I'm Really Disappointed At Honda.

The Z900 is a great bike! Won all its comparisons in its class. Consistently dyno's at 114 rwhp average yet has gobs of mid-range torque. Looks great too and under $10k. The 2019 black/gray/red accents look amazing. It's naked though. I would get this as a second bike just because.

 

LOL! I'm with you 100%. I rode my DR650 (with a small windscreen no less) 250 miles, with half of it highway the other half twisties. Loved the twisties part. The highway sucked. Yeah my ears were ringing for a few days. That's the day I decided enough is enough with naked bikes. I don't want to end up deaf at 70 years old!

 

That's what they make ear plugs for. For long trips, you really should be wearing them on any bike.

 

If you can still find a new one on the floor, there is damn good reason why, and my guess is that it's not good.

 

I briefly considered this bike way back when, despite all the negative publicity due to range, pricing, weight, and market niche confusion. At this point I'm looking for a really modern, up to date bike that I'll enjoy for another 5-7 years.

 

I only like naked when i'm throwing dollars at it, or some other similar activity along the same line.

 

I agree. I wear ear plugs 100% of the time. Trust me. It helps a lot but not enough at highway speeds. Even with a quiet helmet, like a Shoei X13 or a Schuberth S2. They all reduce the wind roar just not enough. And if I removed the windshield, the wind blast wants to rip my head off my shoulder at anything above 75 mph and the wind pressure on my chest makes my back hurt because I'm trying to stay upright. I tried for a year to fix these issues on my naked. After riding two naked bikes on test rides, the issues were the same.

When you've owned a faired motorcycle, you forget what it's like to ride a naked. A 15 minute test ride when you're excited may not reveal the true experience of being in the highway for long periods. My DR650 is my second naked bike, the first was a Bandit 1200S with a little 1/4 fairing. Even the Bandit sucked on the highway just not as bad as the DR650. Take a naked bike on a test ride and ride on the freeway at 80 mph for about 10-15 minutes. You will see what I mean.

 

Oh yeah this bike rocks! I love the Tuono 1100. Beautiful bike. Lusty sound. Class leading performance. Somewhat affordable in its class.

I did check the 12k mile service and what it involves. It's quite extensive. Something like clutch and stator covers removed, flywheel needs to have dowel pins installed to replace intake shims, and about $1,000+ of shop time just to check valves according to owners. Add the oil/filter change that is required to check the valves, plus other things and the price goes up. I probably put 12k miles a year on my bikes. This will not work for me.

 

How about an FJ-09 then?

Fairly light , good power, interesting looks. Medium stock shield which could likely be upgraded to a larger coverage one.

 

Hmmmm........which one is more exciting.....

 

Love them BOTH--BUT--have 60+yr old knees and the Kawasaki will begin to hurt MUCH sooner than the Yamaha.

 

The FJ-09 seating position is too upright for me, it's just a big dual sport with a tall windscreen and two extra cylinders.

On one hand, you have the 60+ club saying get the one that's closest to almost standing up, which I will refer to as the butter knife, then you have the 60- club putting the votes in for the more traditional supersport seating position, which I will refer to as a scalpel. If you plan on just putting some butter on your toast, choose the butter knife. If you plan on doing serious surgery, choose the scalpel.

 

That is one ugly motorcycle ..looks like a first attempt at Photoshopping too, as for the end can

 

Personally, I would call that styling - challenged. So many things going on there, the upper cowl looks like it's falling off, due to that drooping, bulbous nose. I do recognize and appreciate that beauty is completely in the eye of the beerholder. Like I've seen quoted before, "I can't see it while I'm riding, so it really makes no difference to me." If you're quicker and happier on the ugly bike, than you are the prom queen, that's a no brainer.

 

I do think the Kwakka is a great bike, but I don't like the styling either.
They say that the pipes hark back to the original Z series, FU*# OFF!!! They are hideous and would be the first thing I would throw in the bin after smashing them with a hammer so that they could never see the light of day again.
I'm also not a fan of the front nose, or the vomit green option.
I actually think Kawasaki need to get a new colour designer, because they haven't come up with a good colour scheme in years.
The R1200RS is a fantastic bike, but expensive.
We just need a VFR900F, lighter and with more power and good suspension.

 

Since we're on the subject of looks, and I'm very shallow....just saying, I really, really like the styling of the current crop of Kawasaki bikes. They are very sharp, a bit busy, techno-futuristic, Transformer-like. It does appeal more to a younger crowd. In a way it's similar to the look of the 6th Gen VFR, which in my opinion still looks current today.

The most current 8th Gen VFR800 has a huge single exhaust. It looks much bigger in person and is very old school round.


The Ducati Supersport has the most svelte look, although its exhaust doesn't win any styling cues either. Sounds marvelous though. Hard to believe its sound output is legal. The Honda above looks fat in comparison.


The Suzuki looks the most ungainly to me, almost BMW-like in having a bulbous front end. That stubby exhaust also looks awkwardly bent but at least it's petite in dimensions.


Looks better in motion. I'm just not a fan of the beak-like front headlight and almost looks dated in 2018.


The Kawasaki does come in other colors other than KRT Green.


All black one looks bad ass and available in 2018/2019 US models. The exhaust doesn't bother me. It's refreshing to see a dual exhaust in 2018.


Here's the BMW R1250RS. Let's not talk about how big that exhaust can is. It's all Europe's fault.

 

In my opinion, this is the most beautiful bike in 2019, and the best looking Honda to come up the pipeline in ages. Nothing in this bike looks ungainly, or too busy, or plain. Nor does it have too much of anything. Everything is perfectly proportioned. It also has modern features including a Quick Shifter, TFT gauge, LED lights everywhere, radial brakes, etc. I would buy this bike on looks alone. Never mind that it's a 650. It's power to weight ratio is the same as my Non-ABS 6th Gen VFR with a bit more rev ceiling. It's suppose to have a sportier riding position than a VFR but more upright than the CBR600RR.


Non-adjustable front fork commensurate with it's price point. Probably around $8.5k based on current prices of the CBR650f. I don't believe there is anything in this price point that has all the features of this bike.


Looks as svelte as the Ducati Super Sport.

 

As far as looks this did it for me when it arrived in 1994 and still does. And I can ride one for about an hour before it hurts.

 

They just don't build them like they used to.

 

Something about that tail/swingarm combination makes that look like some squid stretched it. I know, I know, never happy