VOL. 54 ISSUE 13 APRIL 4, 2017 P113
N
ow is a pretty good time if you're
into naked bikes, especially if you
like them with a splash of green.
Kawasaki is back in the naked bike
game but they're not going the super-
bike-with-high-bars route of KTM, Aprilia
and Yamaha. Instead, they're leaning
more towards everyday riders with a
greater focus on street performance in
the brand new Z900 ABS.
The Z900 is now the headline act in
the Z roadshow as the Z1000, Japan's
biggest super-naked at 1043cc that went
toe-to-toe with the Aprilia Tuono 1100 and
KTM 1290 Super Duke R, is no longer
part of Kawasaki USA's lineup. A trage-
dy? Maybe. But fans of the big Z needn't
worry, because Kawasaki's put every-
thing into this new Z900 so that the only
thing you miss about the heavyweight
Z1000 is, well, nothing, really.
The Z900 also does away with the
overweight and under-appreciated
Z800, a bike that was only sold for two
years in the U.S. The 800 actually came
out in 2012, but we never got a taste of
the Kawi naked here until 2015, when
the bike was badged a 2016 model.
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DREW RUIZ
Stripped back
and free of (most)
electronics. The
Z900 is a proper
bike made right.
The Kawasaki 900 becomes the king of the Z family
THE
NEW
GREEN KING
