Kawasaki Z1000
Kawasaki Z1000
first rides 2007
More punch, less buzz
GOTTA HAND IT TO KAWASAKI'S ENGINEERS: NO SOONFR had I rolled out of the parking lot of the Gran Hotel Atlantis Bahia Real aboard the new Z1000 and accelerated onto the Fuerteventura coast road that divides the Atlantic Ocean from the most spectacular sand dunes this side of the Sahara that I knew they had achieved their goa1—or at least One of 'em.
This bike is smooth.
Okay, between 6000 and 7000 rpm, chunky bar-end weights aside, engine vibration creeps through the broad, oversize handlebar. The rubber-covered footpegs sizzle a bit, too. But it’s nowhere near the palms-down-on-the-washingmachine-during-the-spin-cycle effect that plagued the previous model.
Fix for that flaw didn’t come by way of a new ZXlOR-based engine, as rumored. In fact, for both cosmetic and performance reasons, the naked Z still runs the same non-counterbalanced, liquid-cooled, dohc, 16 valve, 953cc, ZX-9R-sourced four-banger, only now with smaller intake and exhaust valves, revised camshaft profiles, uprated fuel-injection with smaller, oval 36mm Keihin throttle bodies, a new 4-2-1-2 exhaust and lower gearing. Claimed peak power ( 123 hp at 10,000 rpm) is down ever so slightly, but torque is up (73 foot-pounds at 8200 rpm). Check box for Goal #2: more grunt in the low-to-midrange portion of the powerband.
What’s changed to cut vibes is the way the engine is solidly tied to the chassis. Before, the tubular-steel “diamond”-type frame clamped the cylinder head; now, stylized aluminum subframes hug the engine, grasping the cylinders. Overall chassis stiffness has been reduced by 15 percent for better feel.
To further enhance real-world performance, the steering head was moved 10mm farther forward, geometry kicked out (still a racy 24.5 degrees of rake, with 4.1 inches of trail) and a new aluminum Uni-Trak swingarm spec’d, stretching wheelbase by a full inch to 56.9 inches.
End result of all this tweaking is less front-end weight bias. The spring preloadand rebounddamping-adjustable fork still has inverted 41mm legs, but the lowers now support radial-mount four-piston Nissin brake calipers clamping petal-style 268mm rotors. (A radial master cylinder with a span-adjustable lever is standard equipment, too, though not the available-in-Europe-and-Japan anti-lock brakes.) Suspension fore and aft is tuned for “smooth action in the top half of the stroke and firmer damping in the bottom half.” The riding position is slightly more upright, with the handlebar moved closer to the rider. Seat height remains 32.3 inches, though the saddle itself is approximately 1/4 inches narrower.
“Crouching and muscular” is how Kawasaki describes the Z1000’s altered looks. Lines still slope forward but with even more drama than before. Leading the way is an all-new bikini fairing, and redrawn side cowls feature integrated turnsignals. Looking now like dueling blunderbusses, the gold-hued quadoutlet mufflers remain the most controversial styling element. Safe to say, no one will mistake the $8649 (only $150 more than in ’03!) Z1000 for a Honda 919, a Suzuki Bandit 1250S or a Yamaha FZ1, the Kawi’s chief competition.
Located off the northwestern coast of Africa, Fuerteventura is part of the Canary Islands. Its volcanic origin, like that of the other six islands, lends its greatest natural resource (at least as far as visiting motorcyclists are concerned) to road-making. Could all those nicely tanned, white-haired gentlemen lounging poolside with their wives be retired civil engineers, who, having long ago earned their stripes producing dead-straight highways, now lay down asphalt playgrounds that deliver more grins than Walt Disney?
Though tough on tires, the ultraabrasive tarmac provided traction beyond anything I have ever encountered on the road. Tempering the fun factor, at least on Puerteventura, is severe lack of runoff. The “shoulder” is either armco, deep rocky ditches or, in one particularly harrowing section, white-painted cement “hay bales.”
Throwing caution to the wind (well, not entirely), I managed to get a good feel for the new claimed-452-pound Z. The reworked engine pulls hard off corners, no redlinebumping required, and needs just 4000 rpm in sixth gear to pull an indicated 60 mph. Not quite as hard-edged as before, upshot of the chassis changes, handling is nevertheless responsive, stability solid and cornering clearance excellent. Suspension action was firmed up for the launch, indicating a broad range of adjustment, and the stepped-up binders give big-time bite. Defense against the elements is fine at highway-legal speeds, but once into triple digits, hanging onto the bar calls for a Herculean effort.
All well and good. Impressive, even. Best part is, though, the buzz is gone. Well, almost. -Matthew Miles
