The Goodwood Test: Kawasaki Z900

Heritage

Kawasaki’s marketing people must have thought hard before selecting the illustrious Z900 name from the archive and polishing it up for this naked four-cylinder roadster. Few combinations of letter and numbers inspire such reverence. The original, mid-Seventies model of that name was one of the world’s fastest and most glamorous superbikes: a strikingly styled, 903cc dohc four-cylinder powerhouse whose immediate predecessor the Z1 had redefined two-wheeled performance on its launch in 1973.

This latest Z900’s immediate history is less glamorous but far from unsuccessful. In 2003, Kawasaki revamped its range with a new pair of naked fours, the Z1000 and Z750. The larger model has gone through several revamps and remains popular. The more down-to-earth Z750 also sold in large numbers, especially abroad. It was overhauled with a larger-capacity engine in 2013, becoming the Z800, before that process was repeated to create the Z900.

Design

Despite its famous name, the Z900 doesn’t attempt to recreate a Seventies vibe with retro styling. Instead, it follows its predecessor the Z800 with the sharp-edged look that Kawasaki calls “sugomi”. The liquid-cooled, 16-valve engine’s capacity is substantially increased from 806 to 948cc; it’s actually a sleeved-down version of the bigger Z1000 unit. Maximum output is handily increased, from the Z800’s 111bhp to 123bhp at 8,000rpm.

The Z750 was always a heavy bike and the Z800 more so, its old-school steel frame having been strengthened to cope with increased power. By contrast, the Z900’s elegant trellis of slender, high-tensile steel tubes was purpose designed for the task, using techniques refined by Kawasaki when developing the mighty supercharged Ninja H2. It helps reduce overall weight by a hefty 21kg, to 210kg with a full tank.

Performance

The Z900’s lean, light heavyweight physique helps both in a straight line and when cornering. For an overgrown middleweight, it has plenty of acceleration, its sweet throttle response combining with flexible power delivery to make the bike quick and easy to ride. It tears towards a top speed of about 140mph in thrilling fashion, its sense of speed emphasised by the upright riding position and lack of wind protection, if not by the muted intake and exhaust sound.

Chassis performance is engaging, the stiff trellis frame combining with simple but fairly firm and well-damped suspension to give agile yet stable handling plus a respectably comfortable ride. Braking power, tyre grip and ground clearance are all up to scratch, the Z900’s only weakness arguably being its lack of a traction control system, as used by its closest rivals. On the other hand, some riders, especially those old enough to remember the original Z900, might still regard the lack of electronic aids as an attribute.

Passion

This Z900 will never match the fervour generated by its all-conquering namesake of four decades ago, but it’s a fast, sweet-handling all-rounder that has much in its favour. Although inevitably it can’t match the more powerful Z1000 for pace or excitement, it generates plenty of both, handles well and delivers most of what its larger sibling does, along with respectable comfort (for a naked bike) and fuel economy plus a generous range of close to 150 miles.

At £8249 the Z900 costs £2000 less than the bigger model, though it has closer rivals in bikes including Triumph’s revamped Street Triple R and Yamaha’s popular MT-09. Kawasaki also offers an accessorised version, the Z900 Performance Edition, which costs £8999 and comes with extras including flyscreen and Akrapovic silencer. Wind protection and a more engaging exhaust note could be just what’s required to turn a very good bike into something special.

Double Red & Felix Romeo.

Price tag of our bike: £8249