KAWASAKI Z750 (2003 - 2006) Review

Version: S

Year: 2006

Annual servicing cost: £45

Having owned 45 bikes over 44 years, 800cc twins for the last five years, I fancied a four for a change, so for £2,000 a 20,000-mile 2006 Z750S became bike 46. It is bog standard apart from a tail tidy. After 2500 miles over 5 months I think it’s one of the most underrated bikes out there.

Buying experience: Bought privately. Advertised at £2,200. Paid £2,000.

Version: S

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £120

My first bike having passed my test in June 2021. I bought it from a 'mate of a mate' who wanted rid as it had just been left outside for a few years gathering moss and looking untidy. It had 30K on the clock with much of that covered in its formative years so quite low mileage. A bit of cleaning, servicing and fettling (stripped and rebuilt front and rear suspension, overhauled brakes with SS hoses and sintered pads, everything greased and oiled and the engine given a full service including the fuel pump filters) and I have ended up with a great first bike.

Version: S

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £200

Easy to ride, good for cruising as well as fun at speed aswel

Buying experience: Got from dealer. Paid full price. £2700. I've no complaint s. Glad I did.

Year: 2005

Great all round bike,good value for money and still looks good

Year: 2004

All round great bike fun to ride abs sounds great! Just could do with better brakes, apart from that great naked bike with hours of fun

Version: S

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £100

Great motor, good mileage in journeys of 130-150km/h (I averaged 5lt/100km-about 46mpg, right?), nice handling but needs a little work with the brakes and suspension (that cost it the other star). I changed the visor with a double bubble and worked a little with the seat for long distances. Did 1000km in one day (about 600miles) with not much of a problem. Next step will be the 70's Z900 colours!

Buying experience: Bought it from a guy that left it for big periods of time in his backyard (that's why only 27000km in almost 10 years). Unfortunately there was a knitting factory beside his backyard so I spent few hours collecting threads from the sprockets.

Version: ZR750s sports 122bhp

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £600

Purchased the 750 after GPZ500 got side swiped by a Fiesta. Bullet proof engineering, beauty to ride. Light enough to throw around with top, mid & low end grunt to get you into & out of trouble. Cruises well, good distance tourer, been up against Triumphs & BMWs.Only point that lets it down is the suspension, ride it hard or over an uneven surface and you feel the softness, easily sorted with Hagon up rates. Really can't fault the 750. Keep it dry, keep it clean, keep it maintained & it will probably out live the rider. Good fun mid range bike, but with the grunt to take on some other bigger sports bikes.

Buying experience: Bought the bike from a dealer, Owen Cherrel of Grimsby, got it for a bit knocked off price, but for a 2005 bike with a full, and I mean full dealer stamped service book history, reasonable price of £2400 was paid. This included a FULL service and new radiator, fan and grill before it left the shop.

Year: 2006

Bike is very easy to ride! BUT if you want to ride it hard you better get used to swinging through the whole apex, bike does not inspire confidence in long corners with high speed! Also brakes are not made for hard braking!

I saw my future Z 750 after passing a dealer and noticed a sticker price of $3,500. Thinking it must have been a misprint i took a closer inspection looking for crash damage or sky high milage but to my surprise found nothing wrong. With a lowish 33,000km and just a small scuff here and there, it was loaded with extras. I asked for a test ride and bought it on my return. Nearly 1 year on i can't fault it especially for the price. yes the suspension is a little basic but i had it tweaked by an expert and now its fine. the engine is incredible, plenty of torque and a top end that will get you locked behind bars if you can't restrain yourself! Brakes are good and again more than you'll ever need 99 percent of the time. the whole bike feels indestructible! After a diet of Ducati's, Triumphs and lots of rides on expensive, exotic, powerful and fancy race replicas. I have to say for the money, absolutely nothing comes close and in all honesty this thing is capable of doing everything a more modern, expensive high end naked will do for 95% of riders, if we are honest with our abilities. I am now a huge Kawasaki fan, engineering seems indestructible and I don't have to worry about my bike having to be treated like a garage queen. Highly recommend if you want a very fast, naked road bike that is comfortable and dependable as year round commute but thrilling enough on the odd track day and a blasting around a winding road, it truly is a universal Japanese motorcycle .Just a note, you might find the tank splays your legs very wide and it is not a light bike like a Ducati Monster or Triumph Street, the Z feels much heavier especially at a stand still, something to consider if you are on the very light/small side. The Z grows on you and the more you ride it the more you'll realise you don't need any other bike in your life.

I got a 2005 z750 in 2009 with 2000 miles on the clock for 3 grand, and I must say what a bargain. It was my second bigger bike. When I first got it I didn't like it. I thought it was a nothing bike. Not a cruiser, not a sports bike, not a big trailie, just nothing. But the longer I had it I realised, its not a nothing bike, its an everything bike! Pretty good at everything! The Bike: Suspension and brakes are pretty cheap to be honest, but they work. The engine is stonking. A bit bland, but with a can sounds a bit more gruff. I had the z750 upto 150mph! I've not even had my z1000 that fast! (I'm probably abit more chicken now). Over all it is a great bike that you can do anything on. its the best in its class and in real life probably faster than newer models cause of no cat. The handling is good enough for british roads and I once kept up with a 1198 and gsxr racing each other at speeds of upto 130mph round loch lomand. But I use to go to work on it too. If I had another I'd go for the S model with more wind protection. On the other hand the 1000 is the same to tax and insure and has better suspension, brakes, has a little wind protection and more low down grunt. But if you get a good deal on a 750, what a great bike for doing everything on.

I bought this 2006 S model just over a month ago for £2500 and I've got to say what a bike, it's brilliant in my opinion, it handles well, it's comfy and that engine is just amazing it'll scream with the best of them or you can short shift and let the torque pull you along. The only problem I have with mine is the mirrors, they are great for looking at my shoulders. I don't seem to get any of the vibes that other people seem to get. Over all for me a great bike.

Bought this bike yesterday its an amazing machine very fast, but also can be very commutable only 2 thing sid say are 1 being the mirrors with the vibration, and 2 being the rear shock seems a bit stiff

I had the older style Fazer 600 for 6 years and felt like like a change . I saw a 750s and went away and did some homework. The weak points seem to be suspension ,brakes ,comfort ,vibration and poor mirrors. I bought the bike from 3X in Dorset and they let me take it for a test ride on my own for a couple of hours first.I like everything about the bike apart from the mirrors everything was a blur and just your elbows I really found this a problem driving on the motorway I had no idea what was going on around me .I found the solution on a USA web site buy some Buell xb12r firebolt mirrors .There is a short and long shaft version the long shaft is needed or you'll still be looking at your elbows.I got my mirrors from Riders in Brisol ( a Harley dealer )They cost £50 turned up 5 days and fitted in 15 minutes and are a vast improvement part no N0013.02A8

After 2 years still love this bike to bits. Still got hard ass seat and crap mirrors, but what a motor. Don't seem to suffer from the vibes everyone else is talking about. Had thought about changing this year, but can't find anything else comparable so far. If only Kawasaki did a half faired version of the new model. Great bike everywhere, town b roads etc, even did 2 laps of Isle of Man during practice week, Just doesn't disappoint at all.

I bought my 2006 Z750 a few months ago. it's done 8500 miles and bought it at £3000 at a dealer. I thought that was a lot of bike for the price considering coming from a dealer. Good points: Mine is the bright orange J version and looks awesome and stands out a mile. The digital dash looks amazing with it's rev meter as a curved bar and glows a evil red. Its a completely different riding style to a sportsbike which I found awkward at first but found it more fun and appealing especially on backroads and in town. It feels like you can throw it around the corners and make you feel safe doing so. The engine rev's like most in-line fours do and screams to be ridden harder and faster. Though still works wonderfully at a more steadily pace. The last owner had taken the elbow seeing wing mirrors off and put bar-end mirrors on instead. At first I didn't like them but they work so much better, don't vibrate and stops making your Z750 looking like a insect. So it's worth looking into. I have a tail tidy which really works for the bike. It shows off its backside and makes the bike look meaner than it already is. Bad Points: The main seat is alot harder than you'd expect. you can rack up the miles but you'll get a numb bum after a while. Though having said this, comparing it to my Ducati 916 its an arm chair. I do find it weird that the pillion seat is a lot softer and more comfy. My girlfriend complains that the pillion seat handle is too tight against the seat and cannot get her gloves underneath it, though I put this down to never being used and will eventually give a little. Overall: Its a mad bike and looks great. It rides really well and is a blast on the backroads. I bought this bike to stop me racking up bills and mileage of my 916. I wanted something really fun, to go a bit mental with, and know that I can thrash it without a hefty service bills and reliability issues. Its a great bike and I never thought I would buy a bright orange naked style bike. I agree with the others if your looking for something to put a smile on your face then this bike will do you justice!

I've had mine since 2004, have over-capitalised on it heftily and don't regret a shekel spent. The engine is a peach, as is the basic balance of the bike. It's so easy to ride you find yourself going faster with far less effort in far more situations. The trick is, it steers beautifully. It's not a motorway bike, but here in New Zealand that's rarely a problem. The trouble, as your review says, is crude suspension. You could also have added that the seat is a proctologist's nightmare. Mine now has an Ohlins rear, a Racetech revalve on the front and a very discrete Corbin saddle to replace said instrument of torture. A tail tidy and carbon pipe (Shark have some beauties) improve the aesthetics of what's actually a very good-looking bike. It's certainly better resolved visually than the cluttered later model. I love mine now and don't want to sell it. Last year I did a bit of a streetfighter black-out on it – didn't even replace the badging. The brakes could be better but I might just stick some braided hoses on and then go have a lie down. Rust is a bit of an issue so you need to stay on top of that. Anyway, I now have a bike that works like a fat, fast motard; great round town and in twisties. I don't do track days - maybe I should. It would cope but might feel a little odd. It's a bike for the road.

Bought a 2005 s model last summer as a replacement for my er-5 which I had racked up 15000 miles in a year. less of a commute these days and even with the odd weekend blast, I've only done 4500miles. Great engine with a decent amount of grunt and decent handling. suspension os okay, far better than the ER, but I'm not too sure how it compares with anything else out there, cos I haven't tried anything else apart from a 650 Bandit. The only down sides are that the seat can be a bit hard after a couple of hours and the mirrors are fucking useless unless you want to see your shoulders. Overall, docile enough to potter around town and fast enough to scare you shitless oun the open road.

bought the bike new in 2005.mainly for loks and price.Done 12000 miles now and it still makes me grin every time i ride it.Exhaust note is lovely but i fitted a stubby cambell cuestom and it now sounds fantastic.also fitted fly screen which helps,but agree with rest mirrors are rubbish.Power delivery is good can keep up with most gr8 round town and on A roads but not so good on motoways.Can't think of a better allrounder

Absolute blast - totally bonkers. My first new bike ever (after years of s/h ones). As long as you dont want high speed wind protection then this is the baby - good looking, handles ok, is quick, sounds great on standard pipe (yes it is standard officer!) Current s/h prices are a steal now th enew one's out (which I dont like much!!!) Zed went when I had an unmissable chance to fulfill a lifelong dream and own a Harley. Halrey Bob is great and everything I expected..... but I'll always have a soft spot for the Zed

good value and a lot of fun to ride,mine has maxton overhall well recomended and beowulf short titanium can also worth doing. fast enough to be fun and with mods handles well very good value for money and well worth buying not just born agains or newbies tho not comfortable doing straight bars and different seat soon. mirrors are rubbish tho.

I have just my Z750 and am totaly smitten. I got a fantastic deal as the previous owner had kitted it out with everything that I would ahve wanted. This bike really doesnt need a great deal to enhance its looks. I have had a few bikes and have never gelled with any of them the way that I have with the Zed. Easy to ride, turns on a nine pence, bucket loads of torque and enough horses to keep your licience quivering in the corner of your wallet. An afertmaket screen made all the difference on long rides. Insurance is quite reasonable and consumables seem to be fairly priced. The lack of a fairing makes you stay at reasonable speeds (unless you are Geoff Capes). The only quible I'd have is there doesn't seem to be many bungee hocks to allow for long distance exploring. It really is a thing of beauty.

750 S is perfect for a ride inside the town. Very good handling and power. If you take a trip ourside, the mirrors and the engine will shake like crazy if you go over 130 km/h. The seat is little bit hard after longer ride. Otherwise I am very happy with it, because at the moment I am mostly riding inside the town. I definitely wouldn't recommend this for longer journeys. For commuting to work - excellent. I love the bike anyway!

After 5 years owning a zx6r j1 it was looking a bit tatty and as I use it mainly for commutes I bought an 06 z750 just because it looked ok and the price was right,Big mistake do not trade your sportsbike for a naked.It has a small screen which copes with the windblast but the brakes and suspension are pants and the engine is absolutely gutless whatever people say ,with on/off fueling and the handling is something else bearing in mind it has only done 2000 miles I am sickened should have kept the ninja.

i own a motorcycle training school and use the s version for work, i have to say in over 40,000 miles from new in 2005 there has been zero faults with the bike its never garaged and ridden in all weathers with no problems, on the plus side the engine is great but a bit vibey when ridden hard ,down side the mirrors are rubbish and the clocks are a bit small i think the digital clocks on the naked version are much better the handling is ok for the first 10k then it goes a bit soft but a the end of the day its built to a price as any bike in this catagory thats why its a 5k bike and not 6k plus.

I bought my zed in July '06, and absolutely love it, having had a GPZ 600 previously, I decided it was time to trade up, found my bike through the MCN bike trader part of the web site priced at £3200 with the following accessories, high level scorpion can, L.E.D indicators all round, R+G crash mushrooms all round, braided hoses front and rear and single seat. The previous owner had only had the bike 3 months and added these parts in that 3 months. I've since added a Scottoiler and alarm and can't complain for what I've paid. If you're looking at changing the can I would definately invest in a power commander and dyno time as it really does make a difference to the fuelling and running of the bike. Finish is certainly iffy, my heel plates have worn the finish through to the metal, as such I am certainly considering a set of rear sets and will be looking around at the bike show for a decent set, (maybe black to go with the rest of the bike?). Strengths: Engine, looks, engine note. Weaknesses: Finish, rear brake, vibrating mirrors.

Wow! Wasnt sure I was doing the right thing - trading in zx7r for this bike. But now glad I have - Power delivery good, but now its run in its a hoot. Handling seems fine to me, but not got pegs down as yet. Brakes not as sharp as I was used too, but do a very good job. Looks fantastic - in black. Strengths: Looks , engine (once running in complete), comfort. Weaknesses: Vibey mirrors - any cures out there.

Have not revved it past 4000 but plenty of torque 2000 revs onwards. I have experienced the occasional false neutral (Not regular and may be down to me being lazy). Not experienced any rear suspension issues and may be down to the run in requirements, will withold my judgement till I can give the bike a good run for its money. Lookwise it turns heads and a I reckon a good posing bike. Strengths: Looks, power and lots of bike for you money. Weaknesses: None thus far.

Having had a CBR600F before this, I wanted a reliable and nimble bike for my commute that could be a blast when I wanted it to. This bike is a real pleasure to ride, the handling is confidence inspiring and fun yet it has enough poke to keep the adrenalin flowing and allows me to keep up with all but the fastest bikes out there. I find myself so much more confident leaning into tight bends than I ever did on the CBR. Only things that lag behind the performance of the rest of the bike are the suspension (slightly soft) and the brakes (needs a good squeeze to get best of them); but given the price this is a top bike that gives no end of pleasure to ride. Strengths: Grin factor - Engine is lovely, fast and forgiving - Exhaust note, almost good enough to stop me buying an after market can, almost :). Weaknesses: Suspension slightly out of sync with rest of bikes performance - Brakes not top notch but do the job.

I have had the ZEDer for over a year now and have covered over 10,000 miles on her I will admit that the finish isnt the best but bloody hell what a machine for the money I have been riding since I was 7 years old and over the years have had or ridden virtually evey thing you can mention. I can tootle round town on it or make 600RR riders look silly and its so easy to scratch, wheelie and be an absolute loon on. Its looks are awesome with the rad cover wheel rims belly pan Ect. FOR THE MONEY THERE IS SIMPLY NOTHING BETTER. Strengths: Lodsa grunt, looks comfort go down town or the south of France totally reliable very economical. THE DOGS DANGLIES. Weaknesses: Suspention not as good as could be rear shock a bit hard finish needs improving.

Being a novice I saught as many reviews as I could (including ones from this web site) as to what bike should be my first. I had looked at the Suzuki SV and Bandit but decided that the reports on the Z750S would stop me being bored within my first couple of years as I gained experience. Not being shy, just weeks after passing my test, I purchased my 750S and after running it in drove from Reading to Edinburgh and back via Belfast (and the whole of the west coast of Ireland). Foolish...maybe, but now after having ridden for only 10 months but having covered 7000 miles I have gained enough experience to have an informed opinion; mirrors - rubbish, power -excellent (for a beginner...), looks - not great, fun - excellent, overall - good starter but will quickly bore the more adventurous, reliability - poor, mine has been in to the garage as the fuel injection system has packed in - it is only 10 months old!!!!! Strengths: Fun, insurance, image. Weaknesses: Looks, reliability.

I was all set up ready to buy a Z750S until I took one out on a road test on the Motorway for an hour. Like a few previous reviewers I found the mirrors on the bike short and vibrated so much it was difficult to tell what and how fast something was approaching you. I also found that I was getting vibrations through my feet and also from the edge of the saddle. I would appreciate any feedback from owners of the bike who can tell me whether they have managed to cure the vibrating mirrors and also whether my test bike was a rogue bike and yours does not suffer from the other vibration spots that I listed. Cheers David Strengths: Very Easy to Ride and stable at speed. Nice exhaust note. Weaknesses: Vibrating Mirrors Short Mirrors No Hugger Vibrating footpeg Vibrating saddle.

This is my first proper bike, having done my direct access after having a 125 for 2 months. I took a lot of advice from all the local bike shops and tried to get as many different opinions as possible after admitting I really knew very little about bikes. I wanted a bike that would not eat me alive to start with but would keep me excited for a year or two while I gained more experience, and this was the one that seemed to tick all the boxes. Having ridden it for 6 months through the winter, I'm loving it, but do not have any previous rides to compare it to. It's definately quick, pretty solid and stable, looks alright, is comfortable and feels like a proper bike. It bites well into the corners and builds confidence, but needs quite an assertive grip on the throttle. It's very comfortable pootling around town under 5000rpm, but then unleashes quite a nice howl and arm pulling blast of acceleration when you get onto open roads. Strengths: Powerful and stable as a first bike, but never scary. Pretty in black. Never missed a beat on the coldest mornings. Weaknesses: Vibrating mirrors. Some early corrosion on rear shock from winter use. Sometimes neutral takes a bit of finding.

I bought a secondhand 04 Zed and I've run up 3000 odd miles since I bought it. I love this bike. It looks great. I find it very comfortable and the wide bars give loads of leverage. It loves to be chucked on its ear and it pulls very strongly. The engine is lovely and has a great tone especially at low revs. I can't wait to see how it sounds with new can on. The only downpoints are: Poor mirrors, finish is a bit iffy in places (get a can of ACF-50 to combat any corrosion) and the suspension's a bit bouncy (reduce the pre-load a notch maybe), Strengths: Looks, engine, handling, price, attitude. Weaknesses: Mirrors, wind blast, bouncy suspension.

Now completed 4000 miles and waiting for its service and new rear tyre. This is a great fun bike, nimble steering and a good strong engine make for plenty fun on twisties. Looks are cool (with a Kawasaki screen and single seat unit) although it would look better still with the Z1000 upside-downies. Negative points are, suspension: rock hard rear shock combined with short chassis make the bike a handfull in mid corner bumps, soft forks are low on damping and harsh at the same time. Brakes are only just good enough, and the fuel injection makes the throttle a bit 'digital' at small openings. Finish is OK, but the clock is misting over from inside and the top yoke paint worn where the key fob rubs. But I love it. Strengths: Engine, steering agility, looks, attitude, reliability (so far). Weaknesses: Suspension quality.

Bike does "everything it says on the tin" but am experiencing annoying vibration at 5500 - spoke to the dealer (Bikeworld,Dublin) whose mechanic advised that this was the norm for the Z750s...Anyone experiencing the same? Strengths:  Usability, power, grin factor.  Weaknesses: Vibration at 5500+; Mirror stems too short to see anything but elbows.

For the money it is definitely the best bike in the naked middleweight crowd. I am very happy I chose it over the Fazer after completing the running in etc. The engine is superb and creates gobs of power wherever you want it. As a result it seems to have helped my riding speed up considerably as it is much easier to be in the right rev range for pulling away from corners compared to some of the sports 600's and their narrow power band. This is the first in line 4 I've owned after being a twin man so far. I thought it would annoy me by being up and down the gears all the time when using it for town riding but that hasn't been the case at all. The handling at the front end is superb aided by the excellent BT012's supplied with the bike and you will feel confident to start getting it on it's side pretty quickly. Criticisms: Can be prone to false neutrals if you crash it up or don't through the gears too quickly. Rear shock has a tendency to spring you out of the seat if you hit a pothole.  Strengths: Engine - Wow. Handling - top notch Looks - seems to get checked out by non-bikers even more than your supersport clones. Weaknesses: Very occasional false neutrals. Rear shock - Usual Kawasaki cack May just be me but it seems prone to scratches High pitch whistling noise all the time is a bit annoying.

Bought the Bike a few months ago, when I finished running it in, it changed from a teddy bear to a beast, wow what a rush. Looks fantastic in Black, added a genuine screen, alloy bar ends and a seat hump, great handling (can really chuck it around) & good comfort for a 16st man. Few issue's though, false neutrals regularly occurring (will try adjusting the lever), paint on tank is naff, full of scratches (may get this changed if Kawasaki agree), suspension can chuck you out of the seat when hitting bumps in the road and an annoying buzz at 2500rpm, no such problems on my five year old bandit 600. Strengths: Looks, Engine & Handling (after my Bandit 600).  Weaknesses: False Neutrals, annoying buzz, paintwork & suspension.