Motorcycle specifications KawasakiZ 800 2013 The click of the firing pin

The Z! Once an icon, now a must-have. Impossible to ignore, it's everywhere: on the streets, between the mountain switchbacks, in the sales charts. And even if its chassis wasn't the best, even if its engine could cough askew against a Street Triple or a GSR, the public has never shunned the Z 750 since its release in 2004.

2013 marks a turning point, both in terms of styling and engine. In this 3rd version, the Z becomes 800, and whips up an aggressiveness that can no longer be contained. A cougar face pursued by flinty shoulders, a body shaped like a ball of nerves, a wild look... Z is born bad, it becomes bad.
The design is a real slap in the face. On the technical front, it's a lot better than we expected, but not as transcendent as we might have imagined. The Z 800 gains improved suspension (at last!) with adjustable rebound and preload, as well as improved braking performance. Brake pads have been increased to 310 mm, and 4-piston calipers have been fitted.

Above all, the 4-leg gains cubic capacity, and not just a little. Ever since Yamaha brought out the FZ8, the standard for mid-size roadsters has gone up a notch. Kawa has overhauled its 4-cylinder engine with new crankcases, a cylinder head with revised external patterns, and above all, a larger bore. Forget its 748 cm3, the boiler wants more availability, and now boasts 806 cm3. This is achieved by increasing the diameter of the combustion chambers from 68.4 to 71 mm.
But that's not all. After all, it's all very well to pump up the engine, but it's even better to fine-tune its internal mechanics. Let's go into a bit more detail, starting with the injection bodies, which have increased in diameter by 2 mm to 34 mm. As the heart is bigger, it needs to breathe better. We give it redesigned intake and exhaust ducts, intake cones of different lengths (short for nos. 1 and 4, long for nos. 2 and 3), and let's keep it simple for the rest: cylinder block now in die-cast aluminum (no longer gravity-fed), electrofuse treatment to remove steel liners, piston height reduced by 7 mm and lightened by 10%, larger oil jets, new timing chain, slightly revised gearbox mechanism, and so on....

Here's a response to the competition, with more gniak all over the rev range. Everything has been thought out to shift the torque curve towards the low and mid-rpm ranges, while at the same time reinforcing it. And with a shorter final drive, the Z will give its predecessor a run for its money.
Our friends outside France will be able to enjoy even more watts, as the Z 800 delivers 115 horsepower at full throttle and 8.5 mkg. France tempers the effusions with 106 hp and 8.1 mkg, reached at 10,000 and 8,000 rpm respectively.

underneath its exterior, the Z 800 hides what it hasn't changed. The chassis is the same, reinforced, as that of the Z 750 R. The shock absorber has been moved to the left, and the tubular-beam frame has been slightly redesigned.on the whole, however, Kawa has taken the same frame and adapted it in a trial-and-error fashion - we'd have preferred a radical technical change, as was the case with the 3rd-generation Z 1000. Note the longer swingarm (560 -> 572 mm), the aluminum-bodied shock absorber with separate reservoir, and the optional Nissin ABS under the rider's seat.

more ferocious, the Z takes advantage of its new 800 designation to sport a new dashboard with triple digital windows, striking footpeg plates, redesigned handlebars and a more compact exhaust, among other features. We're less impressed and even a little disappointed by the swingarm (why didn't you get the much nicer element from the Z 750 R?!?), the classic brake calipers (fashion demands radial) and, on a personal note, the machine's increasing use of plastics.
These are peccadilloes, but they won't weigh much in the balance. The Z 800 will not only build on the success of the 7 and a half, it will push it to its limits. Watch out, there's going to be a lot of grumbling.

Basically, it's about time Kawasaki made a real effort to slim down its Z fetish. 229 kilos (3 more than the Z 750) is a lot of weight for a roadster, especially when the segment benchmark, the 675 Street Triple, weighs 46 kilos less - a fridge's worth of difference. But the market won't pay much attention: the Z 750 has never been the thinnest blade in its segment, but its design and handling have always put it on the road to success. As the Z 800 is in the same vein, everything is in place for it to secure a place on the sales podium, and its owners will forgive it the fat on its muscles as they focus more on the aggressive design and the details that make the difference: the Z-shaped LED taillights, the exaggerated silhouette, the substantial cubic capacity, the Z spirit.
And the price? It changes category. The Z 800 is priced similarly to the Z 750 R. To match the price of the Z 750, you'll have to go for the e version.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos

n.B : The Z 800 will also be available in an e version, slightly less expensive, less well equipped, and producing 95 hp. It will be bridgable for the new license, will have less advanced suspension and brakes, and will cost the same as the ex-base Z 750.