ABS, selectable power modes,
integrated riding modes, cruise
control and that up-and-down
quickshifter.
Customizable Rider, Sport,
Road and Rain modes provide
progressively more neutered
throttle responses, and like I
seem to constantly say these
days, Road mode was where
I spent most of my time, as it
provided the smoothest throttle
response for the mainly around-
town riding I was doing.
The traction control system
is pretty old-school in that it's
on or off, not variable like on
a BMW, but it offers enough
freedom for hard riding while
town shouldn't present any ma
-
jor braking issues.
BRAINS… BRAINS!
For quite some time, Kawasaki's
naked bikes lagged behind
some rivals in terms of elec-
tronic sophistication. The Z1100
aims to change that, but it's
still not up to the super-naked
category's specs.
The Z1100 SE receives a
six-axis IMU-equipped electron-
ics suite that includes Kawa-
saki Cornering Management
Function (KCMF), Kawasaki
Traction Control (KTRC), Kawa-
saki Intelligent anti-lock Brake
System (KIBS) and cornering
Sadly, the braking perfor-
mance isn't exactly what
buyers expect from a premium
package. The initial bite is
strong but a little abrupt, even
though there is plenty of power
available for aggressive riding,
but the feel at the lever is a
little wooden. This is mainly
down to the lower-spec master
cylinder Kawasaki fitted. The
Z1100 also runs the small
-
est front brake discs of any
1000cc+ sports naked bike you
can buy today, which is part of
the reduced braking capability
you'll feel if you take one for a
high-speed spin. This being the
case, general cruising around
P112
RIDE REVIEW I 2026 KAWASAKI Z1100 SE ABS
Wide-open sweepers like this are the
1100's favorite thing in the world.
