Kawasaki Z1000: MD Ride Review

Okay, let's get past the "standard" moniker, and move into the 21st century. "Naked" bikes are all the rage, and Kawasaki's brand new Z1000 breaks new ground in a couple of areas (more about that later). We just spent several days testing a 2003 Z1000 (the black model -- the bike also comes in orange, as illustrated in some of the photos). Let's talk first about the technical aspects of this new bike, because that is a big part of the story.

In the United States, at least, the naked bike category has been the "weak sister" for most manufacturers. Old, already-paid-for components have been the rule. Indeed, interest in this category, and the desire to throw current technology at it, has only arisen on the manufacturer's side in the last few years. Yamaha's FZ1, with its R1 motor and brakes, might be considered the most high-tech bike in the category as of the 2002 model year. The Kawasaki Z1000 moves the bar forward from there.

While sharing the current engine with a manufacturer's flag ship, open-class sportbike is impressive (as the FZ1 does), the Z1000 actually has a higher spec engine than Kawasaki's open-classer, the ZX-9R. The Z1000 takes the ZX-9R engine and increases its displacement to 953 cc with a 2.2 mm larger bore. Additionally, the carbureted ZX-9R motor gets fuel injection in the Z1000 (featuring 38 mm throttle bodies, with sub-throttle valves for smoother operation).

The Z1000 engine is mounted in a rigid diamond frame as a stressed member. A detachable right front-top engine mount eases maintenance.

Suspension consists of an inverted 41 mm fork adjustable for both preload and rebound, with a rear shock also adjustable for preload and rebound. The 17 inch rims on the Z1000 come straight off the ZX-9R, and our test unit featured excellent Bridgestone BT-020 tires (including a huge, 190 section rear).

The front brake features 300 mm discs gripped by the same four-piston calipers found on the ZX-9R. The rear brake is a smaller, single-disc set-up.

The Z1000 gets the same instrument technology featured on the new Kawasaki sportbikes, which results in an extremely light, compact instrument cluster with a bar-type LCD tachometer and digital LCD speedometer. Other information provided by the instruments include temperature, clock, trip meter, fuel gauge and a gaggle of indicator lamps.

The styling of the Z1000 is, simply put, stunning. The bike is impressive in pictures, but it is even more so in the flesh. The bold design of the Z1000 isn't an aberration -- expect much more to come from Kawasaki.

The Z1000 is a little soft right off idle, but pulls smoothly into a meaty mid-range and a very serious top-end rush. Overall, the Z1000 is extremely fast -- probably a close contender with Yamaha's FZ1 in a drag race.

The fuel injection delivers that power smoothly and progressively -- utilizing Kawasaki's latest fuel injection design (also featured on the new ZX-6R, for instance).

The Z1000 puts more vibes through the bars and the pegs than some of its competitors -- reflecting the fact that the engine is directly bolted to the frame as a stressed member. We didn't find the vibration annoying, however, but it is there. We did have an annoying buzz from the clutch lever at around 5,000 rpm (something that could probably be fixed with a three cent washer). In the mid-range, the mirrors were also quite buzzy.

The chassis of the Z1000 feels sport bike stiff, and the bike handles well. The leverage of the wide, dirt bike-styled bars provide easy turn-in, yet the bike remains very stable (even at high speeds).

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