VOL. 55 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 9, 2018 P75
Y
ou must admire the human
psyche for its fondness
of yesterday. Things were
always better back in your day,
whether your day was last week or
last century. We love things that
remind us of simpler times, of times
when we were young, rowdy and
ready for anything.
Often, times really were better
way back when. And while we
are definitely not worse off as
motorcycle riders than our moms
and dads, it is nice to give a little
nod to the past while keeping your
feet firmly in the present.
This is what Kawasaki is doing
with the 2018 Z900RS and the
900RS Café (which, oddly, is
not coming to the U.S.–yet). The
900RS is the kid going to a fancy-
dress party in dad's old Z1 900
clothes—it's a modern version of
the bike that blew everyone away
in the winter of 1972-'73.
Yet the 900RS is not trying to
emulate dad's history as the new
king superbike. Dad may have
been full of that piss and vinegar
that fueled the 1970s-motorcycle
boom, but the kid is more chilled
out and ready to take things a little
easier.
The 900RS uses Kawasaki's
2017 Z900 naked bike as its base
but gets a host of changes to take
on its time warp. A revised en-
gine, different brakes, riding posi-
tion and most significantly, totally
reworked styling that gives the RS
a completely different demeanor
and feel when you're out riding.
IT'S 1973 ALL
OVER AGAIN
WITH THE BRAND-
NEW KAWASAKI
Z900RS. DOES
THE SON LIVE
UP TO THE
LEGENDARY
FATHER?
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DREW RUIZ
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
