Bolt upright riding position
means long days in the saddle
are easily catered for.
noticed Project Z900RS), gold
forks, Brembo 4.32 monob-
loc four-piston brakes and an
Ohlins S46 monoshock that
comes directly off the sportier
Z900 SE.
The motor remains largely
unchanged from 2018 except
for one thing—the throttle
response now no longer
feels like you're firing a
tommy gun. This was
a point I raised with
Kawasaki when
chatting about the new bike,
repeatedly asking what had
changed to make this fact so,
but all I was met with was a
shrug of the shoulders and a
wink. Kawasaki has doubtless
changed something within the
mapping to smooth out the ini-
tial throttle response because,
going over my old press kits,
Kawasaki has simply copied
and pasted the 2018 engine
description for 2022. Hmm.
Whatever Kawasaki has
done, it has made
the ride much more
enjoyable at low
speeds. Throttle
openings at low rpm
from fully closed—for the most
part—are no longer met with a
jolt at the twist grip. It's impos-
sible nowadays to get that old-
school, creamy smooth throttle
response a set of perfectly bal-
anced carburetors will give you,
thanks to the various emissions
hoops companies like Kawasaki
need to deal with, but the 2022
iteration is a marked improve-
ment over the original 2018
model in this regard.
If you've ever ridden a Z900
(we have), you'll know
this is a motor that
likes to rev in the
traditional Kawasaki
four-cylinder sense.
Classic analog
clocks flank a digital
cluster for the
basics like fuel
range and trip info.
The massive
single-piece
bench seat
is ultra-
comfortable.
RIDE REVIEW I 2022 KAWASAKI Z900RS SE
P104
