Kawasaki Z1000: Things we like

Kawasaki Z-series of motorcycles is famous for their hardcore naked appearances and unbeatable performances. Starting from the Z250 and reaching the top at the Z1000, all of them are thrilling machines that you can astride on. The king of the Z-series is the mighty and renowned Z1000. It has been around in this genre in the motorcycle industry for many years now, and over its period of existence, it has proven itself umpteen times to numerous customers. Kawasaki has built the Z1000 immaculately, but just like any other bike out there, this one is not perfect either. However, there is more to like than dislike and in this story, we are going to share with you a few things or features of the new Z1000 that we like the most.

Sugomi styling

The first impression that the Z1000 would have on you will be awe. The Sugomi styling of this brutal naked monster is one of the best in the industry we have ever seen. The front end is very mean, aggressive, intimidating and unforgiving. The sleek LED headlights have been kept as low as possible to give an impression of a predator’s head tucked down and the massive tank impersonates the muscular shoulders. The Z1000 always looks ready to pounce into action as soon as you twist the throttle.

Then comes the dual exhaust system that occupies most of the rear end of the bike. It looks bulky and perhaps it is in reality, but come on, it had to be made in such a manner to comply with the emission norms and rules. Anyway, we are now very used to this massive exhaust system. We do hope that Kawasaki would upgrade it in the next iteration of the Z1000.

Never-ending power

Kawasaki Z1000 is packed with an enormous inline 4-cylinder engine that has got 142 PS of max power at 10000 revs and 111 Nm of torque at 7300 revs. These figures are more than sufficient to give you an experience of a lifetime. When you swing your leg over this machine, you’d realise how compact it really is considering the mammoth engine and unbelievable power. There is no traction control or riding modes to have your back. It is you who’d need to tame this beast with all its energy. The latest model of the Z1000 comes with an Assist and Slipper clutch. And the engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox.

Brakes like an anchor

It is quite evident that you can easily reach life-taking speeds on the Kawasaki Z1000 in a blink of an eye. So to stop this 221 kg super-naked motorcycle, Kawasaki had to provide extremely capable brakes. The Z1000 rocks dual Tokico monobloc radial-mounted calipers and dual semi-floating 310 mm petal discs at the front. These offer a strong initial bite and progressive braking performance, just what this bike needed. Kawasaki has also incorporated ABS to further improve the braking capabilities of the Z1000.

Instrument cluster

Kawasaki updated the instrument cluster of the Z1000 on its latest iteration. It is still very compact but now can handle more information than before. Also, there is the addition of an LED tachometer, similar to what we’ve seen in the Kawasaki ZX-10R over the years. The LCD screen is very clear to read irrespective of the surrounding atmospheric conditions.

Impeccable handling

The way the Kawasaki Z1000 handles is simply commendable. You’d be amazed how flickable and agile it is in the corners. Yes, you do feel the weight of the bike while quickly changing directions but at that time you’d be experiencing such sheer fun and adrenaline rush that you won’t even notice it. One of the factors that provide such an impeccable handling is the suspension setup. At the front, we get 41 mm inverted fork with stepless compression and rebound damping and spring preload adjustability. The rear end gets a horizontal back-link, gas-charged unit, again with stepless rebound damping and preload adjustability. The suspension setup has been tuned to give the best performance and hence can be a bit uncomfortable when you encounter bad roads.

So, these were the top features of the Kawasaki Z1000 that we dig the most. Do let us know which is the feature that you like the most.