Road test of KawasakiZ 900 2020 The best vintage of the line

francis Cabrel once said: "He arrives, she sees him, she wants him, and her eyes do the rest
I'd like to add: " She manages to put fire in every stroke of the connecting rod".
The Kawasaki Z 900 is a bit of a story in itself. Since the Z 750, in fact, when the market began an irreversible shift towards greater displacement and visual character in the mid-size roadster category. An indisputable figure in the segment, in perpetual conflict with the MT-09 for a place on the sales podium, the Z mid-size has evolved sufficiently for 2020 to remain a sure bet. Let's go and discover it, before provoking it a little and perhaps spending more than one night with it.

it 's not appropriate to pay our respects. The Z has, as always, a thuggish profile. She's got a Predator face without the dreadlocks, a stocky, wiry body, a compact size to match, and obvious signs of nervousness - she's a depraved sensation trafficker, an intermediary between the small-time dealer and the ringleader. In short, she promises democratic adrenalin shots. If you're looking for big, wacky fixes, you're better off with the Z H2.

yet Kawa insists on making its machine respectable. As you tour the machine, nothing looks out of place. The electrical wiring is well hidden, the adjustments are clean and the impression of quality is obvious. Clearly, this is Japanese beauty. The only criticisms we can make are about the muffler, the license plate holder which spoils the rear design, the front indicators which we weren't sure where to put, and the appearance of the braking components.
And I do mean "appearance"! For a machine like this, which doesn't like to sit still and is a great place to go, I'd have appreciated a jar of sport brake fluid and radial-mount calipers. A bit of a Z 1000. Let's put things in their proper place: the clientele and the level of performance are not at all the same.

miss Z offers pleasant things quite quickly. Both levers are adjustable, there's a remote control on the handlebars for the instrument panel, the latter has an easy-to-read and very pleasant display, the seat isn't too high* and allows you to move around on the bike when riding sporty, the slightly forward-leaning riding position proves pleasant and suitable for all uses, and the mirrors reflect the rear landscape over ¾ of their surface. In short, the Z is designed for the greatest number, with that zest of pugnacity and Sugomi that maintains its charm and success.
* Kawasaki has fitted the optional high saddle of the ex-Z900 as standard - no need to worry about getting your leg over the seat; your foot will bump into the rear shell more than anywhere else.

No time to chat

fast forward to the top of the hill, and after narrowly avoiding a young deer, I pause briefly to listen to the engine. The 4-cylinder's regular rustle inspires smoothness and power. Once ubiquitous, this engine architecture is losing more and more recipients in the category. The 2 and 3 cylinders have taken up strategic positions. Nevertheless, it remains a safe bet, capable of gliding along on a trickle of gas in ^6th gear, responding with great progressiveness and playing on several registers. Gentle pussycat below, hysterical jackal above.

let's go again , quickly! Let's set it to Sport mode, the most suitable for chilling out with friends. They're on fire, so we're going to put it in right away. I open up. The 948 cm3 fires up the pistons. After 3,500 rpm, it exerts muscle in a convincing and consistent manner, gratifying you with a good push. Sturdy but not violent, so you won't feel overwhelmed by the watts. We soon reach the 6500rpm mark, where the block reveals its full potential. Power is clearly on the rise, with the pistons unhesitatingly chasing the 125 horsepower offered by this engine at 9,500 rpm.
In the mid-range, the Z always responds with gusto. Thanks to the right displacement (it's practically a 1000, and the most paunchy of its rough-haired bunch) and the available mkg. The max is over 10 mkg.

our test Z doesn't come with a shifter, but that's no problem; I've never had one on my bikes, and I'm fine without one. I'm sure it would be different on a racetrack, but here I'm shifting gears without batting an eyelid. The clutch handle is so supple that it feels like pulling a muslin trigger. The selector 'clicks' quickly under the boot, enabling fast, natural gear changes. For the pleasure of hearing the mill mewl and pulling a bit on the extension, we like to take the bar graph up to 10,000 rpm. In daily use, the Z 900's boiler provides a usable range of almost 6,500 rpm, i.e. almost 2/3 of the total engine speed. The first half is for cruising, the other half for steaming. Always with a reassuring AND valiant progressiveness.
On deceleration, the engine rumbles up through the airbox and fuel tank. A thrill. So is the soundtrack when the revs tease the right-hand side of the speedometer.
The raging side of Kawasaki's mechanicals is still there, perhaps a little less present than in the past - better and better calibrated injection, Euro standards, compromises... are no strangers to this.

thanks to the efforts of our politicians to reduce road maintenance budgets, some roads are more or less well surfaced. When some roughness creeps under the trajectory, the Z tends to move but doesn't come apart. It quickly finds its place again after the KTRC has flashed for a few moments. In-house traction control acts transparently, signalling its presence only via the dashboard. It does, however, take a little time to react on smoother surfaces, such as paintwork or commas of tar. On the attack, the rear suspension has a little trouble keeping up, but you need to have a muscular rhythm. For on most outings, even when driven at full throttle, the Z 900 benefits from remarkable suspension work. It's firm and efficient enough to get around without a second thought, but also comfortable enough for Sunday riding. Enough to keep it among the most enjoyable in its class.

we switch to the other side of the Vercors, with the scent of spruce trees for company. An area where braking will be in greater demand. If you see a pin, grab the handle; if you see a squirrel or a deer, grip the control. At the beginning of its stroke, the control gives a bite of just the right intensity. It lets you know that this is enough for moderate action, but that you need to press a little harder, in its gniak zone, to really make the 4-piston calipers act. Braking is then much more convincing. The front axle, the arms and my meal all absorb a very conclusive deceleration. The feeling is in tune, resulting in very even and effective braking. However, if you start attacking like a maniac, you'll find it a little lacking. There's room for more bite and aggression when you're on the go. But we're not going to ask for the braking efficiency of a Tuono V4 on a machine that focuses on sporty versatility rather than sport/riding.
No matter how you drive it, the ABS has never been triggered at the front. In other words, the good work of the inverted fork and the dosable yet powerful braking got the better of the electronics... in dry conditions. In more precarious conditions, we're always glad to have a guard rail between the lever and the pads.

the Z 900 retains the same chassis as the previous generation. It is only 2 kilos heavier. It's just as easy to swing from one angle to another. If need be, you can easily move the seat to help transfer the weight. As you move it nervously, you feel a slight "point of inertia" in the center of the frame, as if part of the engine were taking a brief moment to understand that you have to go with everyone else. But you soon get used to it and forget about it in a few corners.
In corners and fast bends, the Z 900 is serene. It's not so good at hairpins, even though it's easy to take along for the ride.
It's much the same in town. The Z 900 traverses it with docility but also impatience. It weaves in and out of traffic, leaps from one traffic light to the next, and turns easily into the lanes. The ultra-smooth clutch is even more effective here. But it's not a city bike, given the impression it gives of being confined to a ring too small for it.

what does ' Road' mode mean? Well, it doesn't change much in terms of acceleration. Only the KTRC reacts earlier. In fact, it blinks a lot more as long as you're welding, well motivated by those nasty asperities, gravel, bumps, fittings, masks thrown in the jenairienafoutre, and so on.
As for the 'Rain' setting? We'll see later, when I get off work. I leave the buddies and head for work via the freeway. No surprises there, it's a pain. The wind is pushing the rider as hard as it can. To maintain a good cruising speed, it's best to move back 15 cm on the saddle to tilt the shoulder-pelvis-shoulder triangle further forward.

at night, the road glows

a carload of hours later. The 4-cylinder blows gently through the small streets of the night. No cars, no souls, no states, and only the odd street lamp for company. The hectometres are enjoyable in the quiet, even more so when you breathe in the delicate scent of baking pains au chocolat. Only a helmet will let that kind of scent through (certainly not the cage of a car). With a few bursts of gas, I'm out of the city and into a heavier, almost greasier smell, like a handful of fresh grass still soaked in sweat. Yes, it smells like rain!

500 meters further on, a flurry of plics and plocs assault the visor. I switched to Rain mode, to adapt the Z's handling to the circumstances. While the throttle response is much smoother, the benefit is not obvious, as you naturally tend to get less excited on the throttle when it's floaty. However, the fact that the KTRC is more sensitive is psychologically reassuring when leaving traffic circles slick with oil, night and water.

the Z 900 has changed its look this year. Which makes it even more quarrelsome in its intentions. The lumens dig into the half-light with a good figure; in the right ballpark. Its beam correctly fills the width of the road and reaches far enough to maintain a flowing ride. We'd expected a little more from the full-beam headlamps, which merely reinforce the codes rather than offering any great reach on the road.
Back home... The millstone falls silent, the headlights go out, the garage closes, the day dawns... It's time to realize that I'm soaking wet. Like all roadsters, the Z doesn't protect a thing. Only the kneecaps haven't received a single drop. The shoulder blades of the upholstery create this unexpected minimalist shelter. The tiny windshield doesn't protect against anything either. It serves a different purpose: it cleverly hides the wiring for the speedo and indicators.

the next day, the bike was still on the 'Rain' for a courtesy ride. In dry conditions and with more enthusiasm from the rider, the right hand was itchy again. Except that the response to acceleration was so lymphatic that the riding mode was quickly changed. It was as if I'd had a 400 in my hands.

for two, not A2

would you like to take your wife out for a nice Versys-style ride? Forget the Z. As with the sportbikes and other stars of the mid-size streetfighter category, the 900 has sacrificed the passenger on the altar of style. A short rear end, a high saddle and a piece of rusk to accommodate the rider... it takes courage. But ô surprise, the passenger is not so much in agony. His or her legs are well bent (more at the level of your ribs than his or her jaw), while the width and shape of the tank allow the hands to position themselves well and hold back under braking. Settled at altitude, you can appreciate the speedometer or easily scan the horizon to prepare for the pilot's actions. The seat itself, however, remains an ordeal - bearable on the outward journey, but a real pain on the return.

before any ride, let's get one thing straight: there's no need to take your handbag or a spare T-shirt. The space under the saddle can't even accommodate a smartphone. We'll just put the bike's papers there, and little else.

Rideology, a geek temptation

today , the first thing you do after acquiring a device more complicated than a switch is to connect it to your phone. All modern motorcycles go through this process, including the Z 900. With Seb, after the detour of an ice cream stunned with chantilly, we try the coupling of the Samsung with our mount of the evening. Bluetooth and the Rideology app are requisitioned. We enter the parameters, launch the recognition, wait, enter the codes, search, beuzique, start again, find, hesitate.... Your mates have already done 10 kilometers in the meantime.

it's best to connect everything quietly at home, so as to be serene once and for all. Once the configuration exercise has been completed, the Z 900 recognizes the smartphone a few seconds after switching on. You can consult a wide range of data directly in the app, and retrieve information on your rides when you start recording before a ride. It's great to see this set of curves and indications, showing you at any chosen moment which gear was engaged, engine speed and temperature, speed, fuel consumption and the route on a map (on other Kawa models, you can also see the angle taken, braking pressure and throttle opening). True simplified on-board telemetry. But once you've satisfied your 'high-tech fun' curiosity, you're left wondering what everyday use there is.

Oh, yes, for urgent calls or imperative e-mails, the symbiosis between phone and cockpit may come in handy. Except that we've never seen any notifications despite our attempts. All made with Android systems; perhaps it works better on iPhone.

a few details:

- to change Driving Modes, a simple press on the selection button is required. Easy, but time-consuming... impossible to change inadvertently. You need to release the throttle and hold it down for 5 seconds.

- rideology records your speed and route. Best not to share on social networks

- TheZ 900's engine cubes almost exactly the same as the first Z 1000 (2003), give or take 5 cm3. Yet the Z 1000 of the time was very hollow.

- the Z 900 tops 240 on the odometer, both on the track and on German freeways.

- we averaged 6.2 liters per 100 km

- the user manual is 228 pages long. The "riding the bike" section only starts on page 119.

-uSB connection optional

- of the 6 models in the Z range, the 900 is the best-selling.

any faults with this Z 900? It's hard to find any, unless you're asking for performance in a higher category, or the sharpness of a Street Triple RS - billed at an extra 2,400 euros. The bike is easy to handle, agile and powerful, making it a pleasure to ride in any situation. Only the passenger will find something to complain about (and even then, not all of them). Its distinctive design can sometimes give rise to strong opinions - which is exactly what Kawasaki is aiming for: to assert its style.
Once underway, there's nothing to stop you forgetting or unplugging (in Custom mode) the electronics to concentrate on the essentials.
Simply, simply, simply... ride the Z.

M.B - Photos MP and Sébastien de Malfin