The Kawasaki Z800 is a mid-sized naked streetfighter sports motorcycle which was introduced in 2013. In 1972, Kawasaki Z series came into existence and the Z800 was launched as the follow-up version of the Z750 which was introduced in 2004 as the successor of the ZR-7. The new Kawasaki Z800 carries forward the long tradition of the Kawasaki Z family legend with its great performance and styling in its segment. The Z800 is basically a standard motorcycle, aimed for comfortable daily use.
2016 Kawasaki Z800 ABS Price – Rs. 8,20 Lakhs (On-Road, Pune)
Its Styling: The new Z800 is aggressive and flashy in terms of its styling. As it is the follow-up version of the Z750, the Z800 takes its styling to another level with all those appropriate dimensions and killer looks. It gets new stickers and now Kawasaki also offers a new candy red with sparky black colour on the Z800. As you ride this beast, people do give a look at it and keep on staring it as this motorcycle is a mean machine with great aggressive looks. The bike is compact in size but has a lot of road presence. The raised tank is scooped well and the covers on the tank, engine shrouds and under-cowl look muscular and give the bike a more macho look. The dual triangular headlamp cowl uses a multi-facet design which gives the Z800 a more of aggressive and streetfighter look. The motorcycle’s seat is printed with Z and all the visible parts of the motorcycle are detailed well by its engineers. The front mud guard now also gets an ABS sticker as this bike now comes with ABS as standard. It’s a Kawasaki and hence the rear mono-shock is green in colour. The rear view mirrors are too designed well and give you a proper rear view. The taillight is an LED taillight assembly assembled with two ‘Z’ shapes in it which are opposite to each other and the taillight looks just outstanding. The four quad exhaust pipes get a light golden/brownish coating and they meet up at one single muffler which has two outlets. This muffler is one good looking silencer with its unique shape and design. Overall, the bike looks mean, aggressive and is flashy and it is one great looking naked sports bike in its segment. It looks like a Predator in-short.
Its Switchgears and Instrument Cluster: The Z800 gets an easy-to-read all digital instrument cluster. The cluster meter houses three trapezoidal meters. The left meter shows temperature, ODO, two trip meters and a clock. The center meter displays the vertically stacked tachometer, in which redline is marked at 12,000 rpm. The right meter shows speed, ECO mode, range (distance to empty), average and fuel level indicator. This cluster is surrounded by tell-tale lights and buttons to select and reset. The fit and finish of its switchgears is top notch and even the plastic on it is of high quality. On the right, engine kill switch and starter button are present only while on the left pass light button, low/high beam light button, hazard indicator switch, indicator switch and horn switch are present.
Its Ergonomics: Being a naked streetfighter, this bike gets a wide handlebar and an upright sporty seating position. Make sure you lean on the tank while speeding otherwise; be ready to take those heavy wind blasts on your chest. The pillion seat is not that soft as the rider’s seat but its large and seats a pillion properly but the under seat grab rails doesn’t helps much the pillion to hold and seat properly and he/she will have to hold the rider always because once you open the throttle, the bike just whiz pasts the traffic and through the winds. The rear view mirrors at high speeds will show you only half of the road and other half view of your hands will be seen by you. The tank is tall and fat and it is scooped well and the shrouds are too positioned well which gives a good thigh support to every rider who rides it. The ergonomics of this bike are on more comfortable side and you can commute daily on this bike.
Its Engine and Performance: The 2016 Z800 is powered by the same 806 cc liquid-cooled, 4-stroke in-line four cylinder, DOHC engine. Each cylinder has 4-valve for its efficient performance. The engine produces maximum power of 113 PS @ 10200 rpm and maximum torque of 83 Nm @ 8000 rpm. Though the engine is still the same but it now feels more smooth and tuned well to perform well. The bike gets settled to its idling rpm quickly as soon as it is started and the exhaust note is bliss to your ears.
The powertrain is very responsive and the gearbox is slick and butter smooth. The transmission effortlessly moves between its six gears. The gearbox is so smooth that the rider can even shift gears without using the clutch. It has got a very good low-mid range power performance which helps you cruise below 2000 rpm too in heavy traffics. Everything goes well till the 6000 rpm comes in the scene. The engine gets buzzy over 6000 rpm and minute vibrations can be felt from the handlebar, seat and footpegs. But, real fun is at the top-end range of this bike and you don’t actually get time to notice those vibrations because you are too busy with quick shiftings and speeding. In terms of performance, the new Z800 is nimble, responsive and an extremely insane motorcycle.
Its Riding Dynamics: The 2016 Kawasaki Z800 weighs 231 kgs which is 2 kgs more than its previous model. The bike feels heavy while taking it reverse or when you are parking it. But, its lighter handlebar helps in cruising at lower speeds easily and changes directions without doing any drama and the bike remains stable all the time. Nevertheless the Z800 is a mad machine at corners and it gulps up the road and bumps with its tubular backbone (athletic) chassis and sport-oriented front and rear suspensions and the Dunlop tyres provide ample of grip while cornering or bringing the bike to a halt. The weight being more on the front side, the brakes perform flawlessly and the ABS on this bike helps it a lot in tight situations like sharp turns and corners and works perfectly fine in bringing the bike to a stop on wet and dry surfaces. The chassis is rigid and the front rebounding dampers of the KYB inverted front forks are so responsive that even after any air jump or while landing after a wheelie it settles the bike very well in a straight line. The posture of the bike is forward leaning as its front is lowered and rear is raised and such posture contributes to the more aggressive appearance and riding. With ABS and such posture it changes directions quickly and feels nimble to handle. We were able to do long distance wheelies, a few stoppies and drifting on this bike and it was pure fun. I was able to do 96 km/h in first gear slightly above 12000 rpm and was also able to pull a power wheelie in second gear between 7000 to 8000 rpm and it is quite impressive. To add more fun and impress you more, the bike goes from 0 – 100 km/h in only 3.5 seconds and can gain a top speed of 233 km/h. It returned us an average of 18 km/l in normal city riding conditions and 20km/l on highways. Overall, the ride quality is simply mind blowing and the bike makes you fall in love with it everytime you ride it.
Its Verdict/Conclusion: The 2016 Kawasaki Z800 ABS is complete package of fun, thrill, excitement, insanity and great aggressive looks. It’s an affordable mid-sized sportsbike and offers ample of power than you need. Price and performance of the Z800 are in line and when put to together you get a fast, killer motorcycle with all the qualities of proper riding dynamics, solid performance, flawless brakes with ABS and yes a very better looking mid-sized standard motorcycle. It is unique and strikes the right chord of a divinely conferred powerful bike at its heart as it’s a Kawasaki.
2016 Kawasaki Z800 ABS Technical Data:
* Engine: 806 cc, 4-valve per cylinder, liquid-cooled, in-line four, DOHC
* Power: 113 PS @ 10,200 RPM
* Torque: 83 Nm @ 8000 RPM
* Transmission: 6-speed
* 0 – 100 km/h: 3.5 seconds
* Top Speed: 233 km/hr
* Fuel Consumption: 18 km/l (City), 20 km/l (Highway)
* Fuel Type: Petrol (Unleaded/RON 95)
* Frame: Tubular backbone (with engine sub-frame)
* Suspension: 41 mm inverted fork with rebound damping and spring preload adjustability (Front), Bottom-Link Uni-Trak, gas-charged shock with piggyback reservoir and stepless rebound damping and preload adjustability (Rear)
* Tyres: Dunlop 120/70ZR17M/C (58W) {Front}, Dunlop 180/55ZR17M/C (73W) {Rear}
* Brakes: Dual semi-floating 310 mm petal discs with dual opposed 4-piston caliper (Front), Single 250 mm petal disc with single piston caliper (Rear), ABS
2016 Kawasaki Z800 ABS Dimensions:
* Overall Length: 2100 mm
* Overall Width: 800 mm
* Overall Height: 1050 mm
* Wheelbase: 1445 mm
* Ground Clearance: 150 mm
* Seat Height: 834 mm
* Curb weight: 231 kgs
* Fuel Tank Capacity: 17 Litres
