IN
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KAWASAKI RELEASES Z900RS TEASER VIDEO
K
awasaki has just unveiled the
world's shortest and most
hipster-fueled teaser video for
their new Z900RS.
Those with even the slightest
bit of motorcycle history knowl-
edge will undoubtedly see the
lineage of the new bike, that of
the granddaddy of superbikes,
the Z1 900 of 1972.
The new Z900RS uses the
futuristic Z900 as its starting
point, and does away with the
futuristic bodywork in exchange
for retro styling and colors. The
948cc engine comes from the
Z900, but it'll probably come
in for a bit of a retune and it's
even got some fake cooling fins
atop the cylinder head (this is a
liquid-cooled bike, after all). It's
also likely we'll see the same
suspension and brakes as the
Z900, but it's not confirmed if
Kawasaki will go full-on retro and
bring the Z900RS to market with
ultra-cool spoked alloy wheels.
The Z900RS will be officially
unveiled at the Tokyo Motor
Show on October 25 and the
U.S. market will get its first taste
of the bike at the New York IMS
on December 1. CN
MICHAEL VAN DER MARK TO REPLACE ROSSI AT ARAGON
T
he Movistar Yamaha MotoGP
team has announced Mi-
chael van der Mark will replace
Valentino Rossi for the upcom-
ing Aragon MotoGP round.
Rossi was hoping to be fit
enough to compete at Aragon
following an enduro crash that
resulted in a fractured
tibia and fibula of his
right leg, but it's now
been confirmed he will
continue his recupera-
tion and physiotherapy
in an effort to be fit for
the first flyaway round
at Motegi in Japan on
October 13-15.
The Aragon race is van der
Mark's chance to show just what
he can do on a MotoGP ma-
chine, as the young Dutchman
has made no secret of his desire
to step up to the premier series,
and best of all, he'll have a fac-
tory Yamaha on which to do it.
"I've never ridden a MotoGP
bike before, so this will be a
completely new experience for
me," van der Mark said. CN
Michael van der Mark will fill in for the injured
Valentino Rossi at Aragon.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
GOLD
&
GOOSE
