2017 Kawasaki Z900 Review | MC Commute
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- Motorcyclist staffer Zack Courts is always arriving to office after his commute with a bunch of opinions about the bike he’s riding. Too much this, not enough that, and occasionally has some decent insights. We thought some of it might help consumers or entertain enthusiasts, so we strapped a camera and microphone to the side of his helmet and told him to turn it on when he leaves his house. A lot of him talking in his helmet is complaining about drivers, yelling at red lights, and wondering why billboards aren’t more expensive. But sometimes he actually talks about the bike, and those are the parts we keep. Got a bike you would like to see discussed? Let us know and we’ll send him home on that one next.
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It's no secret we're always trying to get our staff to work a little harder. Especially the ones that always seem to have too much to say. "Write it down!" we always shout at each other. Zack Courts is a classic case, always arriving to office after his commute with a bunch of opinions about the bike he's riding. Too much this, not enough that, and occasionally has some decent insights that we thought might help consumers or entertain motorcycle enthusiasts.
So we strapped a camera and microphone to the side of his helmet and told him to turn it on when he leaves his house. A lot of him talking in his helmet is complaining about drivers, yelling at red lights, and wondering why billboards aren't more expensive. But sometimes he actually talks about the bike, and those are the parts we keep. Got a bike you would like to see discussed? Let us know and we'll send him home on that one next.
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It’s a great bike! I love my 2019 z900. I added a modified gel pad with some extra foam and it made the ride more comfortable also raised me up a little. I also added a 16 t front sprocket because the first few gears are short. I added an engine crash bar and a radiator guard plus tank protectors and a seat cowl. I really love the Z900. It’s so comfortable, smooth, and powerful, also very pretty! It’s a joy to ride and makes me smile the whole time! Also riding clears your head and eliminates stress!
David Harrison i pick mine up next week 😁. Looking forward to it.
when i get my unrestricted licence i'm going to be eyeing the new z900, looks a bit more aggressive then the last gen one and more tech. i also hope they do the new face of the zx6r on the ninja 1000 like they are on the ninja 650. Both are very nice bikes and you can never go wrong with kwaka reliability
Why does the mc commute always go to work? I think Friday afternoon commute home would be a super positive review. Haha
Saturday morning commute to liquor store.... stop at corner to buy bag of fresh citrus to cut up for rum punch.... pick up new girlfriend and take her back to house; get surprised that old girlfriend is there and let herself in, get to watch cat fight....
That’s a cool commute....
I've test ridden this twice! It's the most aggressive inline 4 motorcycle I've ridden. Everything is so sharp like the Samurai Sword!
@@luikalic . No. Kawasaki just has great motors.
Fuck fast boy
It's a 4-cylinder tuned for grunt.
@Nightingale You might want a Duke 890R.
@Nightingale What conditions you ride in? How long between rests? What age are you? I started on a 636 back 14 years ago. Got so painful riding longer times, I traded for an SV650. hahaha
Been through bikes since. Z900 is very torquey. Great street motor, perfect gear ratios for street and highway.
Zack, I LOVE this kind of video, it really transfers to you the experience of living this bike day by day. Having a pleasant ride to work is very important to make your day.
Love these videos Zack you're the man keep them coming.
10:58 that was a perfectly smooth wheelie!
Love your subtle laugh when you do wheelies all the time 😂
0:56 - Whoa! Zack is a car guy too? Those (Honda S2k and Mitsubishi Evo X) are some serious driver's cars in that driveway!
all wheel drive lancer Kappa
Basuo rwd civic kappa
Awesome bike. I own one now bout two k miles on it. So smooth very quick and tourney. I put full akro exhaust and it sounds awesome. Very nimble takes corners like nothing. Awesome breaks. Awesome gas mileage. Better than fz09 in my opinion. I’ve ridden both. Power delivery is much smoother on the z. And has more power up in the gears. Better seating position as well. Fzohnine feels like a dirt bike. Z900 all day.
KZ900 Cow was the bike to have when I was young back in the '70s. : )
Wow!!! The brakes, the weight, the seat height... This model is gonna be a hit!!!
Anyone else notice the S2K and the Evo in the driveway!? Combine that with the motorcycle job and Zack has it made. Well done sir.
MC Mag, the only company where hooliganism in the parking lot isn't frowned upon.
I have been riding Z900 with full exhaust system since SEP 2017 and I love it. every time I go to a ride or a meetup it get lots of complements, power wise this bike is a bomb and suspension is like you feel every small bump on the road, overall its a good bike :)
Can you test ride the gsx-s 750. The new one. Since u did the fz 09 and this
The Z900 seat height is 31.3" The Ninja 1000 is 32.1". The Z1000 is 32". The Z800 is 32.8". Equally important is the knee angle caused by the placement of the pegs. The numbers for these are Z800 78°, Z900 75°, Z1000 81°, and Ninja 1000 77°.
I prefer the super aggressive and mean looking z-1000 styling though. Between the z650, z900 and z1000 they look meaner and more bad ass as you go up with the z650 looking really tame
Green frame is def cool.
I am a beginning bike rider. I just completed the motorcycle safety course. I’m a bigger guy roughly 230 pounds 5 foot 11. I find that I am confused between a Kawasaki Z6 50 and the Kawasaki Z 900. I will be using the bike for daily commute roughly around 40 minutes each way. Another Thing that I need to think about. Is I don’t want to sell the bike in the future I want to be able to keep it for the next 4 to 5 years. I see all kinds of smaller bikes on the used motorcycle lot. I always hear the rhetoric of, “You will outgrow the bike, just get a bike that you will not outgrow, Just consider it as a long term investment “. The salesman Is no help as he just pressures me into buying any bike.. What do you think would be a good commuter bike for a beginner, Larger man? I sat on a z900 ABS and felt really comfortable on it. I sat on a Z650 and it appeared to be just as comfortable but a little smaller and cramped.
if you're restricted in power as a new riders buy the Z650,if not buy the z900 both with a confort seat
this is the beast motorcykle chanel
looking forward to full on review of the Z900 - Better yet, comparison test Z900 vs FZ09. I'm sure plenty are hoping for this and no other channel has yet to do it! I eventually want to upgrade from my ER6n and Z900 has caught my eye. Especially since it's almost 3k cheaper in my local market (Yamaha is sold way over US MSRP here in Panama)
RoadsterWill507 que tal soy panameño también! en cuanto esta la fz09 ? en otro video vi un comentario de un panameño tambien y decia que estaba en 15mil , como puede ser eeso posible
Saludos pana. Yo fui al Yamaha de calle 50 y me dijeron que estaba en $12,xxx y no tenian. La FZ07 esta en $10,xxx.
RoadsterWill507 la fz07 en 10k carisima, tendre que optar por kawasaki aunque preferia yamaha
MCN has tested them back to back and the Kawi won. More power, faster, better suspension and better handling and a much better level of finish saw the Kawi come out on top. They then put it up against the much more expensive Triumph 765 RS and the Kawi only just lost out. So for the money the Kawi Z900 is great value for money. I took one out for a test ride the other day and found it to be really good fun as well as bloody quick. The steering and handling are so good and it's creamy smooth. Also it's not just top end power, it has loads of midrange and a good bottom end. Go try one.
I found it to cramped up im 6ft1 i bought the. Mt09 it has the power where it should be
I keep coming across these 'mc commute' vids. Miss them so much.
Another good review.
Like the new magazine format too. Brings something different to the NC world where all magazines tend to be the same.
Hope you can also test the Z900rs. Lovely bike
yes pleas do.
Z900rs mc commute please!
Lemmy from revzilla also noted the issue with the exhaust to right foot peg - they fixed it with a slip on to give an additional 2" of space.
The low seat height was a basic deal breaker for me. I have short legs. Ida likely bought the GSXs750 (as an old gsxr rider) but i struggled to get on it. Then struggled to get off it. So there was no point even riding it.
The MT09 basically scared me. Lightswitch throttle. If the rear wasnt spinning the front was clawing the sky. If a bump was hit it wheelied. It was insane. Good if you like that. Horrid if you dont.
I think the issue with your foot on the exhaust is you. Ive had mine for 8 months now and have never noticed it.
The gearchange is excellent. The throttle is perrrrrfection. That big beautiful 948cc engine is sublime. Smooth as silk and gentle when you want it, savage when its time to get down.
The Z900 doesnt NEED electronic aids if the rider isnt a moron.
Enough power. Sweet lithe but stable handling. Good ride easily adjustable. Decent wind protection for a naked bike. Excsllent brakes.
As you said. Kawasaki knows how to make motorcycles.
zack, you make some of the best, most informative reviews available. sub’d
atleast in europe they still got the Z1000, did a test ride on both Z1000 and Z900 fun bikes
Hey Zack, as always, lots of fun to ride along with you and it really looked like todays ride was fun. I guess my question is your thoughts when it come to comparing the Z900 with the FZ09. You mentioned price and not a whole lot else ... so???? Which one has the better suspension. Which one has the better motor...etc, etc. Most importantly, which one would you get if it came down to just those two. Or is there a better budget 900 naked bike for 2017?
Having previously owned the Z800 which clearly isnt as good of a bike as this Z900 and riding the FZ09 multiple times, I highly recommend testing them both. As the most important difference is obviously the engine. Triple or a inline 4, you need to assess which engine type you prefer as they make power differently.
The FZ-09 suspension and chassis just never feels quite right. I think the Z900 might be better in this area. I'd argue that the Kawi might have a better engine as well unless you particularly love triples. They are quite different....triples = torque everywhere
Wally Murray From owning multiple Kawasaki bikes and owning a few as well as riding Yamahas...
If you can figure out why a Kawasaki trans flips and slips out too often, I wouldn't bother with it. Something about the trans issue is common to Kawasaki, but if you're into going ballistic with too much force than should be necessary to have a positive shifts... you'll be fine.
Take a look at the XSR 900 vs the FZ-09, that bike is nice riding and doesn't have tons of plastic. Last year has a better color scheme for the tank and the current model year's fugly blue tank is just that, fugly.
So I've ridden the Z900, the suspension on it is exceptional, incredible front end feel and still has good ride quality. Supposedly the 2017 FZ-09 received the suspension from the XSR900 which should be a big improvement, it also got the multi mode traction control and ABS from the XSR as well. 2014 to 2016 FZ-09s have no ABS and garbage suspension.
The Z900 motor has good mid-range for a 4 banger, and still maintains that smooth 4 cylinder powerband, if anything it maybe tops out a little early, could use another 1000rpm up top. The FZ-09s 3 cylinder is supposed to have absolutely explosive power delivery especially in the mid range.
I'm a Kawi fan and own a 650, but I really like the FZ 09, I think it sounds and looks better. looks are subjective of course.
Yes Yamaha have nailed the styling on the new FX 09 but also put a lot of tech in it. The other makers need to up their game.
Fredo C the triple sounds great. and sound is a big deal for a bike.
Fredo C Get a nice pipe on the Z900 and it sounds awesome.
grownsimbaa papa bless
The FZ is jumpy, and twitchy, and isnt as strong in the top end as the Z
I like your videos, you do great reviews on all of the sport naked bikes. Keep up the videos.
The next time I see a Geico Whitesnake commercial I’m riding my motorcycle off a cliff
Can you guys please review a z900rs?
Another excellent video, guys! It seems that heel on exhaust tube is a thing with pretty much every Kawi? There were other Kawi's you said to have the same issue and I faced it with my personal little Ninja 300. Kawasaki, please, make a Z 900 SX! Thanks a lot for the video, MC!
Awesome vid Zack, your content is great, you should make more vids like these, like so Zack can see.
At nine thousand dollars, this is a much better deal than what we had back in the '70's, and look at all more you get too. I must be old. I just don't like the style of the new ones.
Ray Brensike Funny you mention that, Kawasaki made the Z900RS, which is this same bike in this vid but in the classic 70s style.
Those Z900's are nice !! Good price too
Bravo, Another great video. However would be nice to see the rider on the bike. I'm 6'4" and will not ride anything less than the biggest bikes such as KLR or African twin. That an awesome looking bike though. Cheers
Finally someone speaking English.
Heres the thing look at the pricing and look at the weight and compare to the competitors
There's absolutely a 2017 version of the Z1000.. I own one (2017 Z1000SX). It's a pretty significant upgrade too from the 2016.
Pragmatic Tornado for 2017 there's a Z1000R
Yeh there's a 2017 Z1000 (the regular naked version) as well as several other variants. And seeing as the Z1000 is one of their more popular bikes, I don't see it being discontinued in favour of a less powerful bike with way less features in the near future. That said, the Z900 looks like a great bike too.
Pragmatic Tornado power to weight ratio is where it's at and the Z900 is better in that case.
Wrong. The Z900 outputs 0,59hp pr kg (at the crank), and 98,6Nm of torque, while the Z1000 outputs 0,64hp pr kg (at the crank) and 111Nm of torque. These numbers are for the 2017 models. Now if you look at the Z1000SX (or Ninja 1000 as it's called in the US), the figure changes seeing as it weighs 235 kg's, but it's still in favour of the Z1000 (but not by much).
At any rate, torque is where it's at for me. I came from a bike which produced 138Nm (GSX-R 1300), so downgrading to anything less than a liter bike was completely out of the question.
The Z900 is probably more nimble though, seeing as it weighs 10 kg's less than the Z1000.
Pragmatic Tornado numbers are just numbers, yesterday I won a race with a Z900 in between Kawasaki models Z800, Z900 and Z1000. The Z900 it's a better track bike than the other models it's tubular frame makes it more agile so getting off the line and turns faster than the Z1000.
I'm a short guy so this bike is very appealing to me. I hope to test ride it soon. I want to know about the Racer gloves you're wearing though: how do you like them? Can you tell us about them?
If I come from a 300cc bike do you recommend this bike ¿? I want dis bike for mi second bike
I like the look of it - angular and sleek, almost alien. I can see it with a green led kit to really make it pop at night.
Heel against the exhaust was the same for me. If you have the ball of your foot on the peg, your heel has to move outwards accommodate it. The gear shifter seems too easy to move, maybe that's what he's sensing? I changed up accidentally just moving my foot to touch the shift lever, almost no tactile feel once your shifting from 2nd up. I also found you can't start up and shift from N to 2nd, you have to shift to 1st.
Thats a nice stock looking S2000 in the beginning :D
I own z800 and love every bit of it ❤❤❤
Great review again! I'd love to have that bike.
Damn Kawasaki keeps making me drool.
How does the Z900 compare to the Suzuki GSX S1000 the two bikes I'm looking at
I thought i wanted an fz09 until i saw this
Do a 2018 GSX-S750 MC commute. Doesnt get much press but it seems like a good bang for the buck bike.
The shifts are notchy because kawi puts crap OEM oil inside!
Get certified MA2 oil + one grade up in summer (IE 10W40 to 10W50) and MOST of the shifting gremlins go away.
What oil would you recommend? I'm thinking about getting a Z900.
Thanks! I think you mean 5100 right? Semi synthetic.
Love the lime green !
Haha. No wonder this all looked familiar. I think we live on the same block on east side.
I love old black Kawasakis. That could make like new ones too. Seat just looks too low. Nice, no nonsense real motorcycle.
Hi Zak The Z900 is the replacement for the Z800 not the Z1000 as kawasaki now has the new Z1000r
Hey Zack, great review! I was hoping to see one on the 2017 cbr650f, which seems more like an everyday bike!
Hi, I have a 2018 cb650f and typically use it daily. It's a great bike with lots of nice touches. Not as powerful as the z900, but that does mean that you can more easily use the whole rev range. I'm considering the z900 as a next step up but trying to decide if its almost too much power to (regularly) use on the road. Hope that helps :-)
@@RideSafeNSmart thank you so much! I ended up getting a Street Triple R a year ago instead. You should totally get the z900! It's a lovely motorcycle!
i love the look of this bike, im used to riding with a windshield albeit a small one, wondering about this one not having one and how that bodes for longer trips
Hey Zack, can you commute on a BMW S1000R? TY
Yes, would like to hear his thoughts on it.
You can commute on any bike, just depends on how much you yourself are willing to put up with..
The S1000R isnt too bad I think the S1000RR might not be that good.
I commute on an RSV4, but at that point, you're compromising so much, that you really have to want to use that bike specifically.
Boyang Chen who cares about s1000r, too many fanboys around here... always asking for s1000 or h2 or superduke.. so annoying
Can we expect to see a review of the 2020 model?
Love the vids. Two comments: 1) your voice in the beginning sounds like you have a cold or are trying to make it deeper and fake, idk. Maybe it's the gopro audio quality, in helmet sounds fine. 2) please stabilize or get a gimble for the hand held shots!
i'm Looking Forward To The 2022 🆕 Z-900 SE* ModeL Test, Love This Bike, &+ U~Turn Test✔️.
please do the Z650 commute :-)
I know exactly what your talking about hitting the rev limiter. I rode a Motto guzzi V7 Stone and I kept hitting the rev limiter because I felt it wasn't making enough power yet.
Test rode on about a month ago. Very smooth, but the low seat height and upright riding position mixed with a taller tank, made me feel like i was sitting in the bike, compared to on it. Not my cup of tea but was smooth. Also completely agree with the right heel sitting on the exhaust cover. It is a great bike, but i definitely like the character the triples that compete with it have. (FZ-09 and Street Triple 765). But by far my favorite inline 4 naked right now.
I get mine tomorrow exactly the same
Such a cool bike I Love the the styling!
All the Kaws I've owned had that short throw shifter, which I really like mostly because I gots really bitty feets. People with big feet tend not to like the Kawasaki shifter.
Awesome video! I'm considering one of these as my next commuter bike. Need to sell my KLR first though. :P
I had the same shifting issue with my Concours 14. The lever needed to be lowered slightly to allow for more positive shift engagement. Another consideration is the oil, since a motor like this will usually share lubrication with the gearbox. Castrol or Kawasaki synthetics seem to work best in the 4 Kawasaki bikes I've had.
Is that z900 good for 5'7
Motorcycle Mag.
Thanks Zack for clearing that up.
Hi Zack, love your videos! would it be possible for you to review a V-Strom 1000?
Some nice cars you have there!
The Z1000 Actually has 953cc if I'm remembering it correctly. So they pretty much have the same displacement. So yeah, would make sense to ditch the Z1000 based on that alone.
Seer111 the 2007 did, but later years were 1050
Ah OK. 2003/2006 did as well.
1043cc if I remember correctly. They should ditch the Z900 if anything.
@9:02 Off course you need it, either for the race track or for the Autobahn. Let alone that you paid for such a powerful motorcycle, so you don't want the performance to be compromised. :)
@9:37 It is a bad thing for tall riders because of ergonomics.
hey Zack nice ride as always . Zakk here from new Zealand bro chur man
I love this bike I will get it someday
I find Kawi really did the z900 and z650 right for ergonomics. I'm 6'0" with a 34" inseam and my 650 feels great. Legs tuck right into the tank without any pinch points. I sat on some Ninja 650s from previous years and it was terribly uncomfortable but the '17 fixed all that.
kernisme
I wish I was that tall......im 5 foot 6 with a 28 inch inseam. I hear "The seat hight is only 31.5 inches"..........well looks like another bike I won't be able to flat foot....
Getting my z900 in 2 days didn't get abs.
I like it, they need a version with a fairing though. Agree to replace the Z800 & 1000, makes no sense to get one of those with this on offer.
Just bought one of these . Awesome bike. Might sound mad but I washed it the other day and a few suds went on the black rad . It has now gone but rust where the suds soap water went any tips to get rid of that rust of rad ? Thanks . Love your vids
Triumph Street Triple RS direct competitor?
BMW s1000r please
Dear Zach
Is that your Honda S2000 that is visible as you get on the Kawaski, just briefly?
He’s not sure weather is a 948cc or what not. “It has 948cc in-line 4 I believed”. You’re memory not serving you right.
The 2017 thru 2019 has hideous dash board and a headlights.
2020 to 2022 Z900 has a TFT dash great looking refined great looking led headlights and all the safety features abs, traction controls, Bluetooth connectivity, driving modes settings and led lights all the way around except the turn signals.
can you do a commute vid on a new street triple r or s model, I know you didi the vid onthe new street trip RS, thanks
Hey Zack, will you be doing a commute on the cb650f that's coming to the states next month?
COOL
I was actually finding it too easy to do clutchless shifts however I felt the suspension was on the firmer side. Not sure if that's adjustable
GREAT DRIVING!
Sh@t i miss going out with my bike...
How does the Z900 compare to the new FZ09? Just curious....
they are pretty close, Z900 has more power and torque but is heavier so the power to weight would be about the same but lower end on the Z900 is better. personally i'd just go with who has the better deal at the dealership but i do think the Z900 looks alot cooler
We get the new Z1000 as well lol
My z400 can do 90 mph so why Ride a 900
How is this thing riding two-up?
That was a fun ride along! Do the BMW R9T racer next!
2021 we still have the z1000. You said the 900 was replacing it 🤷♂️
United States does not have 1000 anymore
My favorite part about my 2019 z900 is how it rotates in corners, I actually have to force it to rotate slower in casual cornering. My least favorite part is how coolant is leaking into the oil since 3000 miles and I can't get a warranty engine because of a certain pandemic.
Edit: I also have those weird shifting problems. I mostly blame myself but with this bike you've gotta really give it a hoof.
Kawasaki designs into thier models a feature called "positive neutral finder" which makes it easy to put the transmission into neutral. This is probably why he misses the shift from first to second gear. I believe Kawasaki has been designing into thier bikes this "P.N.F." for decades. My 1991 Kawasaki EX500 had this.
@@propheticpig868 That's fascinating. Thanks for the info. This is my first Kawi after only riding Suzukis forever.
Like the bike but the dashboard looks way too plain for my taste. Kawazaki needs to up their game on the electronics dept too. I'd love to see this bike with all the latest electronics including cruise control and heated grips like BMW