After a year hiatus, Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki returns to its high-performance street bike roots by bringing back the Z1000 to its U.S. motorcycle line-up for the New Year. And while the name remains the same, the 2010 Kawasaki Z1000 has been overhauled from top-to-bottom to deliver an easier and more entertaining ride for motorcyclists seeking a fun and civilized sport-oriented street bike.
Why Bring it Back?
The Z1000 is a Streetfighter-style motorcycle, which is essentially a sportbike stripped of some of its bodywork and fitted with a standard handlebar. While they’re the rage in Europe (I’ve seen them everywhere in Italy), here in the US of A, this style of motorbike continues to struggle on the sales floor compared to their full-fairing sportbike brethren. In spite of this, Kawasaki feels it has something special with the redesigned Z1000. So once again it is being imported into the States.
What’s So Special About It?
The previous Z1000 was a quirky bike. While there were certain attributes we enjoyed, including its spunky engine personality and sporty-yet-relaxed riding position, there were also elements that were just plain funky—the biggest complaint being its peculiar handling, excessive engine vibration and love-it-or-hate-it styling. The latest Zed-1 does away with those flukes, plus, it builds upon its fundamental fun-loving traits thereby delivering a fast, easy, and ultimately amusing motorcycle to operate.
Skin Deep
Based on its similar exterior profile, one might assume that the new Z1000 is simply a modified version of the old bike. But that’s not the case. The new bike uses a purpose-built engine, frame and rear suspension (more on those later).
Visually designers gave it a thorough nip/tuck. The lines of the bike have been sharpened to give it a more contemporary shape. Additional bodywork was added in the form of the razor-sharp belly fairing and fork guards. The front fairing was also stretched and houses an updated double beam headlight. Towards the back, it retains a sleek high-mounted tail section with bright LED-style taillight and signature trapezoid-shaped quad exhaust pipes. The Z1000 comes in two color choices: Metallic Spark Black and Pearl Stardust White.
The controls are also upgraded and are highlighted by a thick tubular aluminum handlebar, compact LCD instrumentation, and stylized brake fluid reservoir. Furthermore, the angle of the instrument display can be adjusted in three positions via a tiny plastic adjustment knob. This gives the Z1000 an elegant, yet sporty cockpit similar in appearance to the Ducati Streetfighter.
Under the Hood
The Zed-1 now uses its very own 1043cc liquid-cooled Inline-Four engine. Kawasaki claims this new engine utilizes its own architecture and is not based off either the previous bikes’ 953cc ZX-9R-derived motor or the current one found in the Ninja ZX-10R. The 90cc bump in displacement is calculated via a slightly smaller bore (77.0 vs. 77.2 mm) and a larger stroke (56.0 vs. 50.9mm). Despite the added piston stroke, the engine’s exterior dimensions are almost the same as before. Fuel charge is compressed to a ratio of 11.8:1 and the engine features hot rod tuning tricks including a 16-valve cylinder head operated via dual overhead camshafts. An internal counter balancer, driven by a gear on the crankshaft, reduces engine vibration.
Intake air is captured via an air induction system that utilizes intake scoops on each side of the machine. Air funnels into the resonator chamber-equipped airbox which produces a similar sound effect to a person blowing over the top of an open glass bottle. This greatly enhances the intake sound while riding and ultimately creates a more thrilling riding experience. Air and gas are then mixed within a set of larger oval bore Keihin throttle bodies and injected into the engine via four fuel-injectors.
Exhaust is handled by a 4-2-2 exhaust system with a belly-mounted pre-chamber. This allows the mufflers to be lighter and more compact than before. A valve in the right muffler maximizes performance through its 11,000-plus rev range. Lastly, three emission-reducing catalyzers are also fitted within the exhaust. Engine power is shifted to the rear wheel through a cable-actuated clutch without slipper functionality and a 6-speed transmission paired to a chain/sprockets final drive system.
Chassis
The engine is hung within a lighter aluminum frame via a four-point mounting arrangement (one more than before). This is claimed to increase chassis rigidity and stability, as well as giving the pilot an enhanced level of feel at speed. The frame is constructed out of five pieces of aluminum and is almost nine pounds lighter than the previous model’s steel piece. Similar to the frame used on the Ninja ZX-10R and ZX-14, the Z1000 frame wraps up and over the engine which dramatically reduces the width of the bike at the seat. A new three-piece aluminum subframe complements the set-up.
In the suspension department, the Z1 utilizes an innovative horizontally-mounted back-link hydraulic shock absorber.
The two-way adjustable shock (spring preload and return damping) attaches between the main frame via a fixed linkage mounted on top of the aluminum swingarm. This allows the shock to be kept away from the engine and exhaust heat thereby giving it more consistent damping performance without compromising ease of adjustment. Up front a conventional Showa 41mm inverted fork offers independent three-way adjustment for spring preload, compression and rebound damping
New five-spoke cast aluminum wheels measure 3.5 x 17-inch at the front and 5.0 x 17-inch at the back. Both rims are painted silver and black and feature machined and polished edges on the spoke where it attaches to the rim giving the Z1000 a custom look. The wheels are shod in OE-spec Dunlop Sportmax Qualifier D210 tires (120/70-17 front, 190/50-17 rear).
Braking components are a mix of old and new. At the front, the same 300mm diameter petal-style discs are controlled via a pair of Tokico radial-mount four-piston calipers as used on the Ninja ZX-10R. A radial-pump master cylinder augments the set-up through rubber brake lines. A single-piston rear caliper mounts below the swingarm (provides a less cluttered look of the rear wheel) and pinches a 250mm disc, again through rubber brake lines.
Street Riding Impression
Hop in the saddle and the first thing one notices is just how low the 32.1-in. seat height feels. This aids the rider in keeping both feet firmly planted on the ground at a stop. Equally as impressive is how narrow the machine is between the rider’s legs—a clear benefit of the reengineered aluminum frame and subframe.
On the road, the Zed-1 retains its signature sporty-yet-relaxed riding position, which proves a sport rider can have the best of both worlds. The frame and fuel tank feature ergonomically correct cut-outs for the pilot’s knees. The location of the footpegs and handlebar in relation the seat contribute to the commanding seating position and were well received by tall and short riders alike during the course of our ride.
During the course of our street ride, the pace was never hot enough to find out if ground clearance issues plague this bike. Nonetheless, the tires complement the bike’s handling well, offering outstanding and predicable grip on both wet and dry pavement.
During acceleration, braking or cornering, the suspension offers excellent balance front-to-rear. Even more impressive is the way in which the rear suspension performs. It’s equally adept at soaking up rough broken pavement as it is a spirited smooth corner attack—offering the rider the best of both worlds in terms of cornering performance and ride comfort. Even though the shock doesn’t allow for compression damping adjustment, we never felt the need to change anything.
Instrumentation is legible; however, we’re not big fans of the small font of the bar-style LCD tachometer. We also would appreciate the addition of a gear position indicator. The mirrors, however, offer a clear, buzz-free view of what’s happening behind you regardless of speed, which is a remarkable attribute for any street bike.
