Kawasaki Z900RS

[Ulvetanna]

I noticed the bike has a traditional helmet lock. Not only is this dang convenient, it really does add to the traditional look.

http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/k...900rs.html

[jedd]

This might be old news, but what's interesting to me is how strong and forceful Kaw's Marketing efforts have gone down for this bike. ever since June, I've been trying to keep up w/ all the latest buzz on it.

Even more impressive is how quickly production got ramped up from showcasing it to the public (mid OCT) to being on the US dealer's show room.

I didn't have a CLUE that the CB1100 had been in production for 2 yrs before I first found out about it by accident (right about this time 2 yrs ago). So, in hindsight, I think Kaw's marketing debut is going to pay off HUGE (vs. Honda's CB1100 debut).

[Ulvetanna]

(12-26-2017 10:57 AM)jedd Wrote:  This might be old news, but what's interesting to me is how strong and forceful Kaw's Marketing efforts have gone down for this bike. ever since June, I've been trying to keep up w/ all the latest buzz on it.

Even more impressive is how quickly production got ramped up from showcasing it to the public (mid OCT) to being on the US dealer's show room.

I didn't have a CLUE that the CB1100 had been in production for 2 yrs before I first found out about it by accident (right about this time 2 yrs ago). So, in hindsight, I think Kaw's marketing debut is going to pay off HUGE (vs. Honda's CB1100 debut).

The fact that the Z900RS is still truly a high-performance motorcycle in pretty much every way means the press is going to love it. The CB got very lukewarm reviews due to its performance limitations. Nonesuch exist for the Kawasaki.

In truth there is not much between the RS and R; good riders will run generally a comparable pace on either.

Yes, the R will pull up the front wheel quite easily but that is more a thrill thing. It don't have traction control, and the RS does, which means the rider can really give it full stick whenever (within reason, of course).

It's just a very different machine with a lot of curb and sex appeal (which the CB1100 has, naturally) but that extra 25 HP and 80-pound weight difference will attract a lot more buyers.

Still and all I will be looking for a CB1100EX next year.

[The ferret]

"but that extra 25 HP and 80-pound weight difference"

more like 15 hp (stock CB dynos about 85 rwhp the new RS will dyno about 99 rwhp... the full bore Z900 only dynos 113 rwhp or 28 hp more than the CB)

the weight difference is 70 pounds (CB 545 lbs... RS 475 lbs)

[Ulvetanna]

(12-26-2017 11:57 AM)The ferret Wrote:  "but that extra 25 HP and 80-pound weight difference"

more like 15 hp (stock CB dynos about 85 rwhp the new RS will dyno about 99 rwhp... the full bore Z900 only dynos 113 rwhp or 28 hp more than the CB)

the weight difference is 70 pounds (CB 545 lbs... RS 475 lbs)

Honda says 540 on its website. Honda shows no difference between the weights of the Standard and Deluxe models which is likely an error since the Deluxe holds more fuel and has twin exhausts. The EX has even beefier suspension and holds even more fuel than the Deluxe, another half-gallon. None of that weight seems to be taken into account, so I think Honda have not updated the specs correctly, since two reviewers using independent scales are coming up with 562 and 570 lbs, respectively.

Motorcycle.com says 562 pounds in its review. They use their own scales.

Rideapart says 570 pounds for the CB1100 Deluxe, 2015 model. They also use their own scales.

Horsepower, yes, I gave a rough number, I am speaking of crankshaft horsepower claimed, not dyno numbers. Dynos vary from day to day and bike to bike so I don't put much stock in those values. The use of a dyno is mainly to chart changes and make sure the bike is running properly, those numbers are all over the place.

Dyno threads are worse than oil threads on the high-performance bike websites...

So, Honda are claiming 88 HP or 89 PS for the EX, Kawasaki are claiming 110 HP or 111 PS for the RS model. So, the difference is 22 HP at the crank. The buyer considering either will surely take these values into account and figure out what they mean for him or her. But the "motojournalist" on the CB1100EX who is getting left well behind is bound to comment on the performance gap.

If that's important, the choice is more obvious. If not, the CB1100 might be a contender.

If I didn't already own a Z900R I'd be a prime candidate for the RS but that not being the case, another CB1100 (EX this time) might be in the cards.

[Banned]

(12-26-2017 11:57 AM)The ferret Wrote:  "but that extra 25 HP and 80-pound weight difference"

more like 15 hp (stock CB dynos about 85 rwhp the new RS will dyno about 99 rwhp... the full bore Z900 only dynos 113 rwhp or 28 hp more than the CB)

the weight difference is 70 pounds (CB 545 lbs... RS 475 lbs)

Ok, for you guys with far more experience than me, how much can you actually feel that difference in power?

I mean my HD dynoed at 86 rwhp and 92ft/lbs tq, my Buell is listed at 103hp, 84ft/lbs tq (at the crank I suppose) and whatever the CB is and I'll be honest - I can't really tell that much of difference between them.

[Lord Popgun]

The ‘14 service manual lists:
2013 as 540lbs, ABS model as 549lbs
2014 as 545lbs and the dlx as 571lbs

[The ferret]

Ok first off rideapart was wrong because there was no 15 DLX and there are likely no more than 300 14 dlxs (the only year it was made) in North America

The CB has been dynoed by many magazines and many members here so 85 rwhp is a figure I feel confident using (NOT at the crank).

http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/photo-gall...cond-ride/

I have not seen a dyno on a 900RS yet, but if the std 125 hp Z900 loses 12 hp on the dyno to the rear wheel and comes out at 113, that's what I am going to figure on (ie: a 12 hp loss). Surely the detuned RS isn't going to rate only 2 hp less. Using someone else's actual dyno charts is the only measure we can use isn't it? Can't trust the manufacturers to tell us the truth since they don't compare apples to apples. (rwhp vs crank hp for example.. dry weight, vs curb weight vs wet weight for another example) so we rely on magazines to weigh and dyno and quarter mile them for us and compare those figures.

https://www.google.com/search?q=dyno+cha...qukDl-zsM:

I used the 545 pounds weight from from the standard 13 and 14 models (yes the dlx is 30 pounds heavier but like I said, it was a one off model and there aren't enough of them in the country to use as a fair comparison)

I don't care what numbers you use, the Kaw is lighter and has more hp, but the difference is not as large as some would make it out to be. But in the REAL world, where we actually ride the motorcycles daily, FEW of us (at least few of us on this board from what I have read) are going to notice the difference in HP between the two (except maybe on rare occasions). If the CB's dyno chart shows more horsepower in the rpms I ride in and the RS's dyno shows a hp advantage only in the upper regions of the tach near the red zone where I don't ride, then the CB will actually be the more powerful bike in my hands. And even if the Kaw shows a couple hp advantage in that 3500-5000 rpm range, that really doesn't mean squat does it? That is exactly the situation I was in with my Gen 1 FZ-1 I was riding when the CB came out. The CB made more hp than the FZ in the 3500-5000 rpm zone I ride, but once the FZ hit 8000 rpms. there was a steep rise in HP up to the 13,000 rpm redline where it smoked the CB... but I never rode it there. For me, the CB was the more powerful bike.

Some guys (you maybe) like to ride around banging them off the rev limiter, but I would say generally speaking those that would buy this type of bike are of a certain demographic that got that out of their system many years ago.

[Aussieflyer]

Probably been said a zillion times ... the CB1100 is not a performance bike by todays standards and any comparison based on HP / torque / weight or any other 'performance measure' is about as productive as peeing into the wind. Ride it for what it is and 99 times out of 100 you'll be smiling.

[LongRanger]

^ Yep! +100