2021 Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe Goes Black

Published June 15, 2021
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The new iteration of the Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe is slightly more expensive and looks a lot bolder than before

Kawasaki has launched the 2021 Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe in the US at USD 12,099, which is around Rs 8.86 lakh. This makes the new iteration dearer than the older one by around Rs 14,650. For 2021, Kawasaki has draped the cafe racer in a new Metallic Diablo Black colour as standard, as opposed to its predecessor’s Pearl Storm Gray. No other colours are available.

The grey colour in the previous model looked subdued whereas the new 2021 colour is a lot bolder. Moreover, the latter also gets lengthier white racing stripes, running right from sides of the fuel tank to the cafe racer-style cowl. The black seat cover has also been replaced with a more premium looking suede one. Apart from these changes, the rest of the motorcycle remains mechanically unchanged.

The bike is powered by a Kawasaki Z900-derived 948cc inline-four engine, churning out 111PS and 98Nm. It is mated to a six-speed transmission, enhanced by an assist and slipper clutch. Keeping the rubber side down is the single-mode traction control system and the dual-channel ABS. It doesn’t get any other electronic interventions apart from these.

The engine nestles inside a tubular diamond frame, linked to a fully adjustable inverted front fork and a rebound- and preload-adjustable linked monoshock. Unlike the axial calipers on the Kawasaki Z900, the Z900RS Cafe gets more sophisticated radial calipers grabbing the twin 300mm discs up front. The rear employs a 250mm disc.

At 820mm, the seat is a bit on the taller side. It is also a little hefty, at 216kg kerb. Kawasaki used to offer the retro variant, the Z900RS, in the country back when we were following the BS4 emission norms. It was around twice the price of the Z900 back then because it was imported from Japan via the CBU route. And for this reason, the bike wasn’t really all that popular in terms of sales. So Kawasaki is unlikely to bring the 2021 iteration here anytime soon.

Instead, Kawasaki might surprise us with something much smaller, the W175. The motorcycle was spotted testing back in November 2020, and you can read all about it here.