Kawasaki Z900 RS retro-sport motorcycle launched in India; Lot costlier than Triumph T120 & Thruxton

India Kawasaki Motor (IKM) has just launched the Z900 RS retro-sport motorcycle in India. It’s priced at a steep Rs.  15.3 lakhs, ex-showroom India. The motorcycle is a full import from Japan through the completely built unit (CBU) route, a  reason for the high price tag. The superbike is the first retro motorcycle that Kawasaki has built in many years and  inspired by the legendary Z1000 naked from the 1970s. The new superbike features similar naked styling but has modern mechanicals borrowed from the Z900, another inline-4 sportsbike that Kawasaki sells in India.

The Z900 RS is powered by a 900cc, inline four cylinder petrol engine that produces 109 Bhp of peak power at 8,500  rpm and 98.5 Nm of peak torque at 6,500 rpm. This engine has been borrowed from the Z900 but gets a different state of tune for better low end and mid range power delivery. Kawasaki has also designed attractive ribbing on the engine head and bore to give it the appearance of an air cooled engine. In reality, this motorcycle is liquid cooled, with four valves per cylinder and twin overhead camshafts.

A 6 speed manual gearbox, with shorter gear ratios make the bike a fiercely accelerating machine. The strong power  and torque numbers of this motorcycle means that it’ll be a great everyday sportsbike that you can ride to work and  go corner carving during the weekends.

The motorcycle features sporty yet comfortable ergonomics with high set  handlebars and mid-set footpeg positioning. The exhaust has also been tuned to sound melodious, something that people who have experienced inline 4 bikes from the past will come to appreciate.

Other important details about the motorcycle are 41 mm upside down front forks, a monoshock rear, 300mm twin disc brakes on the front wheel and a 250 mm disc brake on the rear wheel, standard tubeless tyres, dual channel ABS and traction control.

The motorcycle competes with the Triumph T120 and the Thruxton, both of which are significantly cheaper at 9.56 lakhs and 10.9 lakhs. Kawasaki could assemble this motorcycle in India next year through the completely knocked down (CKD) kit route. When that happens, expect prices to drop to under Rs. 10 lakhs.