COMPARISON I KAWASAKI Z900RS SE VS. HONDA CB1000R BLACK EDITION
P86
The Kawasaki and Honda are
going after pretty much the same
customer. Neither is concerned
with the current hyper-naked
bike scene that's basically
superbikes without the fairings,
both more interested in the kind
of laidback riding that made a
generation fall in love with motor-
cycles in the first place.
We spent a week with both
the Honda and Kawasaki and
our findings were surprising,
least of all because each bike
shined in areas we didn't expect.
KAWASAKI
Z900RS SE
We've been big fans of the Kawa-
saki Z900RS since it came out in
2018. We spent the best part of
a year with the original, tinkering
and playing and fitting a few choice
mods like Dymag wheels, a Yo-
shimura muffler and a
few cosmetic bits like
a fender eliminator
and tank guards.
Fast forward four
years and the SE
is now king dong
in Kawasaki's retro
lineup, and it's got a
price point to suit. At
$13,499, and that's
before you go think-
ing about taxes and
dealer charges, etc.,
the SE represents
the top echelon of
modern retro motorcycles in terms
of price—but not entirely by spec.
Kawasaki has taken their Z900
SE and dressed it up all fancy to
(Top left) The
Kawasaki's Ohlins
S46 shock is a
superior unit to the
Honda's Showa
shock. (Bottom left)
Honda's 998cc
motor is a great
little thing with
lots of lowdown
torque mated to a
wheelie-pulling top-
end. (Below) The
stubby seat on the
CB doesn't leave
much room to move
around (at least not
with the passenger
seat cover fitted).
