P104
COMPARISON I MIDDLEWEIGHT NAKED-BIKE SHOOTOUT
The Kawasaki earned points
for its fantastic engine, which
had a very usable spread of
low-end torque for point-to-point
street cruising, combined with
the trademark Kawasaki top-end,
and an induction roar to boot. It
also had the slickest quickshifter
of the bunch, especially com
-
pared to the KTM's stiff, quick-
action shift.
The Kawasaki also had the
lowest seat of the bunch at 31.9
inches, and this is where the
problems started to arise. The
Kawasaki felt cramped for all the
riders in this test, who ranged
from 5'10" to 6'2" in height. The
footpegs were also higher than
the rest, meaning blood flow to
the riders' legs was always an
issue, and we were all itching to
swap bikes after about 40 min
-
utes on the 900. The higher-bend
handlebar and the tall gas tank
didn't help comfort either.
Handling from the KYB-
equipped fork and Ӧhlins S46
shock was adequate, but the
base settings are exceptionally
soft. Luckily, the S46 comes with
a remote preload knob (as do the
other bikes in this test), so it was
easy enough to dial in a decent
setting.
The Kawasaki is the only bike
to come standard with Dunlops,
and all the testers said how good
the Sportmax Q5A's handled the
test with plenty of grip, feel and
stability over some of the rough
sections of our test route.
Brandon and Nathon both
noted the Kawasaki was the eas
-
iest to ride for short distances,
Brandon saying that if all he was
doing were short rides around
town, the Kawasaki would be his
first choice. However, the ergo
-
nomic issues meant that long
rides would be a tiresome experi-
ence.
Kawasaki has launched a new
dash for the 2025 900 model, and
while it's a visual improvement
over the 2024 unit, it's not as
easy to navigate. More seat time
would likely mitigate this issue,
but it's worth noting, nonethe
-
less.
At $11,849, the Kawasaki is
the least expensive of the four
bikes tested, but considering it is
"new" for 2025, the chassis feels
a little dated, even if it's matched
to that excellent engine, and the
ergonomics are a throwback to
how naked bikes were, not what
they currently are.
