KAWASAKI Z900 (2017 - 2019) Review

Forget pillions, my daughter and the ‘Handbrake’ turn their noses up at the rear seat. I’ve seen bear traps I’d rather sit on. However on the run up to Toodyay, top gear sweepers, the bike is completely confidence inspiring to hammer into corners. It tracks truly and feels so light and flickable at speed. The lack of a bikini fairing can be a little tiresome, but hey its a Streetfighter. Up at Mundaring Weir which gets technical in places and everything from 2nd gear corkscrews to fast sweepers, the Zed shines. Handling is fan bloody tastic! A doddle to get the Zed on its side.

Haven’t seen any corrosion. I’m in Perth OZ however and the climate in summer is drier than a busload of nuns in the Gobi.

Major service

Love the linear escalation of the four pot donk! She loves to rev but also has grunt in spades. Gearbox is so incredibly easy to run through the gears.

Later models have better electronics.

Brakes and suspension are good but not sports bike.

Smooth lots of power, good economy.

Low running costs 50 mpg

Recommend heated grips and larger screen makes motorway riding now bearable.

Ride quality & brakes are bang on…Nuff said…

Exciting…

No issues as of yet, but it isn’t a problem even if there is, as the parts are readily available within a couple of days, thanks to there network of dealers….It’s a Kawasaki anyway, so you know it’s going to be reliable…

On average, £100 a year will cover you..:

Hasn’t the electronic equipment of other bikes…Only ABS…

The only real drawback is the woefully poor pillion seat and nothing for the poor pillion to hold on to other than the rider...not ideal.

The engine is so useable it's unreal. Shed loads of power for when you want to grin like a loony.. Also, if you want to pootle around at 26mph in TOP gear, it will do it with no fuss at all and it will pull away smoothly without any problems.

Much improved build quality from when I were a lad

I do all my own servicing. This is made easier due to the bike being well designed.

Not many toys at all as standard.. intact none at all. I'd definitely recommend getting a flyscreen if you plan on traveling at more than 70mph.....

The seat does give me a bit of "numb bum" after a couple of hours riding.

The engine is phenomenal... I can leave it in 6th gear and potter about at 26mph...and then when I wind on the throttle, off we go with no fuss or drama... Or I can drop a gear or three and be off like a rocket..

Build quality is very good indeed..way better than they used to be when I were a lad

I do my own servicing, so it's just cost of oil and filters so far...and I don't use cheap rubbish.

A bigger standard fly screen would be nice...but there are plenty of after market ones available.

Ride quality & brakes excellent. Great road bike. My average ride is about 1.5 to 2 hours. Comfort is fine. Would be a good tourer, with luggage. Solo only.

Smooth, effortless, torque and power

Build, fit and finish really good. Better than my Yamaha mt09 Tracer (previous bike), as good as my Triumph Street Triple 765 (before that) Totally reliable.

Servicing costs not yet known. 52 mpg over 10 months.

I have only made cosmetic/styling changes. Bike is still on OE tyres. I have no complaints but many reviews recommend upgrade rubber. Low seat height is lovely. Both feet flat.

Fade when used heavily

Power where it’s needed, low down in the Rev range.

Nothing to complain about

I’d feel more relaxed with an alarm as standard.

Suspension ok. Brakes a little numb with lack of initial bite. Changing pads to EBC should solve this. Throw away the tyres and get Michelin Road5s

Beautifully smooth progressive power delivery. So easy to ride in the wet.The power is all there when you need it.

Utterly dependable.

No traction control..

Not sure when it's bests, sometimes I've got a feeling at 60-70 mph that the engine will blow. As for the pillion seat it's almost non existent,and the pillion must be really fit to get on the bike and feel comfortable,but every 20 miles it needs a break and at the end of the journey a massage.

The performance delivery is great I can't complain. The clutch is soft but sometimes feels a bit funny,like it's slipping slightly. If you are in neutral and want to engage first gear their is always a banging noise, again the dealer said it's normal..

Feels a bit cheep,sometimes there is a bit of steam in the headlights. The colour started to fade a bit,a bit rust on the caliper bolts,sum plug bolt lost its coating. Other than that so far good.

Annual service is a rip off if you compare it to a car. Last 2 services I paid 200 which is basically just an oil change- oil filter,oil and sump washer . And just general checks.

I like to keep my bikes standard. There are a lot of after market parts but haven't put any. Just fitted a new tyre as I had a big nail .

in the bends the bike easy to throw around and rewarding Never taken a pillion Brakes are great.

125 b h p on tap strong engine pulls well (I Like it)

No corrosion as yet Build quality good No brake down no failed parts

Running costs average

as standard looks good With tail tidy bar mount mirrors fender extender crash bungs and hot grips it now looks cool

A decent all-round bike would take a break hourly

nice smooth power good performance when needed

Build quality good nice paint job no corrosion found has not broken down as yet

Running cost average

Looks ABS Slip assist clutch Recommend bar mirrors seat cowl heated grips crash bungs fender extender

Excellent ride! This bike is comfortable all round, city, street and motorway. Seat is a bit hard but don’t really notice it due to the ergonomic riding position. No stress on wrists, arms, back or legs at all. The most comfortable bike I’ve ever ridden! Do feel a few more bumps at higher speeds (as do all bikes) but suspension is plush. Brakes (Nissan) are awesome. Smooth and confidence building. Can easily come to a stop from 80mph within 100yds.

Awesome engine... nuff said. Torque all throughout the rev range. Can be riding at 40mph in 6th gear, hit that throttle, and it just glides beautifully. 2nd gear, hit the throttle to red line and your in light speed. Brutal power, but totally manageable (perfect amount of scary) :) and yes... it’s very fast.

Solid bike with good build quality, my 2017 ZR900 has only done 1,500 miles so still early days but hasn’t missed a beat yet. Everything is solid where it should be and hardly any play or flexing on the plastics and faring.

Rough guess from what I’ve reaserched. Not had it serviced yet since purchase due to time owned.

Not much equipment to comment on! Digital speedo needle with printed rev range I like, gear indicator (digital) is always welcome, ABS and that’s about it. No traction control, but with a bike this smooth. Don’t need it at all. And the pass switch (to flash your lights) doesn’t click and flash your high beams quick enough. Have to hold the pass switch up to a second for your high beam to flash properly.

Can't fault so far but not been on a long run yet but all seems good.

Super smooth with predictable power delivery.

Low quality tyre's!

Should be good as getting over 50mpg on a run keeping too around 70/80.

As previously said the tyre's fitted need changing in my opinion (too hard) Fitted Michelin Pilot Powers .

For me the Z900 has the best suspension in the class but that is because I like it on the softer side for comfort. It's soft at first and firms up quickly on braking. It's still preload adjustable so if you want to ride faster you can set it up harder easily. The standard seat is firm and I felt my bottom after about an hour in it so might opt for a softer option. Also because you're seated more in the bike than on top of it there is a little less wind than on other naked bikes such as the MT09. MT09 and GSXS750 have noticeably harder suspension as stock.

This is the best bit about the bike. It's very smooth, economical and at the same time more powerful than all of it's rivals. It does produce some vibrations through foot pegs at 4-5k rpm but to be honest most bikes I rode did have some vibrations at some revs.

The reliability is spot on so far but I have only done a couple of hundred miles on it so far, so no problems expected anyway. The reliability is why I would not even consider the Street Triple, Japanese bikes are better in this area and having an older bike in my garage which sometimes needs some work I wanted a bike that will simply work and not spend much time being fixed.

I am just due for the first service so not sure what will the cost be. In the initial run in period I have averaged 53mpg on the first two tanks and the third tank 55mpg. This is at cruising speeds on A and B roads mostly with occasional blast here and there. 50mpg is easily achievable which means I usually fill up after 160 - 180 miles which is amazing and will be handy when going for longer trips.

Still a fairly new bike but there are plenty of accessories to choose from, a wide choice of exhausts, comfier seat, panniers, screens & other bits. As standard bike there is nothing on it as you would expect, so can't say it's got any equipment. One bit I can say is very useful is the under-seat storage, which isn't huge but fits either my disc lock or a mobile phone nicely. The passenger seat is narrow, firm and without any place for a passenger to grab hold off so you are not likely to ride on this bike with your Mrs unless she's been watching 50 Shades of Grey and is up for a rough ride... I would not recommend it for anyone to actually uses the passenger seat.

This engine is just amazing! It has tons of torque and power is available in every gear. The great thing is that its power delivery is very linear and smooth. Nothing like MT09 where you will be surprised/shocked with sudden surge of power.

This bike is made to be ridden in all situations. I can commute and it runs very comfortably, then come the weekend I can go on those A road and open the throttle and it roars like a lion. No problems so far, it just works.

The bike is giving me around 145miles before the range goes down to "---" Its bit annoying because the range counts down to 35miles and then goes blank!

It does not have traction control but this bike is designed so well that you don't ever feel the need for it. It does not have ride modes but I tried MT09 and S1000R and I would never use B modes or A mode because it gets too twitchy so why not have a real bike with real mode!

Power to weight ratio is spot on.

It really does not need traction control because the bike is designed really well. I tried MT09 and it just wanted the front wheel to go up. Z900 can go faster and I don't have to worry about losing control.

I owned a Kawasaki ER6N before purchasing the Z900, four hours riding the ER6N would leave me feeling tired ,.. I could ride the Z900 all day!!

The engine is very responsive, treat it with respect or slip that clutch at 70 mph and you will find heaven very quickly!!

It's a new bike , I'm running it in to the recommended rpm ratio to gearing , not over heating the engine .

This is an area that I need to address , I am fortunate to have a cheaper option.

I have mentioned the accessories that I have added to the bike,..like the digital gear indicator,..takes away the embarrassment in town centres ,..no more trying to pull away in fifth gear.

Front brake amazing. Rear brake I feel I have to make extra effort for it to really bite.

Very smooth and "torquish". Very short gears so you will find your self kicking the gear pedal 6 times to get to 60mph. Remember I am behaving and not going over 4K rpm. I am a novice and I feel I can handle the throttle and power delivery like I am a pro. The sound is amazing, but it does not scream due to all the regulations this motorcycle has to comply with. I will most definitely add a good Exhaust once the time come.

Nothing to point. Everything is as good as the first day. I am doing things right and not going over 5K rpm for the first 1000 miles. Cant wait to discover where the real power is, above 6K rpm. Truth to be said, I have gone to the red line a couple of times red light to red light. Again, very funny.

I have not done any service yet since it is new. 2 weeks only. Leaving 4 stars and the price they gave me in the dealer

I like pretty much everything, but for long rides, I would go with the optional soft sit. I am pretty skinny and my bottom complains after the first hour. My favorite thing is the engine and the looks.