Kawasaki Z900 Launched In Indonesia; Indian Launch Soon

Our analysis says that the Kawasaki Z900 could be priced around Rs 10 lakh in India

Kawasaki has just launched its new Z900 in Indonesia at IDR 225 million (Around INR 11.25 lakh). After releasing some images at the INTERMOT fair in October 2016, the company unveiled this replacement for the Z800 at the last year's EICMA show in Milan, Italy. Kawasaki fans in India will be glad to know that India is also on the list of the countries where the Z900 is going to be launched and now it can b expected anytime soon.

Apart from a bigger and better engine, the new Kawasaki Z900 also gets other advanced features that make it a worthy successor of the existing Z800. The fierce, predator like appearance of the new bike is inspired from the bigger Z1000 that is based on the Kawasaki's sugomi design approach. It has a sharp yet seamless design that perfectly goes with the brand name "Z".

The Z900 is bolted on a new high-tensile strength steel trellis frame that provides more stiffness and confidence at high speeds. The slim, lightweight chassis (12kg lighter than Z800) with a wide and flat handlebar offers good high-speed handling and low-speed maneuvering while riding in city. The natural upright riding posture is offered along with a low seat height (795mm) and tapered seat design that ensures the rider's comfort.

Powering the Kawasaki Z900 is a Z1000-derived 948cc, liquid-cooled, inline-four motor that delivers 126PS and 98Nm of torque (13PS and 15Nm more than the Z800). The engine comes mated to a 6-speed transmission via a slipper clutch arrangement and the cycle parts are also better than the Z800.

The suspension system includes 41mm inverted forks at the front and a horizontal, back-link rear monoshock, both adjustable for rebound damping and spring preload. Braking duties are handled by dual 300mm petal disc brakes at the front and a 250mm one at the rear. The bike also gets ABS as a standard feature and the overall package looks a good deal if you want a bike that is better than a middle-weight machine but don't want to spend much for a litre-class.

As far as competition is concerned, one of its direct rivals is the Yamaha MT-09 that is around 10 per cent costlier in the Indonesian market. The bike is available in the Indian market as well, and hence, we can expect the Kawasaki Z900 to be priced somewhere around Rs 10 lakh here. Other opponents of the bike in India will be the Ducati Monster 821 and the Benelli TNT 899. The existing Kawasaki Z800 is already doing much better in the market as compared to its competitors and we believe that the Z900 will take the game to the next level.