My Test Ride of a Kawasaki Z1000

So I was asked if I would like to test ride my friend, Leigh’s, 2017 plate Z1000 and not being one to pass up an opportunity of riding a different bike, I said yes. I’ve got to be honest with you though I did think to myself would it be much different from my Z900. Well ……

At the time the Z1000 was purchased, Leigh also had a ZX10RR and was looking for something to compliment the ZX. The ZX was only used on sunny days and high days, I don’t even think it had seen rain and Leigh was looking for something that he could go to work on, ride in the rain and not be too worried about it getting wet and dirty.

Leigh has also had three knee operations so he was looking for something less punishing on the body in terms of riding position.

Along came the Z1000. For those of you that like techy stuff, here are some basic specs for the Z1000:

Displacement : 1043.0 ccm (63.64 cubic inches)

Engine Type : In-line four, four-stroke

Power : 142.0 HP (103.6 kW)) @ 10000 RPM

Torque : 111.0 Nm(11.3 kgf-m or 81.9 ft.lbs)@7300 RPM

(Now if you’d asked me I would have said it was silver with green bits here and there)!

At the time it was released onto the market, Kawasaki described the new engine and chassis settings as being able to deliver a stiffer, more direct ride transforming the Z1000 into the market's most radical Supernaked and they rejected the fashion for electronic rider aids which can be costly. Other than ABS it has no ‘bells and whistles’.

Leigh likes the riding style, feels comfortable on the bike and describes the seating position as sitting in the bike rather than on it. The Z can keep up with the traffic with no problems at all and has all the power (and more besides) that Leigh needs for travelling to and from work.

The exhaust downpipes are somewhat rusty (the previous owner used the bike as a commuter bike) and this winter’s project for Leigh is to keep the akroprovik exhaust end cans that are on there and to replace the downpipes and link pipe and remove the cat. By so doing, the bike should not only sound better but it will look a heck of a lot better too than the rusty ones on there!

So time for my ride. Leigh hopped on my bike and I followed him on his.

OMG it was so comfortable to sit on and even though the bars are slightly lower than on my Z (or at least they felt like they were) I found the riding position very comfy and as soon as I rode away I felt at home straightaway. It is a little heavier than my Z but not a great deal and it was easy to ride. It somehow felt more stable in the corners than my bike and I can tell you it went really well too.

On our way back I passed Leigh and started to enjoy myself in the corners.

I did comment to Leigh when we got back that it was weird following my bike but apparently it wasn’t as weird as his bike overtaking him and heading off in front of him. Ooops.

I was really enjoying myself and to be honest with you, I could quite easily have carried on riding it. Maybe it’s time to think about changing my Z……

So in answer to my earlier question, would riding a Z1000 be much different to riding my Z900. The answer is yes, they are so different to ride.

For those of you that do like the techy stuff, here are the specs for my Z900 so you can see the difference:

Displacement : 948cc

Engine Type : In-line four, four-stroke

Power : 125 HP / 91.2 kW @ 9500 rpm

Torque : 98 Nm / 72.7 lb-ft @ 7700

Again, if you asked me, I’d tell you it was black :-)

Thank you Leigh for letting me ride your bike, I really appreciate the opportunity.

BK

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