Kawasaki Z900 m.y. 2017 - coming to EICMA

While Kawasaki will introduce the ZX10-RR superbike at Intermot 2016, the pumped up H2 Carbon, the "small" Ninja 650 and the Z1000SX sport-tourer, another new product is coming: the naked Z900. It is like a lightning bolt in a clear sky, since a new bike will arrive with the show in full swing to be officially unveiled out of nowhere at EICMA 2016. It boasts a 125 HP engine and, what’s more, it has a trellis frame, oddly enough.

125 HP – The powerplant as a 73.4 mm bore and 56 mm stroke, numbers that take it to 948 cc. It is the engine from that big bomber, the Z1000, that was born at 1,043 mm, revamped in accordance with the needs dictated by riders and marketing. The power, as we already mentioned, weighs in at 125.4 HP, more than enough horses to have fun on the road and – why not? – on the track. The Z800 should stay in the range (it has 113 HP), whereas the Z1000 (142 HP), will probably leave the stage. We know that the injection has 36 mm throttle bodies and that, according to Kawasaki, at around 6,000 rpm, it should have a bit more torque. The valves, four per cylinder, are 29 and 24 mm in diameter. There are also two balancing countershafts to reduce vibrations. The exhaust is a 4 in 1. There are six gears with the sixth being overdrive.

TRELLIS FRAME - Another huge change is the frame. In fact, a trellis frame is on the way that guarantees a lower weight than that of the Z1000, since it weighs just 13.5 Kg. The swingarm, in aluminium alloy, weighs 3.9 Kg. As for the suspension system, it has an UpSideDown fork that is adjustable in compression and spring preload, measuring in at 41 mm. At the rear, on the other hand, there is a progressive Uni-Track monoshock. The braking system is made up of conventionally mounted callipers that grip 300 mm wavy discs on the front, whereas the rear disc is 250 mm. The ABS system, by Nissin, comes standard. The declared weight is 210.5 Kg. The levers are adjustable to 5 positions and the saddle is 794 mm from the ground. The light cluster is, of course, made up of LED solutions and it has a multifunction LCD display.