2016 KAWASAKI Z800
FIRST RIDE
P58
the commuter, the guy riding to
and from work. Here is where
the 800 makes sense. It's com-
fortable, with excellent fueling;
a bike you'd be happy with for
quick weekend blasts and riding
to a restaurant at night.
There's still a bit of tiger in
there—the engine is matched to
an ultra-smooth gearbox and an
induction roar via the multi-length
intake funnels that's one of the
great things about Kawasaki
four-cylinder machines that have
even a hint of sporting potential.
But the sporting potential
is not really high on the list of
priorities with the Z800. The
suspension is basic (rebound
and preload adjustment on both
ends), and you'll start to reach
its outer limits quickly when the
pace picks up and you start to
throw the bike around. Keep the
pace at a sensible speed and
the rear shock does a good job
of ironing out road corrugations
(it's especially nice and smooth
in traffic at slow speed), push
it in and out of corners and the
Push the Z800 hard and
you'll soon reach the
limits of the suspension,
keep speeds sane and
the Son of Z is a great
companion.
