A conversation in caution- the Z900- not for newbies.

Kawasaki just yesterday launched a few bikes and what the Indian biker community at large saw was a spectacular Liter-class Z900 at an almost affordable price of 9L ex-showroom. Affordable and that word worried me.

So last weekend, two super bikers on a ride outside Mumbai met with accidents, bad enough for their injuries to qualify as life-threatening, and now along comes this Z900, that has a a price tag thats really tempting and THAT provokes me to write this experience on a Z1000- which has been phased out, but not before passing on its 'Sugomi' DNA to this smaller sibling. 

Suddenly this has woken up riders who always wanted a 'big' bike but were worried about the cost, so I find my mail box flooded with queries on this Z900. This is my opinion on the Z.

(The Japanese word 'sugomi,' describes the intense aura or energy given off by a person or object of greatness felt by the viewer. Someone, or something, possessing Sugomi inspires awe, leaves an indelible impression, is imposing in stature or ability, and commands respect.)

Almost now a full 6 months ago- probably just after the 2016 monsoons, I rode the Z1000 on a stretch from Dahanu towards Vapi. It had to account for being the most blistering of rides I have ever done, and I do not think I look forward to out doing that thrill again. Here goes that story and in it lies a big lecture on a part of the superbike culture, if I can call it that. It started with a conversation with a friend- and hence the format-

DJ: What are your thoughts on Z900?                        

                     

KD: About the Z series? Well, one needs to graduate to those bikes                        

Give me some time and listen-wait.. let me type you a song.

in my opinion, a sportsbike rider should start off spending about bout 6 or 8 months minimum in a 600-650 environment  before one tries a Z800/1000 or now  the 1000. The 1000 has a speed range from 60 to 270 in 6th gear and for once it had torque that made sure even on Indian roads you did not have to shift out of gear to pull up to a faster friend, or for overtaking- you always have the torque on tap.                      

A newbie will get seriously hurt in this machine. Very quickly

Day 1 or day 2  at the outer would be my guess.                     

The 'sugomi' inspires layout is extreme and you literally feel like you are leaning over the front wheel which actually in real life looks/feels as if it is under the fuel tank!                     

The last think you see in front is the upper edge of the speedometer. It has astounding torque numbers from the word Go- unlike other superbikes that have a nice high revving start... that give you some kind of warning- that things are going to get quicker with the rising rpm needle.

These Z-bikes are get up and run from the min you touch the throttle. So what happens for a new rider is - as if the bike has an evil soul that screams "Surprise motherfucker" when you even stare at the throttle. Reading specifications on bikes takes a whole new meaning as then you realize that the bike dumps its 123PS power at a 'Low' 6000 rpm and would mean a almost logarithmic power curve from 1000/1300 rpm to 6000- most/many other inline engine bikes that can freely rev and have a more linear response compared to this. Others will have stratospheric rev limiters and the peak power would come in a shade before that. Not so with the Z1000, and I suspect the same with the Z900.

                       

So the point here is-

Unless you know what stunning acceleration is

Unless you know what big bikes mean by throttle response
You need to start low and slow and work your way up to this bike.

I can almost see newbie riders and even those with a smidgen of 650 experience smirking that they can handle the throttle and their wrist was lighter than most Surgeons... and they would tame the right-and-tight curve in, and not wheelie in 3rd gear (oh yes! this Z1000 could probably do that too.) It is a very stable bike with and incredibly good balance, and an engine that is unobtrusive and super smooth- the exhaust very subdued and unlike a Akrapovic that would talk to you when gunned. The bike is uncomplaining at any rpm and delivers a false sense of security at any if not all speeds. Everything till now lulls a new rider who relates his security to the 'vibes' from the machine, which are super nice, to put it mildly.

Bad Joss will happen. I found that it took hardly about 100Km of easy riding to think that you had conquered the bike, or if that's too strong, you feel you have been on this bike for atleast 6 months, when it hasnt probably been even 60 minutes. This is when the fun starts. and you start dropping a gear for sweeping bends and then most often loose count to whether you are in 5th or 4th... or that you never shifted out of 6th. Its that brilliant an engine. This is when you become complacent with the engine and its acceleration.
If you have not been sufficiently overwhelmed by the acceleration then comes the Brakes.

The brakes, if you just touch the brake levers you may come off over the handle bars, its that superbly engineered- to put it bluntly.

I kid you not. So at say 160 or 170 which is actually pedestrian and piddling for the Z1000, if you grab the brakes- you will have no way of knowing what will happen next                   

It's not a newbie bike- bottom line                        

So stunning is the acceleration and absolutely blistering the brakes. Amazing aggression. Fabulous bike. One will have to ride a super bike category vehicle to figure out the sharp rake and how it steers, how the bike leans in bends and how to power thru the bends to be able to ride the Z900 and enjoy it.                        

If one buys it off the shelf and starts off to ride then two things can happen.

1. Hurt

2. You will never figure out how to tame the bike (which I don't think is possible anyways) and enjoy the machine.                        

Personally

I have ridden the Z1000 and beyond 185... I don't think I had any control on what was going on- inside my mind. I was overwhelmed and I think there is no shame in saying- I was more scared on two wheels than I have every been on any other machine.

I down shifted to 4th from 6th for fun at 160... And fun ended. The engine growled like s street fighter and the rpm climbed up to some stratospheric level and the bike threatened to wheelie..... and I could sense the front end leave the road- while throttle was down to ZERO.

I did not ride the bike again.

*Alert*                                              

The fair way to lead your biking life - philosophy here- is to always experience new bikes and search for what the other bikes did new... What are they better at.

Starting small- the KTM 390- gear box and its 'click' gear changes for something sold in India. Going back in time, the RD350 close-ratio best gear box, globally acknowledged as possibly the best gearbox ever. Triumph Tiger- throttle cable redundancy (you must ask me about this). Harley-Davidson and the money and time spent on exhaust note tuning and the HD low low end torque engineering. The Hayabusa, for being generations ahead of its time- for its ability to hold stage even a decade after its launch. The guts of Suzuki to keep the V-Strom unaltered for close to about 5-odd years- saying 'this is a good bike.'

The list is endless but be practical and remember what's good for what kind of road, what kind of trip and finally what kind of bike for what kind of terrain are questions only you can answer.

Choose well, and ride safe my friend.

(Pic Courtesy- Team-BHP)

A Superbike article for newbies- 
http://beagoodrider.blogspot.in/2015/09/learn-to-lean-your-motorcycle-part-1.html