Written by Marlon Slack
The reviews are in and the motorcycle industry has spoken. The new Kawasaki Z900RS is the best handling, best looking, most incredible retro bike ever designed. According to the throngs of fawning middle-aged journalists it can do anything. It can tour. It can commute. It can cure cancer, remove blackheads and can bring Israelis and Palestinians together. Such is the power of the new Z900RS.
I?m bullshitting you, but I?m not far off. Reviews of this bike have been so treacley I?m more than a little suspect. Maybe Kawasaki throw the best launch parties. Maybe people are just hailing the returning of a much-loved model. Maybe press release-based motorcycle journalism has reached new lows or maybe – just maybe – it?s actually a bloody good motorcycle. I?ve had ten days to figure out if the Z900RS is worthy of even half the praise that?s been heaped on it. Ten days of interstate touring, backstreet commuting and weekend scratching to see how the bike holds up. And it?s blown me away. Mark me down as a fan. And soon, potentially, an owner.

SIT DOWN FOR A HISTORY LESSON
The Z900RS has big, 70?s-shaped shoes to fill. Not that Kawasaki Heavy Industries are new to the retro game. They?ve pushed the underrated W650 and W800 line for a number of years as well as the Zephyr series, the inline four throwback bikes that sold mildly well through the 90?s and the 2000?s. But this is the first time Kawasaki have used the ?Zed? label with any real effort...