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Kawasaki Z800 - First impressions & Beginner friendliness


Lucifah
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Hi folks,


I thought I'd give a first impression on this bike after having owned one for a couple of weeks now. As I had not been riding for more than 15 years before purchasing it, some info may be interesting for returners/newbies as well.

In a couple of months time I will give a more thorough review.


The specs:


Kawasaki Z800

Year: 2014

List price: £7,499 (but nobody pays list price; negotiate for some discount! :D)

Engine/Performance: Liquid cooled 4-Stroke In-Line Four, 806cc, 116 PS, 83nm

Suspension: fully adjustable rear, pre-load front fork

Weight (with fluids): 229 kg

Mods: Evotech mirror brackets, Kwak Windshield



The cons:


Stock mirrors are too short; you can see your arms but not much else. The Evotech brackets are a cheap & cheerful way to fix that and surprisingly they are very sturdy (the mirrors don't vibrate any more or less than they normally do)


The instruments/dash are a graveyard for flies. The windscreen solves that. But that's the only thing the windscreen is good for. It still is a naked bike and wind protection does practically not exist.


Rear brake seems very soft. Could be a matter of adjustment. (Will find out after first service)


Top gear is a bit too short for my taste, which adds mid-range rev vibrations to the windy experience beyond 70 mph. (I did not just say beyond 70 mph. Ignore that :angel12: )


Some may find the lack of gear indicator a bit last century, but that's a non issue for me personally. If you desperately want it, you can add it as an accessory.


Not a lot of storage, to put it mildly. You'd be lucky to fit more than a disc lock under the passenger's seat, together with the stock toolset.


If you're short, the weight might be an issue when you have to stop.



The pros:


The seemingly massive weight for its size is a non-issue (at least for tall people who can flat foot), unless you push the bike around. You don't feel any of it once you've got your feet on the pegs, not even at very slow speed! That's quite a positive surprise. In fact it feels very nimble and yet very stable. Flips into corners quite easily too.


The front brakes are brutal, but start out very soft. The progression makes them very easy to control.


The whole rev range is smooth with progressive power delivery; no sudden peaks or flats. Very easy to control at any speed. Massive urge to surge forward at higher revs, but again no sudden suprises.


Extremely good throttle response. It does what you want it to do, when you want it.


Nice and accurate gearbox. Neutral finder is helpful in city traffic with many stops. (Can't incidentally switch to 2nd while standing still.)


Very suitable for tall people! I'm 6 ft 1, and I find the seating position very comfortable.


I think the suspension is great. Together with the smooth throttle response it feels super stable and confidence-inspiring around corners, even on below-average road surface.


I like the stock sound. Not as "harmless" as many other stock exhausts, but not neighbour's pain in the backside either, when you come home late. :)


I love the fully digital dash with equaliser-like rev counter, two independent trip meters, avg and remaining cruise range, proper fuel gauge etc. It's easy to read and didn't have any problems with reflections. For those who like to take their bikes abroad, the speedo can be changed to kph and back to mph with a few button clicks. Indicator, neutral and several warning lights are leds, which are lined around the digital dash. It makes sense and works very well.



To sum it up: It's not a long-range tourer, and was never meant to be one. It's a bike to have a lot of fun with on any road. Everything feels very quickly very natural in a way, which puts your mind at ease. In fact I already felt home on it when I had the test ride at the dealer's. The powerful engine, which may be frightening for a beginner (I was a bit wary about it, too), is easy to keep in check, thanks to the smooth progressive power delivery and excellent throttle response. You can tag along with city traffic, or rev up and leave everybody behind, darting around bends. In fact, the short gears make it pretty clear that this bike belongs on the road, not the motorway, so the lack of wind protection is not really a problem either. There, the bike does exactly what you want it to do, and will leave a huge grin on the rider's face (not sure about the passenger yet). :mrgreen:

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