Kawasaki’s 2017 Z900 Is The Replacement For Its Outgoing Z800

The literbike-plus class of nakeds has experienced an explosion of power and riding tech, but their middleweight siblings have not. Kawasaki wants to change that with the new Z900, and in turn hopes to better compete with Yamaha’s FZ-09/XSR900, and Triumph’s ever-entertaining Street Triple.

The Z900 seeks to weaponize the middleweight class with a balance of power and handling, and replaces the outgoing Z800, while slotting in under Team Green's Z1000.

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The engine is a 948 cc inline-four unit based on the Z1000. And, in this application, it belts out 126 horsepower, 12 more than the Z800 it replaces.

The biggest change over that outgoing model is the the switch to a steel trellis frame, which leads to the Z900 weighing in at 443 lbs.

Suspension includes a 41mm upside down fork with adjustable rebound and preload, and shock with the same levels of adjustability.

Stopping power is basic with 300mm front discs clamped on by Nissin four-piston calipers, with ABS. (300mm discs are available for purchase here!)

How will all this help in the battle against the FZ-09, Street Triple, or Suzuki's new GSX-S750? We're excited to find out.