Kawa Z1000SX an exciting all-rounder

When I learned to ride in 1970 a motorcycle was a motorcycle; you rode whatever you had - to work, to the finish line or to the other end of the country, depending on the needs of the day.

With the advent of the niche market, bikes have become much more specialised but there is still room for a genuine all-rounder, a comfortable sports-tourer with real performance credentials, such as the Kawasaki Z1000SX.

It looks weird; the front end is too low, making the instruments seem a long way away when you're comfortably slouched over the touring-style handlebars. The analogue rev-countrer is clean and clear but the digital display (especially the speedometer) has an odd, flattened font with rounded ends that needs a little focus to read.

The ordinary squared-off font that we're used to from calculators and digital watches is much easier to read, as Ducati found out to its cost with the 999.

Nevertheless the liquid-crystal panel gives your speed, a bar-graph fuel gauge, the time, odometer and two trip meters - but no fuel-consumption or range-to-empty figures, both useful on long hauls.

However Kawasaki, smallest of the Japanese Big Four, has always been an engine company - and this one is a honey. The 1043cc transverse four is hugely oversquare at 77x56mm but tuned for mid-range rather than top-end rush.

It pulls like a locomotive from 4000rpm, begins to buzz through 'pegs and 'bars with intense secondary vibration from 6000 and the power curve becomes a whole lot steeper from 7000 to 11 000, before flattening off to the rev-limiter at 11 500.

But there's no need to yank this bike's chain; maximum power, a respectable 101.5kW, is at 9600rpm and you'll get the best results by short-shifting just above 10 000 and making full use of its 110Nm at 7800rpm.

It's fed by third-generation, Keihin fuel-injection through 38mm oval throttle bodies, producing instant response with very little snatch or jerkiness, even at small throttle openings.

Yet this muscular prime mover will stall very easily; its clutch-lever travel is short, it takes up very firmly, close to the handlebar grip and will catch you out a few times before you get used to it - but it's also as abuse-proof as all big Kawasaki clutches are and will stand up to repeated full-bore takeoffs without slipping or juddering.

The six-speed gearbox is typical Kawasaki, with a bit of extra clearance designed in to ensure positive shifting. It's klonky at low revs, with noticeable driveline snatch, but crisp as breaking glass (with or without the clutch) at high revs and never misses a shift.

The Z1000SX delivers the goods in the real world, with acceleration and overtaking so effortless it's almost arrogant.

For the record, it topped out at a true 234km/h with 248 on the digital speedometer and the rev-counter a needle's width on the loud side of 11 000rpm, with the screen in its lowest position (more about that later) and the chinpiece of my helmet touching the top of the 19-litre fuel tank.

Fuel consumption averaged out at 6.5 litres/100km over a week of mixed commuting and open road performance testing (well, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it).

This is not a budget bike; it's built on a beautifully finished, alloy frame with top-drawer componentry, including 41mm upside-downies with stepless adjustment for preload, compression and rebound damping, and a bell-crank above the swing-arm with a lay-down off-set monoshock, also adjustable for preload and rebound damping.

The suspension is firm yet supple on the factory median settings; I pushed it hard enough on our infamous bumpy test track to induce mild pattering at both ends without any jarring reaching the saddle or 'bars.

The downside was a very mild front-end shimmy at very high speeds, which could probably be tuned out, but then you'd lose the superb ride quality.

The brakes are superlative: A Nissin radial master cylinder modulates radial-mount, four-pot Tokico callipers, giving fierce initial bite then superbly controllable power right up to the point where the (standard) ABS begins to make the lever pulse gently under your fingers.

The rear petal disc has an underslung single-piston calliper; its action is a little squishy, but fine for hill-starts and adjusting the bike's trim in the wet.

The steering feels remote; it doesn't tell you what's happening at the tar/tyre interface and makes it very difficult to gauge the bike's limits, so I backed off - or I thought I did: I found I was averaging 154km/h over our ride-and-handling test section where 120 is the standard for road bikes and 140 is quick.

The almost-upright seating position and high 'bars, way above the clocks, feel odd but bike looks fashionably “street” and can be thrown around like a motard. Take time to know this bike; it will bear results that might surprise your riding buddies on their race replicas.

The three-position screen is adjustable by a simple spring-loaded clip - no electrics to go wrong. The top position keeps all the wind off your chest but directs it into your face (no problem, I like fresh air) but more importantly, does not induce any buffeting or headaches.

The lowest position - which I used for the top-end runs - would seldom be needed unless you'd left brains and partner at home to go hooning on a Sunday morning.

The Kawasaki's funny little kite-shaped mirrors give you a great view of your own elbows but not much else; Suzuki GSX-R oval mirrors have the same stalks and mounts but a much bigger glass area and should bolt straight on.

At first touch the seat doesn't feel all that plush, but it's perfectly shaped and very, very comfortable; the 19-litre tank should give close to 300km between pit-stops and I'd have no problem staying in the saddle of this bike for that long.

VERDICT

Kawasaki sells the Z1000SX as a very sporty sports-tourer - fitted luggage is available that fits the bill to a T - but it can also be ridden very slowly, its impressively tight turning circle and upright seating position making it a nimble and versatile commuter.

And even commuting is fun, thanks to the engine's stonking mid-range - what was that about getting it all this morning?

Price: R125 995.

Test bike from Kawasaki South, Cape Town.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1043c liquid-cooled four.

Bore x stroke: 77 x 56mm.

Compression ratio: 11.8:1.

Valvegear: DOHC with four overhead valves per cylinder.

Power: 101.5kW at 9600rpm.

Torque: 110Nm at 7800rpm.

Induction: Digital electronic fuel-injection with four 38mm oval Keihin throttle bodies.

Ignition: Digital electronic.