Naked Fun With or without its clothes, a Kawasaki is always a headturner, and the Z1000 is no exception Abhinav Mishra Posted On Monday, March 17, 2014 at 10:15:34 AM The 2014 Kawasaki Z1000, the latest entry in its long-running Z series of performance bikes, is here. It follows Kawasaki’s Sugomi design theme, which means “raw aggression”, and in the flesh, the Z1000 manages the dual act of looking fairly compact and still very menacing. The low-slung headlight, followed by an arching fuel tank and raked rear end give the impression of a crouching predator. Our favourite bits on the Z1000 include the cat’s iris slits in the headlight, the split exhaust, the ‘Z’ badging all over the rider’s seat, and the rear pillion seat — finished in green — which mimics a cowl. Pics: Himanshu Pandya The compact instrument cluster has a nifty looking tachometer that’s split by an LCD screen and a row of LEDs. Apart from speed and revs, it also displays a fuel gauge and a range calculator. The engine is similar to the one in the ZX-10R, but has been bored out to a slightly higher capacity. Though the Z1000’s mill is higher on displacement, it makes around 140bhp, which is 60bhp less power than its litre-class sibling. However, torque is 111Nm, which is similar to the ZX-10R. On the move, the first thing you notice is how nimble the bike feels to ride. With a single-piece handlebar, which sits lower and closer to the rider, and those slightly rearward foot pegs, you get a comfortably sporty stance, which makes riding it around and squeezing through traffic fairly easy. With 140bhp on tap and 221kg in kerb weight, on paper, it lacks the edge of a litre-class bike. But since Kawasaki has skipped its traction control system on this, the Z1000’s performance in the real world more than makes up for what this bike lacks in horsepower. Thankfully, ABS is standard, which is a musthave in a country like ours. On the highway, the Z1000 responds to the slightest twitch of the throttle, instantly lunging ahead. Though power wheelies are kept under check, performance is neck-snapping and that’s down to all the torque on tap. Open the throttle gradually and as the revs start climbing, you realise the bike has a fat power band spread across the rev range. With torque available from as low down as 2,500rpm, you don’t have to downshift every time you want to overtake. But keeping the bike at higher speeds is a task. The absence of a front fairing means the rider faces strong wind resistance as speeds climb. Adding to that is the engine vibration, which starts creeping in at around 8,500rpm. The stiffer rear suspension makes the bike very flickable around the city, and cornering becomes a breeze. But there’s a flip side. On bumpy roads, the ride can get a bit jarring, and the wafer-thin seat provides little relief. The Kawasaki Z1000 easily impressed us with its aggressive styling, and that’s not the only thing we liked about it. The 1,043cc engine feels raw (in a good way) and stomps all those horses out with an earthy fury. Its nimble handling is a big plus and will make the bike useable even as a daily commuter. And at ` 12.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), it’s competitively priced as well. COURTESY: BBC TopGear Magazine India. More information on topgear Vespa S launched After launching the disc-brake version of the standard Vespa LX last year, Piaggio has now introduced another variant, in the form of the Vespa S. It looks fairly different from the LX and the VX — it’s been styled to look like the Vespa 50 Special and the Primavera of the past. The Vespa S gets a rectangular headlight unit, as well as rectangular rear-view mirrors. Adding a sporting touch are blacked-out alloys and red shock absorbers. The S is powered by the same 125cc, 10bhp motor as in the rest of the range. It is priced at ` 76,500 (ex-showroom, Mumbai). Fiat Linea facelifted Fiat launched the facelifted version of its mid-size sedan, the Linea this week. The makeover features a new front end, new headlamps, redesigned grille, and a new bumper. At the back, the tail-lights are new, and the registration plate has been moved to the bootlid. Engine and gearbox options remain the same, so there’s a choice of a 1.4-litre non-turbo petrol, a 1.3-litre diesel and a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine, along with a five-speed manual gearbox. But the big changes are inside — the interior has been redesigned, with soft plastic and a beige palette for a more premium feel. The facelifted Linea is priced at ` 7.22- ` 9.97 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai).
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 06:06:14 +0000
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