Road test of KawasakiZ 1000 2014 The Terminator grinding wheel

Our tester's opinion on the Z 1000 from 2014

for the past 10 years, the Z 1000 has maintained Kawasaki's sultry reputation. The first version was a big, hairy roadster with a punchy style. The one I'm riding today isn't in the same league. The big Z has almost become a hypersport transformed into a roadster, with almost similar reasons for pleasure and constraints. A short week with it allowed me to get to grips with many of its aspects... and to feel like I was in an episode of Rocky every time the bike left the garage.

why Rocky? For the music, the eye of the tiger, the heart-stopping rounds, the desire to box with him, his doubts and his punch. In fact, I'd have kept as low a profile in a boxing ring as I would have when discovering the Z with whom I'm about to share a thousand miles. Already in photos, I instantly felt a violent sensation of ferocity. Live, face to face, this roadster imbued with the Sugomi spirit threatens as much as it disturbs. I insist that the design of this Z 1000 is a collaboration between Alien, Terminator and Predator. It's as if each of these movie monsters wanted a motorized machine to match.

"Thisbike is going to blow up in my face! It's not a hunch, but my subconscious that's just screamed that in my eyes. The Z 1000 phase 4 gives off an impression of total bestiality. A ball of muscle, nerves and steel fully compacted around its engine. A real feline with a big back, ready to pounce on you if you take a step backwards. It looks almost flayed, raw, so threatening.

After this initial feeling of fear, the desire to get to know her invites you to approach. The air is dry, metallic; it smells like a storm between the jacket and the tank. But before you pull the pin, it's up to you to take pleasure in detailing the big Z. When you treat yourself to such a machine, you can start to be critical. The roadster isn't biting yet... it's seen that it likes people. A motorcycle isn't just about a sleek or shocking silhouette, an engine and a chassis. It's also about the details, which develop a sense of quality and/or personality. We like the twin-spoke rear-view mirrors, the translucent, smoked brake fluid reservoir, the variable-section handlebars, the rider's seat emblazoned with a host of Zs (a deco concept initiated on the Z 800), crystal-white turn signals, openwork gearbox housing with design, Kawasaki-branded brake calipers (Tokico), and the great classics of the Z saga: petal brake discs, 4 exhaust outlets and, since 2010, eccentric chain tension adjustment. Overall, the finish is of high quality. There is still room for improvement: although the Z 1000 has got rid of a large dose of plastic trim from the previous episode, some parts are still too much. The overlay on the front of the tank is moderately appreciated, and is mostly assembled in the Renault 19 style; you could almost run your hand over it, and seeing the bit of Velcro between the sheet metal and the plastoc is just too much. The few hoses we can see are well arranged and blend in with the mechanical spirit. In my opinion, a small cover on the right-hand side between the frame and the intake manifold would have wisely hidden a few wires. Finally, as with any racy machine, the number-plate bracket needs to be removed as a matter of urgency.
Aside from these finishing details, what bothered me most (but this is purely subjective) was the black color of our test bike. It's a dark matte finish, grafted with a number of painted parts - the problem being that the side scoops, tank top and fork cap have a much higher quality feel than the general color scheme. As a result, you get the impression of a bike that skipped the paint shop and went through the tuning process. The orange color suits it much better, and the gray/green of the SE version is clearly the most appropriate.
As you'll have gathered from its plastic, the Z 1000 is far removed from considerations such as everyday practicality. There are hooks at the end of the passenger footrests for securing packages with bungee cords, but the Z doesn't offer much more. The much-appreciated moment of greasing the chain is even trickier to appreciate here. The exhaust bowls have clearly not been designed to make life easier during this maintenance exercise. The links are virtually inaccessible. Diabolos at the end of the swingarm and workshop stand will become your best friends; the left-hand pot will no longer be your buddy during the greasing session.

"Don't you think you've ogled me enough !!!!?! "
Oops, the bully's waking up. She seems to want to skip the "let's get to know each other" stage and get down to some serious fun right away. Just a minute; first let me stash my wallet and Nokia under the seat. I insert the key into the lock under the stern and... first gag. The lock actually unlocks the driver's seat, which has to be removed first in order to remove the rear seat. Funny, but not necessarily practical in the long run. In any case, there's only room for the 3110 underneath.
Ready to go - let's seize the opportunity. Kawasaki has come up with a nice ignition key to complete the impression of quality. Click, hiss, injection starts up, digital ballet. Packed with information, the instrument panel is almost as small as that of a cross-country machine. Above all, it's very low, and impossible to consult while riding without lowering the helmet; as a result, your eyes leave the road.
Immediately welcoming, the seat allows both feet to rest perfectly flat on the ground (and you all know I'm not a giant, far from it). A kick to the left, release the clutch on the thread and the Z takes off on its own with a suave roar before becoming (later) exhilarating. Injection keeps the engine idling in the rev range while it warms up, then, once the right temperature has been reached, the revs suddenly drop; at the moment, it feels like it's going to stall. The surprise is over, the light is green, we're off and running, comfortable on the powder keg. The driving position is incisive: tilted forward without excess, in a menacing attitude, it makes you want to attack right away. Barely further on, the driver is already confident. 5 minutes later, the torque is as belligerent as it is arsellant. The bike's balance, ease of handling and roadholding win you over in a series of bends.

leaving Annecy, you can either take the freeway for a quick trip to Switzerland, or take the small, multi-faceted road. The Z 1000 chooses where it's going to have the most fun. I'm off to the heart of the Haute-Savoie region. Chamois, squirrels and buzzards, get the hell out of here, because the Kawa is just waiting to powder off, without pause or loss, but with a bang. I open, the Z leaps. And it's at this moment that I understand the whole purpose of this two-part bar-graph. It's when the white LEDs on the upper rev counter start to light up that the engine can really give a big response. The one that pulls on your arms, that switches your brain to Sport mode, that encourages you to watch out and have fun at the same time. The sound completes the package, with a sporty roar that's very pleasant without being a nuisance for urban and orbi spectators. Although the 4-cylinder's flexibility allows you to pick up any gear without worrying about revs, and the engine responds with consistency from 3,000 rpm, it's after 4,000 that the power comes on. I weld, twirl, look into the distance and worry only about the road. The Z does everything else. And with ease. Apart from the puff of the boiler, it's impossible to believe you're riding a 1000. The machine's slim crotch, playful handling and almost instinctive natural dynamism make it feel like a big 600.
Don't be fooled when you shake your right hand. That's strange. The throttle pull is short, as if we'd taken some of the road out of it. You soon get the hang of it, and the rush to take advantage of the big torque is matched only by the fullness of the 1043 cm3. Once the turbine is up and running, it gallops along at a brisk pace, then the watts pick up around 6,000 rpm. Then a hearty ladle of power is delivered up to 9,000 rpm. At this point, the surge subsides; there's nothing to stop you continuing to extend your reach, but without conviction. In any case, the next gear has already been shifted. The gearbox is short, enabling spirited acceleration and a surprisingly early shift into 6th gear. The millstone is alive and kicking! At the right speed, it grinds enough for the foot to unconsciously seek an extra gear. And it's not uncommon to try and slam into a 7... that doesn't exist. A regret? Yes, the 100hp law. This engine lacks the Kawa rage, the violence at high revs, the cortex-pounding lead. Is there any testimony in the audience of a full version to give more flamboyance to this engine?!

And that front axle! A delight. It gets into the trajectory all by itself, chews up the road, catches itself after a good jolt by simply informing you of it, making you want to push back that limit that caution wants to forget. Thought to be tricky, engaging and only for pros, it proves to be a buddy on the road, a companion as much as a guide. Sometimes lively, even nervous on rough roads when you attack, it regains its place and your confidence in an instant. On a sports bike, you feel like you're on the front wheel. With the Z 1000, you ARE the front end.

Even the brakes respond with the same philosophy. The radial calipers know how to do their job, and with courtesy. The attack on the lever is gentle, with a bite that's present but not too much, and a feel that lets you modulate your braking to your heart's content. Powerful, pleasant and almost too controllable. The mean face would lead you to believe that the right-hand lever would martyrize the rider with overpowering, brutal braking, requiring experience, tact and delicacy to even slow the bike down without putting on a memorable volume. The Z, on the other hand, brakes with efficiency, dexterity and helpfulness. It's as if he's giving us the best of himself, without us having to prove his worth in battle.

Z and I are always on the attack. Kawa was right to do away with the tubular steel frame when the Z went to phase 3. Whatever the conditions, the chassis never falls apart or gets overwhelmed. Comfort is sporty but very present. In hard driving, which is what the Z prefers, the suspension does not spare the dryness of the roads while smoothing out the unpleasant sides.

it's not that I want to, but curiosity drives me to find out how the Z 1000 appreciates other roads and other riding styles. I discuss it with him:
"Would you like to take the freeway?
- Are you taking the piss? Do I look like a GTR?!? And you want to twist your neck while you're sleeping...
- Come on, just a little. Let's ride like model citizens. 130 km/h, courtesy, blinkers, and all that.
- Poor guy!"
Well, I think I've upset him. And he's right. As expected, there's no protection, so it pulls fast enough, without needing to go fast, neck and chin. The 4-cylinder purrs along, em.....rde as much as I do, the landscape scrolling by like a Micheal Bay movie without special effects - it's placidity anxiety. I'm cracking up!

quick, a secondary road. Against the Z's advice, I stay in cool driving mode, with all the nonchalant joys that entails. This time, it's the Kawa that cracks. It bends to my will, but you quickly sense that it wants rhythm, exaltation. The sensitivity of the throttle combined with the ardour of the engine doesn't help to get the rhythm flowing. If you're hesitant, he'll be hesitant too, and he'll let you know it. A sluggish, uncertain ride will provoke a growl from the bike, and a subtle desire on its part to put you back on the right track with parasitic movements. It's a self-confident character, and should be treated as such; a streetfighter, designed to kick ass between 0 and 200 km/h. Want to wander through the fir trees? There's the XJR 1300 or CB 1100 for that.
Its gearbox meets the same requirements. In hard use, with finely authoritative kicks, the gears respond perfectly. During this test, in everyday use, the selector obeyed with a certain, and strange, dryness. After technical inspection, it turned out that this was an isolated case, and that a little mechanical maintenance had restored the gearbox to its Kawasaki suppleness. A machine in the press park is not subject to the same stresses as the grinding wheels on the market.
However, like all the others, it has to get around town, if only to pick up the right friend at the station. Despite an average steering angle of 29°, the Z handles the urban environment with agility and simplicity. Its size never intimidates when passing between cars; the mirrors, though effective, seem to be the most "cumbersome" parts of the machine, so compact does it look.

the good friend has arrived safely. One of the other peculiarities it shares with the hyperpsort category is the fate reserved for the passenger. Did you like Space Mountain, the saddle of a ZX-10R or the top of a falling stepladder? You'll love the Z 1000's jump seat! Sitting atop the rider's helmet, legs copiously bent, you're more than welcome to hang on to.... To what? To the end of a strap too narrow for a child's hand?!? Forget it! Maybe handles have been dug out under the passenger seat and will help you hold on to the brakes? Hardly, just symbolically. Sensations guaranteed and discomfort assured. The big advantage for the customer is to be in direct contact with the emotion.

it's great at night! With its jaw flush with the fender and its eyes the height of a miniskirt, the Z 1000 promises to light up the night. Night's fallen, the good friend's asleep, and it's time to enjoy a little solitary moment to share with a beast just waiting to be seized under the stars. Contact, we get out of town and head for the Coisin valley. Surprise, the beam is much more present than I thought. Wide, it draws a band of light as if a giant stabylo had traced a photonic mark. Funnily enough, the headlights draw a chevron pattern around bends. No, I'm not drunk. The lighting makes it possible to drive at a leisurely pace and with the minimum of night-time apprehension, more or less at a speed that corresponds, without realizing it, to the legal speed of the département. At full headlight, the tone changes. The increased power gives the Z 1000 more velocity and even allows you to improvise a little. In fact, you can ride at the same pace and engine speed, but in a higher gear. The owl that passed within a few centimetres of my helmet still remembers this. I had the right of way...! And no, I assure you, I didn't drink.
Speaking of booze, how much does the bike drink between rides? Between 6.5 and 7 liters per 100 km, an average established at a pace that's anything but cool.

the Z at its best

wild on demand, playful as well as efficient, the Z 1000 is a permanent excuse for fun, excitement and adrenalin. With its incisive and obvious chassis, its boiling engine and its punchy mouth, Akashi's streetfighter achieves a near flawless performance in its class. Trainers may regret its ease of use, but homo-motardus will praise its ease of handling and operation.