VOLUME 59 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 18, 2022 P85
If you had to pick
just one based off
looks, which one are
you going for?
OLD
HEARTS—
SOME
Y
ou could argue both of these
bikes are not retro at all. The
Kawasaki Z900RS SE might
look like it comes from 50 years ago,
but it's effectively a Z900 SE under
the bonnet, all dressed up in clothing
its dad wore in the early '70s.
On the flip side, Honda's CB1000R
Black Edition channels more modern
aesthetics, but if you squint you can
still see the silhouette of the 1969
Honda CB750, the bike that made
Honda the powerhouse it is today.
Both bikes run four-cylinder
engines, the Honda eking out a
55cc advantage at 998cc to the
Kawasaki's 943cc. This capacity
increase gives the Honda a
32-horsepower gain over the
Kawasaki—143 horsepower to the
Kawasaki's 111 horsepower (claimed,
of course)—but this test is more a
tale of the ride comfort than any
performance numbers.
