Z900 – Kawasaki's Supernaked for Urban Riders

Kawasaki Z400 naked model

appeared in 2021, replacing the Kawasaki Z300. Unlike its predecessor, the new model has become available in all major markets - North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.

The Kawasaki Z400 was based on a common base with the Kawasaki Ninja 400 (2018+) model, as well as a recognizable appearance inherent in the entire modern Z-series from Kawasaki.

Main technical changes in the Kawasaki Z400 compared to the Z300:

• Engine
  . Increased its volume and compression ratio, which led to an increase in power by 6 hp. and a decrease in maximum revolutions by 1000. Torque was increased by 11 Nm, and became fully available at 8000 rpm (instead of 10000 on the Z300).
• Frame
  . The steel diagonal was replaced by a steel tubular structure with an engine as a load-bearing element. This frame technology is used on Kawasaki Ninja H2 series models.
• Pendants
  . A noticeable change was the increase in the diameter of the front fork stays from 37 to 41 mm. The rear suspension settings have changed slightly.
• Brakes
  . The diameter of the front brake disc was increased from 290 to 310 mm. ABS is now present on all trim levels of the model.
• Wheels
  . The model received new rims, the width of the rear tire was increased by 10 mm.
• Fuel tank
  . Was reduced from 17 to 14 liters.
• Dimensions and ergonomics
  . The new model has become a little shorter and taller. Curb weight has decreased from 170 (version with ABS) to 165 kg.

The Kawasaki Z400 model is officially available in the Russian Federation, at a price of 415,000 rubles.

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Kawasaki Z1000: roadster, 2010, 1043 cm³, 138 hp, 221 kg, from RUB 516,468.
Kawasaki Z1000: roadster, 2010, 1043 cm³, 138 hp, 221 kg, from RUB 516,468.

Now a completely different type is held in high esteem. Down with prejudices and callous views! Choppers are for pot-bellied, bearded, overly well-fed and therefore unhurried gentlemen with an arrogant look. Of course, there are lovers of such characters, but how can I, young, slender, energetic, progressive and also modest, compare to them? Unless you can get somewhere a suspended silicone belly and a wig with the effect of “four hairs, but half a meter long.” Okay, let's leave chopperism to its apologists. Otherwise they will beat you to death with heavy leather jackets.

Zetka pendant

The pendant is not too big so it doesn't fit

for the terrain, it's quite difficult for him. It may not look like a boat, but it feels even more uneven in the road. Sure, we have adjustability, and this bike could probably be made into a smooth daybed, but that's probably not the best idea. The motorcycle promotes fast, ambitious riding. This encourages swerving around corners. It's great to ride, so it costs a little stiffer suspension. Everything is fine in the city, so the route will not be worse. But as I already wrote: I will not ride on trails and beaten roads. Besides everything else, because this motorcycle...

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15-liter tank for a “kilogram” - two sips.
More precisely 200 km, if you don’t burn too much. The tiny size of the “slapper” for the passenger, apparently, should be compensated by the euphoria from the beauty of the motorcycle. 15-liter tank for a “kilogram” - two sips. More precisely 200 km, if you don’t burn too much. The tiny size of the “slapper” for the passenger, apparently, should be compensated by the euphoria from the beauty of the motorcycle.

What else

Cool watch. Despite the LCD revolution counter, we have a replacement rotating cue that operates in two modes. Or, with the increase in highlighted turns, more “hints” appear, or there is also one indicator that additionally shows us a trend of decreasing or increasing turnover. There's also a light switch replacement because the tachometer starts pulsing when it's time to change gears. For this reasonable tank and pleasant combustion. Probably even more... in other cases definitely less

We also have a well-built storage box so we can easily carry documents, keys and wallet without fear of losing them. I don’t know how to ride with a passenger, but the seat is quite small, so it can be “so-so”. Well, Kawasaki switches that do the job. The good placement, size of the buttons and the jump in their operation make them better maintainable than the Honda or Yamaha. No great equipment.

Kawasaki Z900

Kawasaki Z900

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The “glass” is also purely stylistic, it is of absolutely no use.
The “glass” is also purely stylistic, it is of absolutely no use.

So, the social-motorcycle experiment ended with quite logical results: most of the interested glances I collected (and a couple of easy but promising acquaintances) belonged to young ladies, energetic and athletic (as evidenced not only by the style of clothing, but also by all kinds of rollerblades, bicycles and other bags with tennis rackets). Yes, if it weren’t a “Zedka” standing next to my table, but some kind of “chrome truck”, I would have collected only punk teenagers and bored ladies of Balzac’s age... Although I still won’t draw parallels, I’ll focus on the motorcycle. The updated, or rather practically brand new, Kawasaki Z1000 has really taken another leap forward from “just a classic” to an “evil naked”. In all respects, it can be safely classified as a street fighter. She seems to be a spiteful woman, but somehow amazingly noble. The facings, painted in white mother-of-pearl with red accents, are set off by a black frame and engine with absolutely cosmic outlines. The picture is completed by a mega-brutal front fork, entirely hidden in a rectangular plastic casing. It seems that one of the key conditions for creating the appearance of the bike was the ban on the use of compasses. Just a ruler and a square! And of course, the last chord that finally attracts the eye to the bike is the mufflers. “Zedki” of previous generations, it should be noted, were also distinguished by “pipe modernity,” but here the designers simply outdid themselves. And how does the device look in metallic chestnut brown color and with a “seat” covered with “python skin”! In general, the appearance of the device is brutal, masculine and noble. What can you do, but it’s very difficult to get away from the usual nicknames “Zedka” and “Kava”. So I won’t bother inventing male names, but remember that this “Kava” is quite a “man”.

First impressions of the motorcycle turned out to be very vague. It seems to be an “evil” naked bike, but to say that the landing “provokes annealing” does not work at all. It is quite comfortable, with a slight tilt forward and, again, a slight shift of the footrests back and up. The fairly wide, almost cross-shaped steering wheel only aggravates this feeling. “I sat down and went to the bakery to get some buns for tea.” The motor behaves in approximately the same manner as the ergonomics. Grumbling softly with two twin mufflers, the device smoothly accelerates without any jerks, explosions or attempts to stall at low throttle, so characteristic of highly accelerated engines. He is absolutely controlled, predictable and adequate in his reactions. A completely smooth torque characteristic is largely achieved due to significant “squaring” of the engine. Compared to the previous generation Z1000, the cylinder diameter decreased from 77.2 to 77 mm, and the piston stroke increased from 50.9 to 56 mm. This “de-extreme” dimension, coupled with the reconfiguration of the injection and exhaust systems, gave the motorcycle a “tractor” characteristic. Throughout the entire rev range, I was unable to feel any significant dips or pick-ups. The device accelerates very smoothly and very powerfully. Honestly, I can't even categorize it clearly. He is both “low-level” and good in the middle, and doesn’t fade away at the “top”. Some kind of completely “electric” motorcycle.

The suspension is “trained” to work in the same confident, dense, but soft manner. Even residents of cities with not very favorable asphalt conditions will not have to buy panties with additional capacity for a crumbling spine. The Z1000 is equipped with a full arsenal of adjustments, so with a certain skill in noticing especially “criminal” potholes in advance, you can generally feel no worse than other “hungry drinkers” in the city. With all this softness on the race track, the motorcycle does not show the slightest bit of “sloppyness”, “floating” off trajectories or instability in corners. I note that during the test, both in the city and before the karting races, I did not “wind up” the suspension. The factory settings in both cases completely suited me, but the very awareness of the possibility, if necessary, to “tighten” or “loose” was simply pleasant.

The main disadvantage of the Kawasaki Z900?

I'll start with the shortcomings. The motorcycle is usually suitable for rainy days. And this is not due to the lack of boosters. Because it doesn't bother you at all. The problem, however, is that basically all the water from under the wheel splashes into the back. The seat on the motorcycle is narrow and short. After driving in the rain, everything was wet. Helmet, backpack, jacket. To make matters worse, there was so much water that it was even dripping from the back of the seat. This resulted in wet pants at the bottom and underwear. So if you're looking to backpack and get caught in the rain, this will probably be your last ride on the Kawasaki Z900.

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The geometry of the device was also chosen to match the “overall sound”. The control acuity in it is sufficient for karting, twisted turns, and for aggressive “embroidery” in traffic jams, but at the same time, the motorcycle does not yaw, does not break in turns, does not resist rolls, and certainly does not allow itself to buck on uneven surfaces. , longitudinal waves and other nasty things on the road surface. On the track, “Zed” allows you to lay yourself down to quite “adult” knees, and quite quickly and without much effort on the part of the pilot, at least by roadster standards, shift yourself in bunches of turns. At the same time, it does not bother you at all with excessive agility during calm and even measured movement along the streets. Yes, this motorcycle is capable of not only “burning” like an adult, but also just driving, and driving slowly! That's what you don't expect from a device with such appearance and performance characteristics! The only thing, perhaps, this motorcycle is not given is to shoot quickly on the highway. No, of course, there is enough “stupidity” in it for both “kopeck piece” and “kopeck piece”, but with its complete lack of wind protection, it’s simply impossible to go faster than 130–140 for any length of time. Even a trained wrestler’s neck will only last a couple of kilometers at most. Although if you really “light up” at the karting track located outside the city, and then slowly ride home, inhaling the evening air and watching the reaction of the young ladies on foot, it will be very pleasant.

In general, the motorcycle is very similar to a sambo wrestler. The trained body is filled with strength, the gait is soft but elastic. He is relaxed and friendly, but at any moment he is ready to “shoot” like a loose spring, and then the offender will be in trouble! These are the kind of comrades that young ladies like. Of course, he has muscles, and some others, but he doesn’t flaunt them, but he literally radiates confidence, reliability and safety, and this is what women of any age value above all else. “Zed” is exactly like that. Handsome, “muscular”, stocky, but not like a “varnished” bodybuilder, who is only useful to watch on TV, but a real one, radiating real, noble strength. And against the backdrop of “anabolic” sportbikes and “elderly” choppers, this advantage is especially noticeable.

Engine in Z900

The motor delivers power very nicely and linearly. Work characteristics based on the principle: the more you want, the more you get. The bike can move from underneath, although it tends to jerk slightly when the revs are really low. However, you don't have to redline the engine to feel satisfying acceleration. Very flexible block. At the same time, it is not boring and easily enters the gas from 1st and 2nd gears. At the same time, it is not as intrusive as the series. He won't surprise you with a sudden increase in power, he'll just give it away the more we play him. And that's enough

Kawasaki Z900

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As an inveterate endurist, it was even a little scary for me to get on this motorcycle.
A bunch of “horses”, “evil” geometry, low ground clearance and an outwardly complete inability to overcome even the smallest potholes. Just show-off and a bow on the side with complete lack of viability together. However, the motorcycle actually turned out to be, above all, very practical. But isn’t this the main thing if a motorcycle is bought specifically for riding, and not for an exhibition stand? Although “zed” will not save you in the spotlight. As an inveterate endurist, it was even a little scary for me to get on this motorcycle. A bunch of “horses”, “evil” geometry, low ground clearance and an outwardly complete inability to overcome even the smallest potholes. Just show-off and a bow on the side with complete lack of viability together. However, the motorcycle actually turned out to be, above all, very practical. But isn’t this the main thing if a motorcycle is bought specifically for riding, and not for an exhibition stand? Although “zed” will not save you in the spotlight.

Brief history of the model

• 2019 - start of production and sales.

Model

: Kawasaki Z400 ABS (All markets).
Factory designation
: ER400DKF.

• 2020 - no significant changes.

Model

: Kawasaki Z400 ABS (All markets).
Factory designation
: ER400DLF.

• 2021 - no significant changes.

Model

: Kawasaki Z400 ABS (All markets).
Factory designation
: ER400DMFNN, ER400DMFNL.

• 2022 - Model not offered on the European market.

Model

: Kawasaki Z400 ABS (All markets).
Factory designation
: ER400DNFNN, ER400DNFNL.

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Technical characteristics of Kawasaki Z1000 (manufacturer data)

The motorcycle was provided by the Kawasaki Center-West showroom.

The track part of the test was carried out at the Mayak karting track.

Other type: Kawasaki Z1000

Brakes in Zetka

I won't say a bad word about the brakes. ABS is standard, but it works really well. No jerking is felt when turning on. His work was more accompanied by the gentle “flow” of the wheel at the limit of loss of traction. On a wet road with a little mud on a poor standard non-insulated tire, the motorcycle gradually lost speed. Not once did the wheel lock for a moment, but it was already flowing at the locking/sliding border. There were no problems on dry ground. Definitely better than the Z650. For everyday use, it is enough to use the handle with one finger, and a slight deceleration is felt.

Kawasaki Z900