JAFFA IRON
When the RS (Retro Sport) version of the Z900 came our way, I wasn’t sure I’d have a whole lot to say about it other than Phwoah! Nice paint mate — given that we so recently tested the standard Z900 on which it’s heavily based. Turns out I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Firstly, Kawasaki has gone to some lengths to make the RS a visual treat and in our eyes it’s the nicest-looking bike in the entire Team Green model range. Designed as a homage to, rather than an exact replica of, the original Z1, from twenty feet away you’d still be hard pushed not to be taken in and I lost count of the number of double-takes this bike garnered as I rode it around town.
The paint, of course, goes a long way in this regard and really there aren’t many bits of old-school kit more recognisable than a Jaffa Z1. You don’t get real wire spokes like the original, but the sideways-on cast spokes have their edges polished to help give that impression. And although some might whinge about the lack of twin silencers on either side, I seem to recall that the first thing most owners did with the original was chuck on a four-into-one anyway, so shush your noise. It’s probably saved about a ton of
