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/1476305
RIDE REVIEW I 2022 KAWASAKI Z900RS SE P108 The gearshift is a little on the agricultural side, and although no mis-shifts were encoun- tered, it's a heavier shift than I'd have liked. I can live without the cruise control (although that would be nice, too), but I feel a quickshift should come standard with any model with SE after its name. That is the only downside to the Kawasaki's engine and gearbox equation, and the rest of the machine is superb. The ride quality of- fered by that Ohlins S46 is a marked improve- ment over what I remember from 2018 (the front is unchanged except for the gold coat- ing on the fork), and the Brembo brakes offer decent bite and performance. They could be a little better, as the ABS will kick in too early for my liking under heavy braking, but overall, the braking performance is good. Perhaps the best thing I love about the Z900RS SE is the ergonomics. This is a properly old-school 50/50 front-to-rear rid- ing position with next to no weight on your wrists, so you can ride further for longer without getting sore. Compared to the sporty 900, the handle- bar is 65mm higher and 35mm closer to the rider, and the rubber-mounted foot- pegs are 20mm lower and 20mm further forward. Comfort is the name of the game here, with the package topped off by that 1970s-style bench seat that wouldn't look out of place in a '69 El Camino SS. More than anything, the Z900RS SE emits the kind of style I absolutely love. It is (in my opinion) the best of the throw-back style machines on offer from today's manu- facturers, and there's some good com- petition in that category from the likes of Triumph, BMW, and, to a degree, Yamaha— although I will argue I think the splendid XSR900 is more modern than retro. It's not perfect; no bike is. However, I don't think I could find anyone who will go for a ride on a Z900RS SE and not at least like it, if not love it. It's that kinda bike. CN SPECIFICATIONS 2022 KAWASAKI Z900RS SE ($13,449) ENGINE Inline 4-cylinder VALVETRAIN DOHC, 16-valve COOLING SYSTEM Liquid DISPLACEMENT 948cc BORE X STROKE 73.4 x 56mm COMPRESSION RATIO 10.8:1 CLUTCH Wet multi-plate TRANSMISSION Six-speed CHASSIS Tubular steel trellis frame FRONT SUSPENSION Inverted fork with adjustable compression and rebound damping, and spring preload REAR SUSPENSION Horizontal back-link Ohlins S46 swingarm with stepless adjustable rebound damping and spring preload adjustment FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 4.7 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 5.5 in. FRONT BRAKE 300mm dual semi-floating discs, radially mounted Brembo dual monobloc 4-piston calipers, ABS as standard REAR BRAKE 250mm disc, single-piston caliper with ABS as standard FRONT TIRE 120/70 ZR17 Dunlop GPR-300F REAR TIRE 180/55 ZR17 Dunlop GPR-300 RAKE 25.4° WHEELBASE 58.1 in. SEAT HEIGHT 31.5 in. FUEL CAPACITY 4.5 gal. WEIGHT (CURB, CLAIMED) 471.9 lbs. COLOR Yellow Ball