Motorcycle specifications KawasakiZ 1000 2009 Shaking up the established order

remember 4 years ago, around the same time: Kawasaki presented the Z 1000. A shock for all, a beast on 2 wheels, a design that heated up, a chassis that charmed, an engine that ran wild... and the start of another era for Kawa, that of renewal.

and now that street-fighters are invading the streets and overshadowing the famous Z, the manufacturer is bringing out the slap box with this new generation Z 1000. There's no doubt about it, it's going to pack a punch.

looking at these images, we can only applaud the mutation of this big street-fighter. It's sharper, sharper, sharper, sharper, even more violent, with the most beautiful attributes.
AH...! The pots. They shock you, don't they!?! The 4 flutes have disappeared to make way for 2 huge bowls themselves terminated by 2 mouthpieces - but do the math: you still have 4 gas outlets. Above all, with these new exhaust volumes, the engine will breathe much better than before. We'll come back to this in a few lines.

let's not be too impatient, though, and savour these taut, bleeding new lines. The fork head is more tapered, and more stylish and threatening. The inverted fork is still there, but now equipped with a magnificent set of radial-mount brake calipers, and petal discs like on the ZX-R 10 and 636.

look at the front mudguard! An incisor has grown in front of the fork tubes to enable it to bite the road (or competitors?). The radiator scoops have been transformed into broad shoulders that bear a distinct resemblance to those of theER-6n. Under the fuel tank, the engine inherits new, beautifully designed crankcases. The little touch of tuning (colored plastic covers) that finished off the alternator and clutch housings has been transformed into superb cut parts (as long as they're not made of plastoc...). From one end of the rims to the other (always half-painted, half-polished), it's as nasty as you could wish. And yet, a little softness escapes from the rear, with a rear end modelled on that of the ZX-10R. Retro mirrors, windscreen, indicators, side covers - the whole package has been reworked in the design office. The rear spur is gone, but that doesn't mean the Z 1000's fiery spirit has subsided.

Quite the contrary. Kawasaki claims that torque has been increased at low and medium revs. This is very satisfying, as theprevious Z was not very demonstrative in this respect. It has to be said that the exhaust pipes were quite breathtaking. Little is known about the new Z 1000's block. But when you consider that new side pillars have been grafted onto the frame, and that the swingarm bears a strong resemblance to that of the ZZR 1400, you'd expect some serious muscle.

and what a surprise! Far from giving in to the overbidding of power delivered by the competition(FZ1: 150 hp; K 1200 R: 163), the Z is not afraid to admit that it delivers 2 hp less than... less than before. With 125 horses to master, the green moth is right between the Yam FZ1 and the Honda CBF 1000. Could this be a way of reconciling a ladleful of power with a large handful of availability? If Miss Z offers us more torque while retaining the performance of her chassis, we'll definitely be asking for more. In any case, the gniak is going to have to be available sooner, as Z 1000 version 07 comes with 7 kg more body mass (muscle mass?).

more intimidating, more aggressive, more classy, the new Z is also more obvious to the rider. Ergonomics have been revised, while maintaining a sport-oriented riding position. Improvements have been made to the seat, footrests and fuel tank, as well as to the cockpit. The strange speedometer from the 2nd-generation ZX-636R has been replaced by a needle-type rev counter and digital unit. Just goes to show, it's still the best.

M.B - manufacturer's photos