Kawasaki Z900RS Café arrives
Taking the styling features (inspired by the original Z1) of the Z900RS, the Café version adds a bikini fairing, lower-set handlebars and a café racer-inspired seat. The Café also comes in a Vintage Lime Green colour scheme, with Pearl Storm Grey optional; both of which are unavailable on the Z900RS.
Less obvious changes include a satin finish on the frame and exhaust (instead of gloss), lower-set mirrors, black wheels with green pinstripes, a white-painted spring on the Back-Link shock, repositioned front indicators and blackout treatment for a number of other parts, like the radiator shroud and front mudguard mounts. With features like the fairing and repositioned bars, the Café’s dimensions differ slightly from the RS, being narrower (845mm vs 865mm), but taller (1,190mm vs 1,150mm), with a lower seat height (820mm vs 835mm) and slightly increased weight (215kg vs 214kg). Fuel capacity is unchanged at 17 litres
The Café shares its steel trellis frame and running gear with the Z900RS, which means a 948cc inline four engine, which in turn was derived from the unit used in the Z900. In Café application, output is the same as the RS, which means 82kW at 8,500rpm and 98.5Nm at 6,500rpm. This liquid-cooled powerplant features a lower 10.8:1 compression ratio (compared to the Z900), matched to a heavier crankshaft and altered crankshaft profile for more relaxed power delivery, with the focus on low- to mid-range torque.
As a result of these changes, the engine pulls harder below 7,000rpm than the regular Z900, according to Kawasaki. Maximum power is down a little, but torque is virtually unaltered. Like the RS, the Café uses a specially-tuned exhaust system that’s designed to deliver a note that evokes the sound and spirit of the original Z1. The inline 4 engine is matched to a wet multi-disc clutch and 6-speed transmission with chain final drive and what Kawasaki calls optimised gearing, with a shorter first gear ratio and longer sixth gear.
Like the powertrain, the suspension and tech is just as modern as the Z900, with KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control), an assist and slipper clutch and ABS. The USD front fork is a 41mm ‘high-grade’ unit with 10-way compression and 12-way rebound adjustability, plus stepless pre-load. The Horizontal Back-Link rear shock, lifted from Kawasaki’s supersport and supernaked models, also features stepless rebound damping and preload adjustability.
Braking consist of dual 300m ventilated front discs with 4-piston radial-mount calipers, while the rear brake is a 250mm disc with single-piston caliper and ABS as standard.There are no other rider aids, but within the retro-styled analogue twin-clock instrumentation is a modern LCD screen for displaying gear position, odometer, twin trip meters, fuel range and other functions, including the ‘Economical Riding Indicator’, which is designed to assist riders in maximising fuel efficiency. Other modern touches under the retro skin include LED head and tail lights, LED indicators and a hazard flasher function.
The Kawasaki Z900RS Café is available from Kawasaki dealerships now, priced from $18,299 ride away, which is a premium of $1,800 over the Z900RS. To confirm pricing in your area and get more information, see your Kawasaki dealer.
