight replacement for my zzr1400 which is fitted with a full Givi pannier and top box set. While lacking the absolute power of the 1400 it is otherwise better in every respect. So much so I have placed on order. The only downside is you,according to Kawasaki, cannot fit a top box along with the panniers but I am hoping to find a solution to this once the top box bracket is released for sale. In the meantime the pannioers will do nicely. I rcommend the bike to anyone wantind looks, performance and a comfortable ride.

Test ride today 11am temp -2 at least it was dry well i traveled 40 miles on roads i normally ride it was so enjoyable that i forgot how cold it was i was having so much fun it handels,flicks left to right with such ease,brakes are so smooth & the most cofortable seat ever ive sat on yes i want one just try it & see for yourself,Lifes too short for sitting indoors on cold dry days has to be candy lime green...I was going for another trimuph but this bikes amazing.

Everything I ever wanted.