I'm thinking of moving the HD XR1200X on so took a Z1000SX out for a test ride courtesy of Cradley Kawasaki.
With the roads still a bit damp and greasy I set off in low fat mode and traction control set at 2 not at max 3 as the dealer said it gets a bit intrusive. First impressions are of a comfortable riding position and with the screen set at its highest it does a good job. It was very user friendly in Saturday morning traffic and the engine has loads of torque through the rev range and able to trickle around at about 30mph or lower in third without stuttering - in fact at one time I popped it in to 5th at 30mph and it was absolutely fine at about 2k rpm. I have to say it was much smoother than the GSA at those speeds.
The gearbox is beautifully smooth - gorgeous to use. Out on the open road the fuelling is immaculate, totally linear and smooth, there was never any surprises and it was all totally controllable. The suspension was supple and pliant and the rear shock did a great job on some bumpy corners and the bike never got upset. After about 30 minutes me and my mate stopped for a chat and I did a couple of foot up U turns within the width of three parking bays in the car park - piece of piss, so a decent steering lock. After a 10 minute chat we headed off, as the roads were drying I turned the riding mode up to full fat
It handles beautifully with just a small amount of pressure required on the bars to get it to turn and it holds a lovely line. The brakes are fantastic, no more than a couple of fingertips are needed and there is not a huge amount of front fork dive.
We got to a dual carriageway and I gave it some beans revving it up to high in the rev range - holy shit! The world suddenly started going backwards and I developed a rictus grin on my chops.
Downsides - there is a bit of buzziness in the bars at about 3k revs and the seat feels a bit hard, as a sports tourer I was wondering how my ass would feel after a full day in the saddle.
All in all a great bike, the power is fantastic but not at all intimidating and controllable, I can see why it is Kawasaki's best seller and the best selling sports tourer on the market.
Decision to be made now - do I go green for the first time in my biking life?
With the roads still a bit damp and greasy I set off in low fat mode and traction control set at 2 not at max 3 as the dealer said it gets a bit intrusive. First impressions are of a comfortable riding position and with the screen set at its highest it does a good job. It was very user friendly in Saturday morning traffic and the engine has loads of torque through the rev range and able to trickle around at about 30mph or lower in third without stuttering - in fact at one time I popped it in to 5th at 30mph and it was absolutely fine at about 2k rpm. I have to say it was much smoother than the GSA at those speeds.
The gearbox is beautifully smooth - gorgeous to use. Out on the open road the fuelling is immaculate, totally linear and smooth, there was never any surprises and it was all totally controllable. The suspension was supple and pliant and the rear shock did a great job on some bumpy corners and the bike never got upset. After about 30 minutes me and my mate stopped for a chat and I did a couple of foot up U turns within the width of three parking bays in the car park - piece of piss, so a decent steering lock. After a 10 minute chat we headed off, as the roads were drying I turned the riding mode up to full fat
It handles beautifully with just a small amount of pressure required on the bars to get it to turn and it holds a lovely line. The brakes are fantastic, no more than a couple of fingertips are needed and there is not a huge amount of front fork dive.
We got to a dual carriageway and I gave it some beans revving it up to high in the rev range - holy shit! The world suddenly started going backwards and I developed a rictus grin on my chops.
Downsides - there is a bit of buzziness in the bars at about 3k revs and the seat feels a bit hard, as a sports tourer I was wondering how my ass would feel after a full day in the saddle.
All in all a great bike, the power is fantastic but not at all intimidating and controllable, I can see why it is Kawasaki's best seller and the best selling sports tourer on the market.
Decision to be made now - do I go green for the first time in my biking life?