Kawasaki Z1000 reviews

The Kawasaki Z1000 is by far the best bike I have ever owned! Not only does it handle nicely, get great gas mileage, and ride fairly comfortably; the power is incredible. I have put almost 8000 miles on it just this summer alone without a single problem, which is great. Not to mention that insurance is very affordable! The other cool thing about this bike is that mods are practically limitless, and no one has one, let alone knows what it is, so it works as a conversation starter. If you want a 140HP engine (after some work) slung between two tires, this is the bike for you. Show less

The Z-1000 is a great bike and I highly recommend it. To understand my opinion on the bike I will give you a little on my riding history as you can better understand what I am comparing it to. I am 50 yrs old and starting riding again after a 30 yr hiatus. I have owned 4 bikes over the last 2 years. Suzuki Intruder 1400 (a cruiser felt too much like a lounge chair and was not nearly fast enough), Buell Firebolt which was very smooth, good torque but not a real sport bike (look out for the '08 - things are changing), GSX-R 750 (this bike had wild explosive acceleration, but for my 6 ft frame it was very uncomfortable: neck, hands, and legs were all uncomfortable), I owned all three at the same time and would ride them alternately. I sold them all in May 2007 and bought a 2007 Z1000. What I dislike about this bike is very minor: I am not wild about the mirrors - can't see very well around my arms - they are always in the way (to me this is a nit), seat is known for being hard but on a bike like this a firm seat is not uncommon. What do I like about this bike: It has exception power at any rev level. From 2500 on up it takes off when you hit the throttle. You can ride in a very relaxed manner (low revs almost cruising) and gun the throttle and really take off. Or you can drive it like a sport bike and get high performance sensations. Sport bikes only like going fast, cruisers tend to like gentle speeds, the Z1000 is fun to drive slowly and fun to drive fast (it's really hybrid in this regard). As far to high end racing like performance my GSX-R750 was capable of running circles around the Z1000, but to be very, very honest, the GSXR-750 could perform way beyond my skill and unless one is buying a bike with track days in mind the super high end performance that you are NOT getting from the Z1000 you can't apply on the streets anyway (my opinion). The riding position is very comfortable and natural. You have about 2 to 3 inches more of leg room than a sport bike so the legs and hips are happy. The upright position is great on the back, neck and hands. Over 75 miles per hour you do feel like your upper chest and helmet is pushing a lot of air. If you find yourself doing a lot of extended highway speeds a shield would be helpful. The bike does have a shorter wheelbase than most bikes making it very happy in twisties. I went up to the Dragon's Tail in TN/NC and the bike was wonderful thru all the mountain roads. I rode pretty much the entire weekend and found the bike quite comfortable. Some of the reviews complained about the front suspension. I am not that hardcore of a rider that I have ever come close to reaching the limits of what the suspension was happy handling. Let's discuss appearance. At the Dragon's Tail, there are a bunch of stops where there were hundreds of riders taking a break (grabbing drinks and food). Everyone would stop and look at the bike. The bike is a 'looker it's unique and it's uncommon here in the States. I kid-you-not I felt a little like a rock star. Every place we went guys were coming over looking at the bike and asking questions. You know I think it's the exhaust pipes. All these guys that complain about the pipes heck why be like everyone else and have the same bland pipes like everyone else. Alas beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Finally when I bought this bike I was looking at a KTM Super Duke and the Z1000. With the money I saved on the Z1000 I have enough money left over to buy a dual-sport (looking at a used KTM 450 EXC). This is a great bike and I am very happy I purchased it. Hope you find this helpful. Show less

Just picked up my 07 Z1000 yesterday. Am coming off a CBR600 F3 so this is quite a step. Since I've only had the bike one day I can only give my initial impressions. Of course I love the way the bike looks! The seating position is just about perfect though the seat is killing me - it is really hard. I'm going to give it some time to see if the foam softens up a bit, if not I'll be looking for an alternative (could be I just have a bony butt). Because this is the break in period I haven't wound it up (trying to keep it below 5k RPM)but so far the power delivery is excellent and smooth - no downshifting required to get around someone, this thing just goes. The brakes also feel great and have more than enough power for around town. One other downside is the mirrors; I can't see anything behind me, though this is a problem with most sport bikes. I'll be looking for a solution to this also. All in all I can't stop grinning and think I made the right choice. If I remember I'll add a follow on post in a few months, after she's broken in. Oh yeah, this bike is getting TONS of looks! Too bad no one seems to be into bikes like this...their loss. Show less

It's really nice to be able to comfortably ride Mrs. Z1000 up to the back side of the mountain with a lot of my friends (GSXR owners), shred the mountain side with them, and ride 50 miles back to the city! She is so strong in low rpms all the way up to redline! I assumed with it not having too much wind protection that might be an issue...NOPE. The saddest thing about it is there's only like 2 of these in the state. Oh well just more fun for me. Thanks Kawi!! Show less

I had this bike for a while now and found there were a couple of problems. (1) You have to shift hard into second gear; (2) there is a vibration in the bars that make your hands numb after 1/2 an hour of riding; (3) the seat sucks on any trip over 2 hours. With a couple of after market parts and some tweaking, this bike is a butt-kicker; I had it to 165mph at 9 grand and keeping up with smaller bikes on the twisties without a problem. I would say this bike is worth the money and then some! Show less

The Z1000 is my eighth bike and I have been riding for 35 years. About 6 months ago, I traded up from a 99 ZRX1100-which was a beautiful bike to this bike-an orange Z1000. I was surprized how much lighter this bike felt-50 pounds lighter. It is a small bike but is very comfortable for my size. The power is delivered differently than the ZRX- this one is more dependent on a few revs than the ZRX and the Z1000 is quite a bit faster once the revs start to build. The handling is wonderful and I am not bothered by the vibs others talk about. I thought I would miss the ZRX but this bike is a quantum leap forward- 6 speeds, fuel injection, 125 hp and 50 lbs. less and it sounds so nice as the revs build. It howls! Show less

I just bought mine with 221 miles on it, and it came with a full Akropovic race exhaust and a power commander. Trying to run it in is like trying to stop a bomb going off!! It is mental but absolutley fantastic!! So much fun and can be layed down with so little effort great for round town and twisty back roads. I find motorway (Freeway) riding on it slightly dull as this thing excels at cornering and that's when the huge smile appears :) But then I can hang on the throttle until its run in. Red mist difficult to shake off ;) Show less

Awesome bike, very nimble. It suprises a lot of people with it's power. My only complaint is the seat, after half an hour or so, my rear start to hurt. Otherwise great bike, lots of power and good looks. Show less

This bike is a blast bought new in 03 and still love it. Was originally looking for a supersport but after one test ride, never looked back. Have a mate with an 05 ZX10 who pulls away on the straight on the race track but always catch him in first corner. Being naked only issue is long runs on the freeway when you have no choice, but that just means you should take the fun way home. Could do with more low down pull under 4000rpm, but you just ride around it. If you're after a bike that gets you around town, race track or even weekend runs, this bike does it all in an upright comfortable position. Only issue I found was that the steering was light over 120mph, but this is because the suspension was not set for my weight. Also added a steering dampner for good measure. Show less

I bought this one in the orange. The miles let you know that it is only an "in town" bike. The power and the looks just always set it apart from the rest. Powerwheelies/burnouts are never hard to do. Great all around in town bike. Seat is not meant for any long distance riding. A buzz from the engine is quickly cured by some #8 leadshot in the bar. Clutch lever rattle is solved with a piece felt. One of the few fuel injection bikes that is spot on from the factory. Enough low end grunt to easily pull through traffic. The price was soooooo right for the perfomance and handling. Show less