ANGLES OF ATTACK

I’m going to start this review from the wrong end, sort of. When you read the following, keep in mind that this bike has an RRP of a dollar under 12½ grand. The reason I’m saying this upfront isn’t because the Z900 feels like it’s been built down to a price and you therefore need to cut it some slack; I’m saying it because of the opposite. It’s quite remarkable that Kawasaki can afford to sell a bike of this quality and ability for such a small amount of money. If this was a learner legal bike being sold as a loss-leader to encourage younger riders into the fold, then perhaps it’d be less surprising. But this is a proper, full-power 948cc inline-four producing 125bhp and 98.6Nm, and therefore has nothing whatever to do with attracting learner riders. This is a ballsy, fast, satisfying bike for grownups. Read on.

“It’s quite remarkable that Kawasaki can afford to sell a bike of this quality and ability for such a small amount of money”

I’ve always had a bit of a softspot for a Kawasaki. In fact, by accident and design, I’ve owned seven of the things in my life. By accident I sadly do mean actually smashing two of them to smithereens and having