Unique to see a review of an entire range of bikes for a single manufacturer. Very interesting. I recently did the same thing on the Z line but only from a spec sheet basis (no such thing as test rides in my part of the Northeast USA). I've been riding for over 50 years, and was trying to figure out what to get come late fall for riding at our newly purchased snowbird 2nd home condo in Florida. I had kind of decided on the Z range and my first thought was to just get a Z400 to bop about town and back roads. But, when I compared the Z400, Z650, and Z900 specs; it became clear that the weight and price penalties for moving up to the Z900 were relatively small compared to the significant performance gains. So, that's what I'll be buying when I get down to Florida in a couple of months. Thanks for the nice and informative review.
Got the latest Z650. Great bike with loads of good features: Light, low seat, dead easy to ride/manage. Super light clutch, best and clearest dash I've come across. The three best things are the excellent, precise gearbox, the super agile quick handling and above all the engine which has loads of grunt right across the rev range.
The UK sure does look like a dangerous place to ride a motorcycle. I’ve noticed this in other videos too. It’s beautiful scenery, but so much over growth, blind corners, skinny roads. More I watch the scarier it looks.
Yeah some of the worse roads in the world, not made for motorcycles, wait till you see our potholes sunken grids, raised manhole covers, loose grit from resurfacing and all seem to be on the bends?
@@RyanMcIntyre Difference between the 400 and 650 isn't all that big. In terms of acceleration you only start to see a difference above 62mph/100kph. Top speed difference isn't that big either. I say skip the 650 if you already own a 400.
Great review of the brand. Fair comparison on all the range. I like this approach. Top reviewer too one of my favourite knowledgeable guy and always appreciate his reviews even on bikes I'm not interested in. Iv got the zh2 and still enjoyed listening about the little bikes. Agreed with the comments on the zh2 its a game changer and really deserves its title of a "super" naked. Top job.
Great review, thank you. Masterpiece of an engine on the Z H2. Probably one of the best supercharged engine ever built to date. Already own the H2 SX SE + and now the Z H2 as well. Upgrade the brakes to Brembo Stylema, suspension to Ohlins, add an Ohlins steering damper, carbon wheels, change to quality lithium-ion battery and a slightly taller windscreen and you will have the Z H2 as best most powerful supernaked/touring bike out there.
So odd observation why is the 650 exhaust so different from the rest? It appears tucked in right next to the rear wheel and ejects the exhaust sideways. Will this harm the rear wheel tire?
Great wholehearted British bike journalism and a refreshing change from all the enthusiastic but flawed umming and arrhing you tube armatures. What about the Z1000(current) compared to the ZH2( base)?? Grateful for your thoughts. Thanks again, brilliant piece.
There’s a sizeable price difference between the two, I think you’d have to really want a supercharged riding experience to justify the extra dosh. Thanks for the kind words, Nick.
This man is one of my favorite bike reviewers. Not a smart aleck, proper English accent, and tells it like it is. I have a '22 Z900 and i really love this bike, except for the crummy oem tires. Was looking at 2 new H2's sitting at the dealer for a while. They were even discounted. But after a bit of thought, I figured it best to stay with the 900. The H2 is a little bit of overkill and I'd most likely end up toast if I bought it. These SC 4's have a wicked sound like no other. I can still dream though, can't I?
In my opinion with the Z line is the more hamsters it has the way better it looks. I'm getting a Z650 pretty soon as a somewhat new rider and i can't wait to get the Z900. I'm sure the collection wont end at that because i love all motorcycles really.
No z900RS? Go back and do it again. I kid, I love Bike World. Truth be told I'm a bit of a Kawasaki fan. I don't have the pleasure of owning one at the moment but I put 25,000 miles on a 2015 Versys 1000 in about 2 years and I love what Kawasaki is about. Putting a z400 in my garage next to my big bike is an idea I've been kicking around for quite some time.
you get the Z1000 if you like the Z900 but you think the suspension and brakes on it are complete schiat... The Z1000 comes with full radial mount calipers and master cylinder along with fully adjustable Showa SFF-BP forks, whereas the Z900 comes with bargain-bin brakes and suspension...
@@Uninfluenceable But it works better on the road than the Z1000 suspension. Try them back to back. Z900 for the money is probably the best bang for your buck.
The guy at Kawasaki was telling me a Z H2 would be good for a learner rider as it has modes and the said learner would not need to upgrade as he would if they bought a 600cc and it would be cool as long as they rode responsible. What do you guys think ??
You know damn good and well if you get on that bike with all that power you’re not gonna go “maybe…maybe I’ll take it off baby mode just this once” lmao
Why must the Ninja 1000 be so heavy? Was really wishing they would switch over to the z900 platform for the big ninja. Lose like 15hp but also lose 50+ lbs. Probably also lose some of the vibration the 1000 is known for. Do it Kawasaki! Time for a new Ninja 900!
@@RyanMcIntyre well, we still have it here in S.E. Asia.. i was really expecting the z900 last summer but i think kawasaki asia will not bring it here as long as we have the z1000... we also have ZH2 here...
All of the Z’s in this video make respectable if not class leading power except for the 650. 67 horsepower from a 650cc engine is pathetic. The Z400, Z650 and Z900 are the first Kawasaki’s to really grab my attention and I want one of them. I want to ride all of them. The older I get the more I care about outright power and the more I prefer light weight and lithe handling.
The Z1000 is the most neglected model in the whole Kawasaki range, despite the fact that its the best looking (by far) of all the Zed bikes. I mean the Ducati Streetfighter copied it's looks for God's sake! I wish Kawasaki would update it to have an IMU and up/down quick shifter for the 2021 model year and then I would replace my current Z with it. As hyped up as I was with the teasers, the ZH2 was a massive letdown. It just doesn't look right... Please Kawasaki, give us the Z1000 we deserve!
It's already been dropped from the lineup. Why are so many people asking for updates or reviews on an old model? The Z900 replaced the Z800 and the Z1000.
@@RyanMcIntyre It's only dropped in the US, in Canada and rest of the world it's still for sale. The Z900 is merely a value engineering exercise to make the Z1000 compete more with the MT-09's of the world rather than the BMW S1000r and Tuono's. The Z900 is basically a Z1000 that has been cheapened in every way possible. Unfortunate back in the day all the moto journo's kept comparing the Z1000 to the Tuono, SuperDuke and S1000r because it was similarly equipped, despite the fact that it was 4 grand cheaper than the other bikes, and of course it kept loosing all of the comparisons because it was not a superbike with MX bars like the other bikes were. Kawasaki was sick of being last in all the comparisons, so they created a cheaper Z900 which was a clear winner when compared to middle nakeds weights like the MT-09, CB650r, Street Triple, etc.
The review starts with a whole heap of BS - the UK AR125 was not 22bhp as it was restricted to 12bhp in accordance with the 125cc regulations at the time so the 15 bhp z125 may well be slightly quicker.
@@johnhogan8816 Yes we all cut the washer out the exhaust and put an Allspeed or Micron expansion chamber on (I always preferred Allspeeds which I had on my RD125DX and AR125) - but in that tune AR125s would still not make the full-power 22bhp. The statement was still wrong however you justify it by mentioning people illegally modifying their bikes. Your z125 seemed happy at 72mph on the motorway - on a naked bike with a beefy 40 year old sitting upright. My faired AR125 with a skinny teenager (me) prone on the tank and feet on the rear footpegs didn’t go much faster than that and took a while to get there.
Reckless Rodent agh I love this. Thanks for the first hand account. I’d love to see them head to head at the lights. My rose tinted memory of the AR125 has it beating the new Z125 quite easily. If you can find and old one, I can find a new one!
@@johnhogan8816 Of all the 125s I had my favourite was not the fastest or best handling - I loved my Suzuki GT125 last of the 16 bhp ones. a lovely bike as long as it wasn't raining turning the front stainless steel disc brake into a random crash generator. It started my love of Suzuki's culminating in a 20 year ownership of a Hayabusa (nitrosed). I now have an MT10 (with touring pack) and a supercharged Triumph Thunderbird Storm (172 at the back wheel.) which is what drew me to your review - thinking of buying a supercharged Kwacker in a form my old knees can cope with!
Unique to see a review of an entire range of bikes for a single manufacturer. Very interesting. I recently did the same thing on the Z line but only from a spec sheet basis (no such thing as test rides in my part of the Northeast USA). I've been riding for over 50 years, and was trying to figure out what to get come late fall for riding at our newly purchased snowbird 2nd home condo in Florida. I had kind of decided on the Z range and my first thought was to just get a Z400 to bop about town and back roads. But, when I compared the Z400, Z650, and Z900 specs; it became clear that the weight and price penalties for moving up to the Z900 were relatively small compared to the significant performance gains. So, that's what I'll be buying when I get down to Florida in a couple of months. Thanks for the nice and informative review.
Got the latest Z650. Great bike with loads of good features: Light, low seat, dead easy to ride/manage. Super light clutch, best and clearest dash I've come across. The three best things are the excellent, precise gearbox, the super agile quick handling and above all the engine which has loads of grunt right across the rev range.
The UK sure does look like a dangerous place to ride a motorcycle. I’ve noticed this in other videos too. It’s beautiful scenery, but so much over growth, blind corners, skinny roads. More I watch the scarier it looks.
Yeah some of the worse roads in the world, not made for motorcycles, wait till you see our potholes sunken grids, raised manhole covers, loose grit from resurfacing and all seem to be on the bends?
@@keithmartland6463 The rust belt in the USA laughs at your potholes...and cries for curves (except a few gems lik3 the Poconos).
Ah yes the lovely rust belt
This was a very good comparison video. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep up the good works guys!! 😁👍🏿
Love my Z400. Definitely looking to have a Z900 in the future
Don't skip the 650 on the way!
@@RyanMcIntyre Difference between the 400 and 650 isn't all that big. In terms of acceleration you only start to see a difference above 62mph/100kph. Top speed difference isn't that big either. I say skip the 650 if you already own a 400.
Definitely one of the best reviewers out there.
(I used to have the 400. It was a blast to ride.)
900RS missing....my favourite Z👍
god that green cafe is such a beautiful machine
Great review of the brand. Fair comparison on all the range. I like this approach. Top reviewer too one of my favourite knowledgeable guy and always appreciate his reviews even on bikes I'm not interested in. Iv got the zh2 and still enjoyed listening about the little bikes. Agreed with the comments on the zh2 its a game changer and really deserves its title of a "super" naked. Top job.
Cheers Mark, hope you've subscribed?
👍 Great concept for a review video, very enjoyable
Wicked review, mate. Well done
Great review, hope your trip here to Vegas was good :D
Very good review as usual! Just traded my Yam 09 for the ninja 650 and I luv it!
Sadly we don’t get the grom sized z125 in Europe!
Would be a cool fun bike for the city and some funny ride out’s!
Great review of the Z family 💚
Great job! 👍👍👍
Great review, thank you.
Masterpiece of an engine on the Z H2. Probably one of the best supercharged engine ever built to date. Already own the H2 SX SE + and now the Z H2 as well.
Upgrade the brakes to Brembo Stylema, suspension to Ohlins, add an Ohlins steering damper, carbon wheels, change to quality lithium-ion battery and a slightly taller windscreen and you will have the Z H2 as best most powerful supernaked/touring bike out there.
Do you want to adopt me
@@davidmasterinjo 😂 why would I share my girlfriends with my kids?? Never ever
love this review
I love all reviews. Is there a possibility that you guys can review about the xsr range?
Started my Kawasaki life as a 17 year old on a 1980 kh125, 12bhp, ragged it everywhere, top speed was about 65mph, 😁 happy days
You left it standard?
@@LondonSteveLee laws had changed, was only keeping it till I passed my test, got nicked and torched, passed test bought a Z400j3,
Great video. Thnx Z9
That was a good fun, low key and honest.
Great video guys, I just bought a Z900 not a zee 900 😂 2017, great bike everything you need and more thanks for vid!!
Its Z900 not Zed 900 lol
That sense of humor is astounding 😀
So odd observation why is the 650 exhaust so different from the rest? It appears tucked in right next to the rear wheel and ejects the exhaust sideways. Will this harm the rear wheel tire?
Great vid, same for the ninja range?
Very informative, thanks
Great wholehearted British bike journalism and a refreshing change from all the enthusiastic but flawed umming and arrhing you tube armatures.
What about the Z1000(current) compared to the ZH2( base)??
Grateful for your thoughts. Thanks again, brilliant piece.
There’s a sizeable price difference between the two, I think you’d have to really want a supercharged riding experience to justify the extra dosh. Thanks for the kind words, Nick.
That was an great example of owning a ZH2 😀. Nice review though!!
How fast does that zee900 go from Zedro to 60 ?
Well said as always
I own a Z125. First bike at 45! Hope to get a full UK licence and upgrade to Z400 soon
This man is one of my favorite bike reviewers. Not a smart aleck, proper English accent, and tells it like it is. I have a '22 Z900 and i really love this bike, except for the crummy oem tires. Was looking at 2 new H2's sitting at the dealer for a while. They were even discounted. But after a bit of thought, I figured it best to stay with the 900. The H2 is a little bit of overkill and I'd most likely end up toast if I bought it. These SC 4's have a wicked sound like no other. I can still dream though, can't I?
In my opinion with the Z line is the more hamsters it has the way better it looks.
I'm getting a Z650 pretty soon as a somewhat new rider and i can't wait to get the Z900. I'm sure the collection wont end at that because i love all motorcycles really.
You had me at the Margot Robbie reference! LOL!!!
Love my Z900
what windshield did you use on the z900? is that the large meter cover
When will you guys test the new Katana
1:20 Z125
4:53 Z400
6:55 Z650
11:34 Z900
15:01 ZH2
Who else came to hear him talk about our bike
Thank you for the Margot Robbie visual haha
Can the Z400 cope with a heavy rider around 120kgs or should we go straight to the 650? Hes a brand new rider.
If you’re fat and overweight, get a Harley Davidson and join a motorcycle gang
Will you do Yamaha MT family?
No z900RS?
Go back and do it again.
I kid, I love Bike World. Truth be told I'm a bit of a Kawasaki fan. I don't have the pleasure of owning one at the moment but I put 25,000 miles on a 2015 Versys 1000 in about 2 years and I love what Kawasaki is about. Putting a z400 in my garage next to my big bike is an idea I've been kicking around for quite some time.
That’s exactly where I’d have one, next to something bigger and more suited to big mile trips. For day to day stuff the little 400 would be ideal
We've already had some fun on the RS Jeff: ua-cam.com/video/Z5gnC-i87-4/v-deo.html Thanks for the support!
What about the Z900RS????
How would the 900 handle 19stone?
Where would the Z1000 fit in the range? After the 900? Before the H2?
you get the Z1000 if you like the Z900 but you think the suspension and brakes on it are complete schiat... The Z1000 comes with full radial mount calipers and master cylinder along with fully adjustable Showa SFF-BP forks, whereas the Z900 comes with bargain-bin brakes and suspension...
@@Uninfluenceable But it works better on the road than the Z1000 suspension. Try them back to back. Z900 for the money is probably the best bang for your buck.
Ian Derzsi thank you for the heads up about the brakes and suspension.
Pretty sure there’s no D in Z.... zzzzzz! Not zed! Lol from your friends across the pond! 🇺🇸 lol great vid though!
The guy at Kawasaki was telling me a Z H2 would be good for a learner rider as it has modes and the said learner would not need to upgrade as he would if they bought a 600cc and it would be cool as long as they rode responsible. What do you guys think ??
You know damn good and well if you get on that bike with all that power you’re not gonna go “maybe…maybe I’ll take it off baby mode just this once” lmao
do another one for The Royal Enfield Himalayan also!
Awesome Video, I’m currently tossing up between the Z900 and the Ninja 1000sx. Have you guys done a review on the Ninja 1000sx ?
We've got one next week Alex.
Why must the Ninja 1000 be so heavy? Was really wishing they would switch over to the z900 platform for the big ninja. Lose like 15hp but also lose 50+ lbs. Probably also lose some of the vibration the 1000 is known for. Do it Kawasaki! Time for a new Ninja 900!
Haaaa did you say mirkin!? Classic!
i really hope kawasaki will not totally drop the z1000...
all it need is an electronics upgrade and few engine tweaks...
love the ZED range
Have you tried reading the Kawasaki website? The Z800 and the Z1000 have been off the lineup since the end of 2019. 8 months ago.
@@RyanMcIntyre well, we still have it here in S.E. Asia.. i was really expecting the z900 last summer but i think kawasaki asia will not bring it here as long as we have the z1000...
we also have ZH2 here...
@@RyanMcIntyre i did notice that they dont have the z1000 in their bike list, but here in S.E Asia they still offer it...
@@juliuscarlopoblete2092 Then I would expect them to drop it soon, odds are they're selling remaining inventory
I have the z900. I WANT THE ZH2 So badly.
I hate that huge muffler on the side of the ZH2. Under belly look so much nicer
All the way around the world instead of u turn lmao 😂
I like how you mocked on how they say Z but still use miles per hour
England uses MPH, speed limits and distances are in miles.
We had the Z 250 then the Z 300 Now they give us a Z 400 i bet in a year or two this will be a Z 500 twin,
where is z250?
Z900 rocks
Zee - liciuos ! 😉
Ok, as an American I'll accept "zed" if you'll accept "aluminum" instead of "al-u-minium".
Deal?
And I'm guessing you also pronounce the other elements as Helum, Lithum, Sodum, Calcum, Potassum, Magnesum, Titanum and Iridum?
The clue is 'English language' 😉
Apparently it's pronounced Yo-Semite.
Orfan Productions - No, those actually have an 'i' in front of the 'u'.
@@blipco5 Uhhh, so does Aluminium.
Review was pro
And rs above all of em y’all
And where is the all mighty Z800?
Forgot Z250?
No Z250 in the UK.
All of the Z’s in this video make respectable if not class leading power except for the 650. 67 horsepower from a 650cc engine is pathetic. The Z400, Z650 and Z900 are the first Kawasaki’s to really grab my attention and I want one of them. I want to ride all of them. The older I get the more I care about outright power and the more I prefer light weight and lithe handling.
Z900 , nah MT09.
Z900RS, this is s close one, but nah, XSR900.
Z650, nah, MT07....
Good vlog, regards,
YamFanBoy....😎
Nah Z900 all day every day.
Z400, oh shit, Yamaha doesn't have one to compare!
Zed not zee
So nobody’s is going to say anything about the Pulp fiction reference at the beginning?!
That ZH2 is calling me but my Speed Triple RS is saying stay with me...
Lies. It's Zee-bra, not Zed-bra ;)
Facts
Can you stop saying “stone” and “mph”. Its called kilograms and kilometers per hours. Good vid anywho!
The Z1000 is the most neglected model in the whole Kawasaki range, despite the fact that its the best looking (by far) of all the Zed bikes. I mean the Ducati Streetfighter copied it's looks for God's sake! I wish Kawasaki would update it to have an IMU and up/down quick shifter for the 2021 model year and then I would replace my current Z with it. As hyped up as I was with the teasers, the ZH2 was a massive letdown. It just doesn't look right... Please Kawasaki, give us the Z1000 we deserve!
I love the z1000 but it's in a tough spot between the z900 and the zh2.
It's already been dropped from the lineup. Why are so many people asking for updates or reviews on an old model? The Z900 replaced the Z800 and the Z1000.
@@RyanMcIntyre the 1000 is still on sale even though they don't push for it.
@@RyanMcIntyre It's only dropped in the US, in Canada and rest of the world it's still for sale. The Z900 is merely a value engineering exercise to make the Z1000 compete more with the MT-09's of the world rather than the BMW S1000r and Tuono's. The Z900 is basically a Z1000 that has been cheapened in every way possible. Unfortunate back in the day all the moto journo's kept comparing the Z1000 to the Tuono, SuperDuke and S1000r because it was similarly equipped, despite the fact that it was 4 grand cheaper than the other bikes, and of course it kept loosing all of the comparisons because it was not a superbike with MX bars like the other bikes were. Kawasaki was sick of being last in all the comparisons, so they created a cheaper Z900 which was a clear winner when compared to middle nakeds weights like the MT-09, CB650r, Street Triple, etc.
The z1000 is a budget bike designed to sell to gullible born-againers when there are better alternatives simply because “it's a z1000!”.
125 on the M40 lol eh no way
stopped watching at 1.19 - the 1000 is where its at...!
It's not our fault!
The review starts with a whole heap of BS - the UK AR125 was not 22bhp as it was restricted to 12bhp in accordance with the 125cc regulations at the time so the 15 bhp z125 may well be slightly quicker.
You find me a teenage boy back then that owned an AR125 that was still restricted, and I’ll pay for Santa Pod for the day to prove you wrong.
@@johnhogan8816 Yes we all cut the washer out the exhaust and put an Allspeed or Micron expansion chamber on (I always preferred Allspeeds which I had on my RD125DX and AR125) - but in that tune AR125s would still not make the full-power 22bhp. The statement was still wrong however you justify it by mentioning people illegally modifying their bikes. Your z125 seemed happy at 72mph on the motorway - on a naked bike with a beefy 40 year old sitting upright. My faired AR125 with a skinny teenager (me) prone on the tank and feet on the rear footpegs didn’t go much faster than that and took a while to get there.
Reckless Rodent agh I love this. Thanks for the first hand account. I’d love to see them head to head at the lights. My rose tinted memory of the AR125 has it beating the new Z125 quite easily. If you can find and old one, I can find a new one!
@@johnhogan8816 Of all the 125s I had my favourite was not the fastest or best handling - I loved my Suzuki GT125 last of the 16 bhp ones. a lovely bike as long as it wasn't raining turning the front stainless steel disc brake into a random crash generator. It started my love of Suzuki's culminating in a 20 year ownership of a Hayabusa (nitrosed). I now have an MT10 (with touring pack) and a supercharged Triumph Thunderbird Storm (172 at the back wheel.) which is what drew me to your review - thinking of buying a supercharged Kwacker in a form my old knees can cope with!
Reckless Rodent I’d go H2 SX before Z H2, a bit easier to ride legally and a
touch more practical.
Hi
Hi
Let's begin by insulting our largest viewing group. Sounds brilliant Nigel. Jolly ho!
Don't think you should be taking it so seriously, you should see the shit we've taken over the years for saying Zed.
@@BikeWorldTVshow And so we should say "Zed" unapologetically - English is, er, English after all! (yes modern Germanic blah blah - I know!)
And not a looker amongst them.