LEGEND ON THE NEW ZED
I
was an 18 year old apprentice mechanic when I
viewed the legendary Z1 900 for the first time.
Busy doing assemblies and pre-delivery checks
on what has now become Kawasaki’s most famous
model, I never thought that this association would
last decades. The Z1 in its various forms carried
me to the far corners of the earth in pursuit of
victories while pushing its boundaries to the limit.
Here we are 40-odd years down the track and
I have just been out testing this latest retro
version of Kawasaki’s iconic model. This is what
I think of the new Z900RS, in a nutshell.
Although not heavily powered up in comparison
with the ZX-10R it has more than enough for me
and is technically capable of being improved in
a “flash” if required. Light, agile and stable at all
speeds, it’s a delight and real easy to ride – a far
cry from the “old” original. Although, if anything
perhaps it’s a bit snappy off the bottom, which
can catch you out as you manoeuvre at slower
speeds. Seat height and ride comfort work well,
as I can attest even after a 450km test ride.
But what makes me most excited about
this is the range of aftermarket styling
items coming onto the market to provide
personalisation ability, for example a four-into-
four exhaust - just like the original. Love it.
~GRAEME CROSBY
CROZ’S Z1
900 SPECIAL
C
roz said “you follow me up the road and I’ll just
check she’s going right”. Kiwi racing legend
Graeme Crosby was referring to a very slick-
looking “Croz Special” Kawasaki Z1 900 he had just
finished rebuilding for a Japanese client, but had
not yet completed the final shake down and dial-in.
This bike, like many Croz builds for customers, has
USD forks, modern twin disc brakes and quality
rear suspension units, along with open mouth carbs
42 KIWI RIDER
and a race exhaust. So off we went... and I have
to say the old girl sounded utterly glorious after a
couple of backfires to clear the Moriwaki 4-into-1’s
titanium throat. Then she came on song as it burst
into a wheelstand, which was just SO fitting for Croz
and a Z1. A few k’s down the ride we swapped bikes
with Croz mentioning that she’s still a bit feral...
To be honest I had absolutely no idea what to
expect, after all I’d never ridden one in all these