Kawasaki Z 1000: Wild Driving Pleasure

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

The predecessor was an eye-catcher. But the new Kawasaki Z 1000 is even more radical - and not just optically.

By Heiko P. Wacker

Sharp edges and a whopping 1,000 cc: Kawasaki has now taken the recently launched Z 1000 seriously. With its radical styling and the clearly strengthened four-cylinder engine, the Japanese streetfighter polarizes, and optically goes its own way. The emotional Nippon bike starts at 11,295 euros.

Kawasaki Z 1000 with radical styling

It's really emotional, the completely renewed Z. It takes the aggressive styling of its predecessor a little further and also has twelve kilograms less on its ribs. From the sharply inclined design of the front shell, which was made possible by the slim line-beam headlights, to the minimalist rear, the Kawasaki presents itself with lines and dimensions oriented far forward.

The engineers also donated a digital instrument console with an orange display: the angular console can also be set to three angles. Two-wheeled things look different - the new Z catches the eye.

139 hp power

Also new is the four-in-line, which with a displacement of exactly 1,043 cc leaps over the magical liter mark. This was not possible with the previous model, which annoyed some owners. Naturally, the output of the 16-valve engine increased with the displacement, which now delivers 102 kW / 139 hp at 9,600 tours. In addition, it is now pushing ahead even more vehemently than was the case with its predecessor.

Long before the maximum torque of 110 Nm is available at 7,800 rpm, the Z lives up to its reputation as a potent street fighter. In addition, a suitably pithy sound flows from the two double mufflers. However, you should always keep an eye on the speedometer needle with speed limits: the potential of the 1000 cc makes the speed soaring. Up to 240 km / h are possible; here the new Z does not differ from the previous model.

Strong wind pressure uncomfortable

The same applies to the strong wind pressure behind the small panel. From 160 km / h the oncoming storm becomes uncomfortable in the long run. A spoiler screen, which is available for 83.45 euros as an official accessory, promises a remedy. In principle, however, the following applies: if you drive on the autobahn, with a little restraint you not only protect your neck muscles, but also your wallet, as fuel consumption quickly rises above the average of 6.5 liters of premium gasoline for 100 kilometers. In view of the fact that the tank volume has dropped by 3.5 to 15 liters, you are looking for a gas station much more often than you would like, as the technology warns you to stop at around 150 kilometers.

Mathematically, about 230 kilometers are possible. Liability insurance, on the other hand, is less stressful, and costs around 151.05 euros per year with AXA, for example. But actually the Z 1000, rolling on five-spoke cast wheels, doesn't want to know anything about insurance tariffs or the hassle on the autobahn, but prefers to dive into its very own terrain: the country road.

Wild driving pleasure

Here, the tight Kawasaki can show her talents to the full, even if she doesn't really like messing around on the asphalt. On a tidy surface, on the other hand, the machine offers exactly that almost wild driving pleasure that the look promises - rounded off by the adjustable chassis, the 41 mm upside-down fork, the obligatory ABS or the new aluminum backbone frame. It was specially developed for the 2010 Z1000, and is conceptually similar to the frame of the Ninja ZX-10R.

Kawasaki succeeded again in putting a potent driving machine on its wheels, in which designers and engineers could obviously hardly be slowed down by the accounting department and the gentlemen with the sharp pencil. The result was an even more sharpened look, under which a wonderfully lively engine goes about its work - just as it should be for a streetfighter, for which reasons of reason such as range or passenger comfort are marginal.

If you don't just see two-wheeled locomotion as sober mobility between start and finish, but want to savor the route in between, you should perhaps take a closer look at the Z 1000, which costs 11,295 euros. (mid)