Team-BHP - My 2019 Kawasaki Z900 - Bumblebee comes home

I was riding my D390 the other day, minding my own business. New Alpinestars gear on, basking in the thought of how cool I must be looking.

Then I heard a distant rumble. A big bike for sure.

It was.

The guy was about to overtake me when he got caught behind an auto.
Seeing the opportunity that lay in front of me, I gunned it.

BIG mistake.

The guy passed by, popped a three second wheelie and turned into a speck that left my ego and all eardrums in the radius of 100mts torn to shreds.

It was as Kwacker Z900, and it was being used like it ought to.

Congratulations on the new machine sir! It'll be hard, but try and use the front wheel if possible.

Nice, brief yet detailed review! I am pretty sure I saw you on this on 2 or 3 weekends ago in Avinashi Road - was wondering who was driving it sensibly with the sweet Japanese engine hum - all 900cc and no unnecessary raising of the throttle.

Wishing you many happy miles!

BTW, since it has been raining lot more frequently there, do you've any feedback on mildly wet road riding experience on this? My friend has a z800 and that was quite stable on highways - never tried it when you need quick lane changes in city wet roads at low speeds.

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Originally Posted by vsbabu (Post 4696889)

Thanks! That would be me :) .. I prefer to go under the radar and not draw attention to myself.

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Originally Posted by vsbabu

BTW, since it has been raining lot more frequently there, do you've any feedback on mildly wet road riding experience on this? My friend has a z800 and that was quite stable on highways - never tried it when you need quick lane changes in city wet roads at low speeds.

I have ridden it in both mild rain (intentional) and very heavy rains (un-intentional). In both cases, I have been keeping the speeds under 50kmph. I have not noticed any nervous behaviour. Of course, I have had people giving me stories on how notorious the Dunlop Street Sport tyres are in the wet - so perhaps I played safe and did not push. Hope this answers your question - at least in part.

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Originally Posted by himalyan_ice (Post 4696596)

Congratulations on the new machine sir! It'll be hard, but try and use the front wheel if possible.

Thanks Sir! I do use the front wheel all the time - I am Captain Slow!! :)

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Originally Posted by junkishya (Post 4703693)

Congratulations Krish !! Z900 is such a beauty ! A bike worth keeping for decades.

If you find the seat hard and cramped I will highly recommend the Kawasaki Ergo High Seat .. it's around 14K but worth every paisa !

Thanks! It definitely is a bike I am going to keep for a long time. Thanks once again for the seat recommendation. I will check it out.

I saw from your picture that you have a slider on the swing-arm. Care to throw some light as to which manufacturer and where I could get them?

Cheers!

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Originally Posted by krishsreedharan (Post 4703933)

I saw from your picture that you have a slider on the swing-arm. Care to throw some light as to which manufacturer and where I could get them?

Cheers!

I ordered it from Aliexpress; decent quality. I've an Akrapovic Slip-on wanted some basic protection in case of a spill.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/3289...27424c4dRKwHDD

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Originally Posted by krishsreedharan (Post 4706318)

Nice stuff. Does the Akrapovic slip on make a different in either power or noise/sound? While power increases are always welcome, too much noise will draw unwanted attention of the cops - will be stopped for no rhyme or reason.

May be slight increase in power .. but I don't ride fast or accelerate hard so it's OK. The sound definitely changes .. Akra is not very loud as compared to SC + removing the DB Killer from AKRA is not easy. With DB Killer there is hardly any difference in the sound. But if you are able to remove the DB Killer .. the sound is sweet and yet not loud ..

AKRA costed me about 52K since I bought it in US .. Other option that you could consider is Yoshimura Alpha-T. That one sounds good too + removing it's DB Killer is easier.

Can't go wrong with either Akrapovic or Yoshi. You could also look at SC Project, they have a really sweet growl. Have you considered De-Cating with your OEM can? May improve the tone enough for now.

Incidentally I sat on one before a test ride of the ZX6R recently, but I found the seat height too low for me. Looks like it'll be down to the new Striple RS or ZX6R I'm my case.

Congrats on the purchase!

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From a very tender age, it was my dream to have a superbike. However, even when I turned 18 and I asked my father for a bike, it was a definite NO for anything on two wheels

Your starting line is my present scenario. About to turn 18 and convincing my dad to let me ride his rather "HUMBLE BUMBLEBEE" a Yellow ocher PASSION PRO on public roads after I turn 18 and get my license (I learned to ride it on closed roads and a huge parking lot and can do a perfect 8). Interestingly you are the same age as my dad. My Dad and Mom wave a bright RED China flag sans the stars when it comes to a discussion of me riding a bike. They say that they would let me take out the car once I get my driving license. I love to drive cars too but parking is a major problem. Any tips from you guys in convincing the home ministry. Also, I have observed that even Fathers who are bikers/bike enthusiasts themselves get a little hesitant while handing over the keys of the bike to their sons. Is the kicking in of fatherly fears common?

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Originally Posted by $tar_boy (Post 4720818)

Congrats on the purchase!

Thanks!

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Originally Posted by $tar_boy

Your starting line is my present scenario.

I feel your pain.

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Originally Posted by $tar_boy

Any tips from you guys in convincing the home ministry. Also, I have observed that even Fathers who are bikers/bike enthusiasts themselves get a little hesitant while handing over the keys of the bike to their sons. Is the kicking in of fatherly fears common?

In as far as I am aware, there is no tried and tested method for convincing the home ministry. Each case is unique and what works for one will most likely not work for another.

My son is closing in on 7 like a freight train without brakes. What I am trying to inculcate in him at this tender age is - Safety first! No rides without helmet, jacket and harness to tie him to me. Hopefully, this will help me trust him more when he gets to the age where he can drive and I will not have any reservations in handing over the keys to him.

Congratulations on the 900! Mine is coming up on a year now. You mentioned getting a mobile holder plus charger, but I would suggest getting an OEM Kawasaki power outlet. They make one specifically for the Z900. It's great and just plugs in to the accessory socket behind the windscreen. It's easy to install, you could do it yourself in a few minutes if you like.

An update after a while - I have crossed about 4300kms on the ODO and finally bit the bullet and ordered a Yoshimura Street Alpha-T Slip on exhaust. Delivery is schedued in about 20 days. I will do before and after videos as well as videos with and without DB Killers and post up once done.