[amol4184]

Never wrote any ownership review of any car or bike I owned so here I go, finally. There are already a couple of threads on Z900RS so the bike needs no introduction as such. I will add details as time goes by. Mine the first generation and the Cafe model with the small fairing.

===========

Alright, around February this year I considered buying a motorcycle as means to commute to work. My commute is on multiple highways which are crowded and slow. Combined, I spend 2 hours, sometimes more for a round trip of just about 32 miles. I am a big fan of naked bikes so tourers, sports, super sports pretty much anything that had large plastic bodywork/fairing was out of consideration.

This would be my 4th bike in the USA. I went from 2014 Kawasaki Ninja 650R (unremarkable) to 2014 Yamaha FZ-09 (unpredictable) to 2015 Triumph Street Triple 675 (frantic) before taking a break. This time around, I decided I had enough of mad bikes like the FZ/675 and narrowed down my focus on classic, neo retro styled bikes with relaxed riding triangle and power that didn't explode.

I wrote shortly about test riding few bikes in this segment elsewhere so here is the gist of it. My first choice was Triumph but I wasn't averse to something new as long as it was comfortable and reliable. I started with the Speed Twin 1200 (and 900) and then moved onto others. The observations are for new 2024/2025 model year bikes but I think the basics remain applicable to older models.

1. So much wow
   
   Triumph Speed Twin 1200 personal favorite, fast, best looking of the lot, proper classic, just the right balance of everything for me, expensive.
   
   
2. Nice?
   
   Triumph Speed Twin 900 nice, but short for my height, low grunt, terrific exhaust note, easy to ride.
   
   
3. Quit posing as retro classic
   
   Yamaha XSR900 very quick, the best equipped, retro only because round headlamp, looks the worst of the lot and has the worst (hard) seat, handful to ride.
   
   
4. NICE
   
   Kawasaki Z900RS truly classic looks, super comfortable seat, proven 4 pot screamer, no fancy gadgetry, tall.
   
   
5. Honda CB1000R not enough retro, just a naked street bike with round lamp, edgy, average seat, aggressive seating triangle, lot of power.
6. Triumph T120 oversized classic 350 looks with oodles of easy power at low revs- too retro and too relaxed for my liking, comfortable.
7. Triumph Scrambler 1200 XC- very tall, too off-roady, exhaust fries the right leg, springy feel on the road.

Bonus:

1. W800: retro utilitarian looks, great mileage, comfortable, easiest of the lot to ride, surprisingly expensive.
2. BMW R9T Urban GS: ridiculously torquey boxer engine, average seat, strange sitting geometry, typical BMW peculiarities, expensive services.
3. Ducati Scrambler 800/1100: expensive, especially the 1100, even more expensive to maintain, 800 feels like a short XC bike, cramped sitting.

In general Triumph has this segment cornered with more neo retro bikes than anyone else, all using the fantastic 900/1200cc engines in different tunes. Compared to the Japanese these bikes feel premium, especially against the Honda. If you compare Speed Twin 1200 v/s Z900RS or XSR900 in quick succession the difference is visibly apparent. With that and my previous experience of ST675, I was leaning towards the Triumphs.

===========

But lets talk about the prices. Unfortunately ever since the pandemic, days of finding terrific deals on 1-2-3 year old vehicles in the USA are over. Nearly every post-2020 used Triumph within 200 miles of my location was priced a measly 1-2k less than their original retail price.

For example, here is a sample of used bikes I checked out, all different Triumphs:

• 2021 ST900 $8k (sticker price 9.5k)
• 2019 ST1200 $9.5k (sticker price 11.5k)
• 2021 Scrambler 1200 $10k (sticker price 13k)
• 2021 T120 $10k (sticker price 11.5k) 2022 T120 $10.5k (sticker price 11.5k)
• 2018 T120 (34000 miles) - $6.5k (sticker price 10.5k)

Not surprisingly the only bike that I thought was reasonably priced, was the 2018 T120 with comparatively huge number (34k) of miles. The rest were all under 8k miles which I preferred. I also felt 34k miles meant an expensive maintenance was in store soon. This was a European bike after all and not Japanese. Basically my search went nowhere. For a used vehicle I never go to a dealer and always do private party, personal transaction straight with the owners who also want to avoid dealers. 4 bikes and 4 cars later I am yet to be burned buying off of Craigslist/OfferUp/FB Marketplace *touches wood*. Hopefully it continues.

For reference, here are my previous, pre-pandemic purchases all off of private parties. I am crying:

• 2014 Ninja 650 bought in 2015: $4400 (980 miles) sticker price 6.8k
• 2014 FZ-09 bought in 2016: $5500 (5000~ miles) sticker price 8k
• 2015 Triple 675 bought in 2017: $6000 (3000~ miles) sticker price 9k

Just for the giggles, I checked prices of 2015-2017 STR675 and most of the examples are still priced at 5k to 6k range on Craigslist. When I sold my ST675 in early 2020, I let it go for 4.2k to a guy in my previous job. I don't know if he held onto it till now, but if he did he stands to make a healthy profit after 5 years of additional usage. Things are crazy.

The main reason for inflated used prices is the price gouging on new vehicles by dealers in recent times. Pre-Covid, getting large discounts off of MSRP was common. Dealers would often slash prices of brand new vehicles back then. Come Covid they started charging markups on top of MSRP (and people paid) to the tune of thousands of dollars.

Its 2025 now and discounts are slowly coming back on stagnant inventory from previous model year, but in most cases your best deal is to land a car/bike at MSRP.

Good old days. You never know they were good until they are gone.

Out of topic, I test drove 2025 VW GTI last month and dealer low-key threatened there might be markups over MSRP coming soon, so you better book it now. Yeah sure bro. I am an Indian not an idiot. The chances of me coughing a single dollar above MSRP are not close to zero, they are exactly zero.

[amol4184]

Nearly 3 months passed and in between I had to let go a couple of 1200s and one 900. I either couldn't make it in time or the bikes were too far away on Oregon or California. A couple of early gen Z900RSs popped up too but $8-9k for nearly 5 year old bike it just didn't sit right with me. I made up my mind to get a brand spanking new bike instead of spending nearly new bike money on a used one.


And then one fine day a Z900RS popped up right next to my office at reasonable price. It was a 2018 launch version, in the green color of the original Z1/ZRX. I added it to my favorites and kept an eye on it. A week passed with no change in the listing and I messaged the seller asking if I can come by to check it out.. he never replied and I forgot about it. A month passed, the bike was still not sold and the owner reduced the price even further now it was squarely within my range. Texted again and this time he replied!

We quickly setup a time to meet but something or other came up and things kept getting pushed.

It was a Sunday when I finally got hold of the owner, my own finances, jacket, helmet, gloves and met him at his garage.

Here it is shining in the sun, almost new looking 2018 Z900RS Cafe in the iconic colorway. The owner had washed, polished and readied the bike...not that it needed much.



As I got down of my car I knew this was it. It was a matter of checking the documents and actual bike for physical damage.

If things checked out, I didn't need any convincing. I had made up my mind as soon as I saw it in the sun.



After some time of useless chatter and pointless enquiries into the history of the bike I started the machine and gave it a light rev. It sounded FANTASTIC. The idle was unusually high at 2.2k RPM but it settled down shortly to an acceptable range. By now I was getting impatient and told the seller the bike looks good and that I am interested. He says, it is a fantastic bike indeed. Then I asked him if I had any space for negotiations. Had he said no, I would have paid full asking price and still be happy but he said "Ummmm, sure I am easy going". What a wonder, I am too I said to myself and offered a modest $300 less than his asking (which was reasonable, all things considered) and he agreed immediately!

Sometimes I am too modest, I thought.

In the end, I paid a lick over $6k my most expensive bike to date by slightest of margins. It had 7019 miles on the odo, but looked brand new. And had a couple of Kawasaki accessories installed from dealer, namely the center stand and grab rails. Additionally tail tidy kit from Over Racing was installed afterwards. The owner had replaced the oil that same morning. The battery was replaced in 2024. There were a couple of records of oil changes and a service but that's about it. Not much service history. I don't think much can go wrong on a Japense bike in 7k miles anyway.

The only negative in my opinion? tires may need replacement soon. To my eyes they look fine but I don't know, I will change them for piece of mind. Oh and there is just one key, not two so there is that.

The owner then signed the docs and electronic cash exchanged hands. Within half an hour of laying my eyes on the green machine I was a proud owner of it, beaming like a child who found a stash of candies.

[amol4184]

The ride home was hair raising for a couple of reasons. First, the 948cc engine sent down a lot more power than I expected from a neo-retro styled bike. Clearly, short test rides don't reveal much. Also, unlike the ST1200, this one revved way too easily and way too much.

Second, the sound. Those 4 pots produce pure joy. Holy! I thought as I wringed the throttle mindlessly and sent the bike rocketing down the freeway on that hot-for-Seattle afternoon. Felt like a badass rebel riding an unregistered bike at <censored> speeds. Please don't report me.

Elsewhere, that modest looking fairing on the Cafe is rather useful despite its size. It effectively channels the air away from your face when you are rolling at high speeds. Wind punch in the face was definitely a problem on my 675 and FZ-09. I am glad its the Cafe. I wasn't exactly swimming in choices...just by luck the Cafe model fell in my lap over the regular RS which doesn't have the headlamp cowl.

But not just that, the non-Cafe model which I test rode was more laidback (may be a little too much?) so somewhat aggressive geo of the Cafe felt good. Don't have plans to go on multi day rides on it, so I think shorter handlebar wouldn't be a problem but we will see.

After coming home I learned that the handlebar clamps can be flipped which raises the bar height by 14mm enough to make a difference in wrist pressure. I have noted it down for the future. On the other hand, compared to Thruxton (or RE CGT) these bars are nowhere as aggressive.

[amol4184]

Some observations after about 100 miles:

• From the cold start, bike jumps all the way to 2.5k RPMs for a good minute before backing down.
  
• The throttle in the first gear isn't smooth. You need some careful carressing of the clutch to calm down the jumpiness. This is a well known issue that Kawasaki fixed in later model years. This reminds me of the FZ-09 which had similarly erratic throttle. I haven't yet stalled the bike in traffic but its very much a possibility.
  
• Similarly, when you slow down for a turn and try to exit it with hard acceleration the throttle suddenly wakes up (2/3/4th gear). I noticed this on a couple of tight turns.
  
• Super comfortable ride. I don't know if its because of the seat or the suspension itself is soft. I distinctly remember my ST675 sending all the bumps and imperfections on the road into the chassis.
  
• Not a quick steerer. Not a light bike. It definitely keeps you aware of the weight.
  
• Plenty of torque to roll in dense, slow traffic but not as much as ST1200 or R9T. Its more suitable for breezy cruising.
  
• Finding neutral isn't the easiest of the jobs. But gearshifts are so smooth with no misses.
  
• Excellent mileage. I see 43 miles per gallon in mixed conditions on the console.
  
• No fancy pants console. No TFT, no touch. No "connected riding". No nothing. Doesn't even have digital speedo. Thankfully has ABS. I love it.
  
• Fuel filler cap is the flip type that remains attached to the tank which I love unlike some other retro bikes where the entire lid comes off in your hand.
  
• The engine is masssive and leaves no gap for the light to pass through but doesn't seem to radiate too much heat in the traffic. More on that as I rack up miles.

Some mods that I have planned:

1. Ivan's or 2WDW's ECU remap to rectify throttle and improve overall rideability.
   
2. USB charger and phone mount.
   
3. Bar end mirrors.
   
4. An under body cowl, only if I find the body color matched unit.
   
5. Z948RS emblem from Webike.
   
6. Short CNC levers with green accent.

In far off future:

1. Performance headers and slip-on muffler.
   
2. K&N filter and airbox mod, followed by ECU update for the new components.
   
3. Chrome chassis brace for additional strength from Over Racing, purely for cosmetic reasons.

[surjaonwheelz]

Congratulations! This is a retro beauty, I also like the Yamaha XSR900-GP.

Wishing you happy miles,
surjaonwheelz

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Congratulations! This is a retro beauty, I also like the Yamaha XSR900-GP.

Wishing you happy miles,
surjaonwheelz

Thanks! I like how the XSR rides, it's blistering fast and quick. They don't sell GP in the USA if my memory serves me right but the non GP is fantastic bike too, I just don't like how it looks. The price is unbeatable for the features.

[PB65]

Such a rare sight! And this thing is damn seductive
Never knew the word S-E-X-Y in green is spelled as Z900RS Cafe.

[Sangwan]

Congratulations @amol4184! Your motorcycle looks awesome and it is even better that you got the centre stand too!

I am so amazed by people on this part of the world, how do they loose keys? Even when I got my Z900RS it had only one key. Fortunately I have made a copy of it and so now I have two.

Hope to see more updates from you! Please let me know if you are coming to this side then we will do a small photo op.

This is mine:



Cheers,
Sangwan

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by PB65

Such a rare sight! And this thing is damn seductive
Never knew the word S-E-X-Y in green is spelled as Z900RS Cafe.

It's a really good looking bike. Simple classic lines. No harsh edges at all.

Originally Posted by Sangwan

Congratulations @amol4184! Your motorcycle looks awesome and it is even better that you got the centre stand too!

I am so amazed by people on this part of the world, how do they loose keys? Even when I got my Z900RS it had only one key. Fortunately I have made a copy of it and so now I have two.

Hope to see more updates from you! Please let me know if you are coming to this side then we will do a small photo op.

This is mine:

Attachment 2764929

Cheers,
Sangwan

Thanks a lot! I read your thread I love the light gold wheels on 50th Anniversary edition.
The key thing baffles me too. Personally I keep all the extras that came with the vehicle in a separate box including service records, manual, any and every paperwork, any small parts that have been removed etc along with extra keys. But we are on team bhp, don't think many people do that
I am going to duplicate it soon.

Don't have any plans to travel to Canada. Right now we are simply avoiding any international travel but it's on my mind. If that happens, I'll definitely let you know when and do a meet up.

Have a couple of items today that are going on the Z, I'll post updates.

P. S. I need some information about the new Z, I will send you a PM.

[Red Liner]

This is one motorcycle I do not mind growing old with. The thing is in India, where exactly does one use this motorcycle? Commute is impossible, and long highway miles are rare and fraught with lunacy these days.

Please try and keep this thread alive with pictures of your exploits with the green goblin. Truth be told, we are all green with envy.

[shikya>60]

Originally Posted by amol4184

Some observations after about 100 miles:

Happy for you!! Nostalgia brings me to the z900 of the 90’s. Pure naked and what a torquer! Need good strong wrists and a tight fitting helmet, mandatorily! The CB900 is also a good all rounder and much in the retro list. Have fun and be safe!

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by Red Liner

This is one motorcycle I do not mind growing old with. The thing is in India, where exactly does one use this motorcycle? Commute is impossible, and long highway miles are rare and fraught with lunacy these days.

Please try and keep this thread alive with pictures of your exploits with the green goblin. Truth be told, we are all green with envy.

Because of this reason I have a very high respect for people who maintain super bikes in India. Must take some serious commitment and zen like state of mind. I'm always awed when I see threads of bikes capable of doing 300kmph being ridden in Pune and Mumbai or such

This is a very nice bike and Kawasaki got the formula right from the start. Would it become the classic like Z1 or ZRX in next 2-3 decades? Remains to be seen but I think it will.

I'll surely post updates. Placed an order for many parts yesterday. Also have an appointment for the ECU remap with 2wheeldynoworks, who happen to be local right next to my work place. So now I don't have to pry out the ECU and ship it somewhere.

Originally Posted by shikya>60

Happy for you!! Nostalgia brings me to the z900 of the 90’s. Pure naked and what a torquer! Need good strong wrists and a tight fitting helmet, mandatorily! The CB900 is also a good all rounder and much in the retro list. Have fun and be safe!

Thank you! The OG CB900 is an icon itself. In the USA the second iteration was released as 919 in 2003. Then followed by the Cb1100 in 2013 which they sold for a long time till 2023. Somehow the newer model didn't catch my fancy. There weren't many for sale either. After the production of that bike ended, Hondas line-up didn't really have a neo retro bike and now is currently full of edgy looking nakeds without any "classic" element to them. A little unfortunate, I really like Hondas.

[amol4184]

Amazon delivered a couple of packages early in the AM even before I woke up. Installation ensued immediately.

Couple of hours of DIY later, following components were on my bike:
1. Bar end mirrors
2. USB charger
3. Radiator guard

The installations were easy-peasy. Biggest problem was removing bar ends. Those suckers are size M8 and fixed in place with red thread-locker. Breaking them out of the thread required substantial force. I had long handle Wera hex keys in my bicycle toolbox that came in handy.

Bar ends:


Another unseen issue with this installation is that the handlebars' ends are closed permanently with a matching M8 screw. So you cannot install the expander that comes with the bar end mirrors. I screwed in the mirrors straight into the handlebar without any expander. This leaves slightly un-clean look but not visible from the sides.

Expanders remain unused:


The mirrors have non intrusive look to them. The screws on it need to be tightened in a particular order otherwise you never get the tight fitment:


There is a gap between the mirror and the grip that I am conflicted about:


2 port USB charger hangs from the same mount used for the hydraulic fluid can. This was the only location that I felt was the most inconspicuous looking. The charger block has an extension arm designed to go into the screw hole for the mirror stalks but that installing it on those mounts looked ungainly to me.
The other option was to zip tie the little box which is a very shabby, low effort option. No go.

It has an ON/OFF button and a cute LCD panel for voltage:



I think it is fairly well hidden from the view:


The cable has one strand in bright red color. Why couldn't they make it subtle? Somehow managed to hide it inside the body but can't hide it once it emerges from the handlebar area. I think I should wrap it with black electric tape:



Finally the radiator guard:


Took a ride to try out mirrors. At about 75 mph, those remained in place. The mirrors have numerous adjustments. I found one that gave me the best rear view, while I was riding the bike. Those are tight enough to remain in place in windblast but loose enough to be adjusted on the fly.
I am doubtful about their nighttime performance but that's a problem for another time.

[amol4184]

Last week brought an important change to the Z. Since the bike is new (to me) I thought of getting the ECU remapped before I lost the steam.

For this bike, there are two major tuners: Ivan's performance and 2wheeldynoworks (2wdw). Ivan's is thousands of miles away on the East coast, 2wdw is local about 10 minutes from my work place. For Ivan's I had to pry out the ECU and ship it via post then wait for it to arrive back. For 2wdw, I could simply ride to the shop and have the ECU flashed as I waited.

There are not many direct comparisons between the two but in general Ivan's seemed more popular to me. I decided to stick to 2wdw for the convenience. Once you have the ECU flashed, you can have it flashed unlimited times as long as you own the bike. It was a no brainer. 2wdw it is. Then I rode to 2wdw's shop for the ECU remap.


The remap took just 15 minutes as I lingered outside and bike was back in my hands. The changes in engine characteristic after the remap are immediate and impressive .

Here's what changed:

1. Jerky throttle/clutch modulation is *almost* gone. Not 100% but is a VAST improvement over stock.
2. Increased grunt all across the rev range. Bike feels like it just drank a gallon of RedBull.
3. Sudden on/off throttle while slowing down and accelerating is gone.
4. Rev limiter increased to 10.5k from 9.8k but I haven't verified.
5. Power increased by unknown number as I did not dyno the bike but as per the owner Z900RS gains 5-6 bhp on stock exhaust as per his experience with past Zs he worked on. More than outright power though, its the overall punch that's gotten better.

What did not change:

1. Super high cold start idle remains at 2600-2700 rpm. There is an easy fix for that as I later found out. DIY coming for that in a few days.
2. Fuel efficiency may drop by 5% per the tuner. I haven't noticed any drop yet. FE remains around 44 mpg in mixed condition.

$300 well spent in my opinion as the bike feels rejuvenated. Its a revelation really.

With Akrapovic/Black Widow/Delkevic 4-2-1 decat header + K&N airbox mod, there's about 10 more bhp to be squeezed out. Once that hardware is in, another ECU remap will be done. Had a little discussion with 2wdw folks regarding headers. Akra is $1000, Delkevic is $300 I think I know which one I am getting.

[asbshyam]

Such a beautiful bike!!