Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125814
'" '" ~ C1. - ,.. M '" ~ ",' THE IIGHTY c: .., '" CIJ ;: W z w ...J u· ~ u KAWASAKI 903. - Seating is very comfortable, solo or with company. should be reliable. Our test machine was some thing of a testimony to that. Before it fell into our clutches. it was used by "Cycle Guide" for a 24-hour test on Ontario Ivlotor peedway's oval. I t survived. And rather well, too, we gather. One A 'IA Expert who participated in the test commented, "If I couldn't break it in 24 hours, it won't break. " It may be true. Before they turned it over to us, Kawasaki's Research and De.velopment people took the engine completely apart. "It looked like a jewel," they said, scratching their heads. They still cautioned us to be careful. It was kind of like they didn't believe it. While they had it apart, a new set of rings were installed (Mechanics seem to treat rings as if they were spark plugs.), and a new rear tire was fitted. Vve were told before we left with it that the rear shocks migh t be worn, and to bring it back if it needed new ones. It did. Although it only showed 3500 miles on the odometer, the shocks seemed to feel older. They apparen tly are going to be a problem. On the way home, .first impressions began to trickle in. You are aware, instantly of the heft. Over and over again you feel the size of the machine. If you lose it, it's gone. And where it lands, it's going to make a big hole. You also become aware of an abundance of power. Yes, it's a superbike. Eventually you will come to disc,over that it is as quick as the Kawasaki 750, but that it is more tractable. So it's fast. Is it comfortable? Yes. On the freeway it was the nicest thing in recent memory. The joints between concrete slabs that usually get to your back after a long jaunt in the fast lane, aren't even noticeable. Some of the credit must go to the suspension which combines with the weight to provide that smooth ride. But some of the credit has to go to the seat. Ah, the seat. The seat may be the best single part of the machine. It is wide without being ugly. It supports a pillion-tootsie in complete comfort, and it is superb for one. In fact, it was so comfonable that we were completely unaware of it even after several h ours in residence. ] f the suspension provided comfort, it didn't do the rest of its job to the utmost. In short. the machine was not confidence inspiring. A great deal of this was due to the dying shocks. We could have taken It back and had new ones put on. But we work on a weekly, rather than a monthly. schedule which doesn't allow much time for that sort of nlllning around and playing' with motorcycles. And we felt that items like shocks should go more than 4000 miles on a street-touring bike, regardless of the treatment that they had been subjected to. The front forks worked well. The frame looks and acts strong (Yes. and heavy.). Steering geometry is as it should be, it was even stable at creeping speeds, despite the high center of gravity. (There's a lot of up-top wei~ht in'" ihat"[)OHC enKine.) But wnen -