THE Z1000SX is Kawasaki's best-selling model in the UK. I can see why it would be.
Manufacturers are fond of saying their latest new model appeals to riders who have grown tired sports bikes. In March I heard someone from Harley say it about their bikes. In April, Suzuki cautiously suggested the shift from sports to adventure bikes would be followed by more people riding Burgman 650s.
But when Kawasaki say the Z1000SX appeals to former sports bike riders, I believe them. In post-sports-bike-mad Britain, it should be hugely popular. It seems a much more natural step than an adventure bike that never gets taken off road.
The Z1000SX is a bit like a step back from today's sports bikes to when they were still incredibly fast but easier to live with, with more concessions to comfort and common sense.
Of course it's more advanced than a 20-year-old sports bike though. For 2014, it’s been given traction control and two power settings, as well as new suspension and brakes.
It would be easy for the fancy new electronics to take all the limelight but I think, for a bike like this, the new panniers are just as important. A wide and ugly pannier system was an issue with the old bike. They stuck out on ghastly tubular steel frames and put the Z1000SX in danger of being weird: too soft to be a sports bike, too ugly as a panniered-up tourer. By refining them, Kawasaki has made the whole sports tourer proposition more plausible.
The new panniers are four inches narrower than the old ones when mounted. They attach directly to points on the grab rails and footrest hangers, and sit much closer to the tail unit. Unlike the old ones, they share a key with the ignition.
Removing them is easy and intuitive and leaves behind no ugly frame. Each one easily accommodated my full-face Arai.
THE Z1000SX is Kawasaki's best-selling model in the UK. I can see why it would be.
Manufacturers are fond of saying their latest new model appeals to riders who have grown tired sports bikes. In March I heard someone from Harley say it about their bikes. In April, Suzuki cautiously suggested the shift from sports to adventure bikes would be followed by more people riding Burgman 650s.
But when Kawasaki say the Z1000SX appeals to former sports bike riders, I believe them. In post-sports-bike-mad Britain, it should be hugely popular. It seems a much more natural step than an adventure bike that never gets taken off road.
The Z1000SX is a bit like a step back from today's sports bikes to when they were still incredibly fast but easier to live with, with more concessions to comfort and common sense.
Of course it's more advanced than a 20-year-old sports bike though. For 2014, it’s been given traction control and two power settings, as well as new suspension and brakes.
It would be easy for the fancy new electronics to take all the limelight but I think, for a bike like this, the new panniers are just as important. A wide and ugly pannier system was an issue with the old bike. They stuck out on ghastly tubular steel frames and put the Z1000SX in danger of being weird: too soft to be a sports bike, too ugly as a panniered-up tourer. By refining them, Kawasaki has made the whole sports tourer proposition more plausible.
The new panniers are four inches narrower than the old ones when mounted. They attach directly to points on the grab rails and footrest hangers, and sit much closer to the tail unit. Unlike the old ones, they share a key with the ignition.
Removing them is easy and intuitive and leaves behind no ugly frame. Each one easily accommodated my full-face Arai.
