2017 Kawasaki Z900 review, test ride

Taming the beast
When astride the Z900, the first thing you’ll notice is how responsive it is. It feels extremely sporty for a naked and we completely approve of that. Whether it’s tipping into corners, wringing the throttle or hard braking, the Z900 does it all in an all-encompassing, highly intuitive manner. Combine the extra 12hp of grunt over the Z800 and the drop in weight of almost 20kg and you have a bike that’s just a lot more fun. It’s light, nimble and stable; the Z900 will embrace corners with enthusiasm, and it certainly wouldn’t say no to a bit of hooliganism. However, it must be said that the new Z also feels a little too eager to tip into corners, so there might be some restraint needed to tackle the corner in a more poised manner.

The electronics package on the Z900 is a fairly simple one – ABS is all it gets. There aren’t any power modes or traction control, so the riding experience is a rather unfiltered one. What your rider inputs are into the machine is exactly what you’ll get. That, however, won’t work very well in adverse conditions for a non-experienced rider. The on-off throttle transitions are a bit abrupt and that can be slightly counterproductive when leaned over. The Dunlop Sportmax tyres don’t perform very well either; grip levels are too inconsistent.

The ‘Z’ factor
Simply put, the Z900 is a great replacement for the Z800. It’s simple, it’s light, it’s highly effective and it’s got all that you’d need from a really fun bike. The balance between power and handling translates to a rather sublime experience. While the lack of electronics may not hamper the riding experience in dry, tarmac conditions, the absence of traction control makes it a bike that’s better suited to intermediate and well-experienced riders. With a price tag of Rs 7.68 lakh for the base model (ex-showroom, India), we think the minor bump in pricing over the Z800 is definitely worth it as you do get a whole lot of more bike for almost the same amount of money.