Kawasaki Z900RS arrives

Kawasaki’s all-new, all-cool Z900RS is here. Styled on the original Z1, right down to the Candytone orange and brown paint inspired by the “Jaffa” Z1 from 1972, the Z900RS started arriving in Aussie dealerships just before Christmas.
Styling features, like the classic teardrop fuel tank, twin-clock instrumentation, round headlight, two-up “flat” seat, Z1-inspired tail cowl and multi-spoke alloys, are all about evoking the look and feel of the original Z1. There’s nothing ‘retro’ about the running gear, though. 
The Z900RS is powered by the same 948cc inline four as the latest Z900, but slightly detuned to 82kW and 98.5Nm. Other modern features including a specially-tuned 4-into-1 exhaust, an assist and slipper clutch, two-mode adjustable Kawasaki Traction Control (KTRC), ABS, LED lighting, an LCD info screen and redesigned steel trellis frame.
That combination of retro sport styling and modern features comes at a price, though, with the Z900RS listing at $16,499; a hefty $4,000 premium over the Z900 it’s based on. That’s in the region of Triumph’s Bonneville T120 range and well above Yamaha’s retro-style offering, the XSR900. Kawasaki are currently advertising special ride away pricing of $17,999 on the Z900RS – see your Kawasaki dealer for more details.
A range of Kawasaki genuine accessories to suit the new model have also been released, including a centre stand, axle and frame protectors, smoke-finish instrument cowl, heated grips, pillion grab rail, tank pad and various bling bits. Despite equally premium pricing, some accessories have already sold out, so check with your Kawasaki dealer for availability.