Z900 ABS
Naked sportsbikes are huge fun to ride, easy to maintain and insure, and can do just about anything. After the success of the Er-6n, and the Z-series bikes in 800 cc and one-litre sizes, Kawasaki has now introduced the 2017 Kawasaki Z900 naked sportsbike.
Carrying on the name of the legendary 1976 Kawasaki Z900, Kawasaki’s latest version of the universal Japanese motorcycle (UJM) has 13 more ponies – at 124 hp – than the Z800. The previous generation Z800 was also a little on the pudgy side, and the Z900 weighs 22.6 kg less, at 210 kg.
The 2017 Kawasaki Z900 uses an all-new inline-four 948 cc liquid-cooled power plant fed by 36 mm Keihin throttle bodies and Kawasaki Digital Fuel Injection (DFI), carried in a trellis frame. Also fitted as standard is a slipper clutch, while the front 41 mm upside-down fork is adjustable for rebound and preload.
At the back, a horizontally-mounted monoshock has stepless damping adjusment, along with preload adjustment. The Z900 comes in both ABS and non-ABS versions, and conspicuous by its absence is any form of traction control or ride modes.
There are two colour schemes on offer – Pearl Mystic Gray/Metallic Flat Spark Black and Metallic Flat Spark Black/Metallic Spark Black. Pricing for the 2017 Kawasaki Z900 is listed at USD8,399 (RM36,403) for the non-ABS version, and USD8,799 (RM38,137) equipped with ABS.
In Malaysia, the nearest competition to the Kawasaki Z900 is the Yamaha MT-09 – with an inline three-cylinder engine – at RM44,563. No word yet from Kawasaki Malaysia on whether the Z900 will be brought in, or what the likely pricing might be.
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2016 and still no traction control? and at 210kg its quite heavy for a naked.
It is indeed one heavy bike.
Kawa must bring them in and price them slightly lower than mt-09. Then, it will be a bestseller just like er-6.
I believe Kawasaki Malaysia is interested to bring this one in, even though sales has dropped tremendously this year to about only 40%