Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

7500/- The running is hardly 5k. They changed the oil. According to them Kawasaki has instructed that we change the oil after 6 months. For better running of engine.
Chain maintenance is very important. As it collects so much dirt. And the difference is felt while riding.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Want to share an interesting ride experience. I went for a small 50 km ride with my friend. He has a Triumph Bonneville. He is a fan of retro lifestyle. Hence a hardcore fan of Bonnie. And he despises Japanese bikes. Also believer of the typical American Harley psyche;Jap is crap.
So we exchanged our bikes. And he was completely shocked by the Z! Infact the first inline four he rode. He just zoomed past 140 without realising it. He was visibly shaken after the ride. And I did not ask him further. I was smiling all the time.
But the real surprise was for me! The Bonneville is not that easy to ride! In the heat of the moment, I too accelerated like my friend on my Z. But taking a high speed turn was scary. I almost could have crashed the bike during hard braking. (ABS is God!) The wheel locked and the front tyre skidded for a moment. My heart was in my mouth! Immediately reduced speed and went at 100 kmph max.
Makes one realise that how advanced the bikes have become. Both streetbikes. But separated by the new age tech. All these rider aids that we read in the magazines do make big difference! First hand experience!
Ride Safe!

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

A rider's experience worth in gold like this one

Well, I have a thing about the 'character' that gets talked about a lot, especially by the europeans and the americans and is also used to demean the absolute smoothness of the Japs. I feel the lack of refinement is often passed on as 'character' and many lap it up with great enthusiasm. I try my best to keep an open mind. It tells me that smoother an engine is, the easier it is to ride, the better made it is.

The best part about the Z, imo, is how newbie friendly it is. It allows a new big bike rider to push his limits while being safe and sound with utmost ease. I have ridden the Bonnie. It is super comfy to chug around. The riding position reminded me of the TB with a lower handle bar and more refinement. But to lean her on a sweeping curve, the amount of effort needed would be much more than one would need on a machine that supports a posture like the Z does. It helps being one with the machine and promotes spirited riding.

Always been a fan of latest technology in every sphere of life. One can always find people with theories against the seat belts, the air bags, the ABS, the traction control and everything that assists an error prone human. These are like Batman. They stay out of the limelight and save you when you need them and hardly ever get the credit they deserve.

I have a query. Since you have already utilised the ABS, how do we know when the ABS is working on the Z ? The ABS light doesn't glow up like it does at speeds below 10kmph ? Is there any marked difference that can help us find out that it is working. I read about the pulsing feeling. How is that feeling ? I haven't seen any indications of the ABS working and I am keen to find out whether I am already being saved by ABS :P and get used to them when they are actually working in an emergency.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Well I did use ABS once. The way in which it works is pretty straightforward. During hard braking the handle will shake for a fraction of a second. And suddenly stabilise again.This happened two times until it stopped completely. That is how I assumed that the abs was holding and letting go of the disc.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True


You know satya i was and still am confused between bonnie and z. Bonnie is stunningly simplistic and yet it has its own charm and biggest point of bonnie is my dad can also ride as he is around 5 feet 5 inch (on Z it will be very difficult for him). And as am a shippie and i will not be riding my bike for 6months in a year, I have to get a bike which my dad can also ride. But after reading your bonnie experience, its like bonnie is almost out of question, but new player in the market has blown my senses off and that is Monster 821 which has 3 stage traction control too. I hate when we have so many options and all are equally good....

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

I still think the Bonnie will make the most sense for you. The Z would be next to impossible to ride safely for a 5.5 man. Plus service provided by Triumph is superior and that should be a major point since you will be with her for 6 months in a year. The Monster is a jaw dropping Ducati. But ASS is still under the scanner with their new approach to India. And being an Italian, I expect it would to need good care throughout. Bonnie is a great motorcycle. It goes wonderfully. It is superbly comfortable. It is easy to ride. It is reliable. The Bonnie showed its weakness when it was ridden like a naked sports. It not really the fault of the Bonnie.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Find an open road and brake hard rear one. You can feel lever vibrating a lot. This indicates that ABS is working. Note that wheel would be locked for a milli second and you can feel that as well. I tried braking the front one very hard but could not activate ABS.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Hopefully they give a good ASS. but man Z just blows away all the competition with its looks. BTW hows the ASS of kawa in B'lore??

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

They indeed do is what I hear and at justified costs too. Many hate how the Z looks since they feel too much is happening with the design. Like Jap Animes, some love them while others hate them.

ASS of Kawa (CBUs) in B'lore is Pain in the ASS !!! You probably get better service for a 100cc commuter, my R15 does for sure. The bike stay unattended so random people come in and blow the horn and start the bike and rev the engine for fun. They don't have a funnel to pour in the engine oil. They have a cut out head of a 500 ml mineral water bottle and that too just 1 in for Kawasaki and KTM put together. The entry point of the service bay is about 2 feet wide and they have almost dropped bikes (@Shreeni0408) while trying to go through that place. The washing bay was probably once a road-side toilet. They use cheap waxes and lubes. They fiddle around with the tools. They give you scratches on your bikes for free, while servicing. You have to help them out to get accessories fitted. They don't have a diagnostic tool and use their ears to find out problems by revving the engines insane. They don't have a torque wrench and tell they can 'feel' when its required amount of torque (@djay99). Their break times are larger than the irwork time. They charge an 1.75% if you pay by card, which is illegal ! They have a big mouth who keeps talking and talking who heads the services of the CBUs. And on and on and on !!! *Rant Over*

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

And Sourjya hows street? Seems you are these days accompanied by street owner for your weekend rides? I know there is a rear break issue, but in Pune there is bike modifier by name "Motomiu", you might have read about its bike "motomiu Katanga uno" some 4-5 months back in OD mag, its a modified street with rear brake reservoir near the rear shock top rather than original position just above exhaust pipe, so the brake problem is almost eliminated. But apart from brakes hows the bike overall? You got to ride it?

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

I was lucky enough to have a couple of rides with the Streetie of @hifisharu. I am not sure of the 'brake' issue that you are talking about. May be he can help you out. I haven't ridden his fully specd street, makes around a 100 horses. But I have test ridden the Striple 3 times but every time inside the city. The little that I could understand from them, they are the 79ps ones, was the it was brilliantly nimble. Its size means it can shoot in and out of small gaps. The bike feels very light. The seats are comfy. The music is loud and even louder with arrows. The response is immaculate. The only negative, for me, was the clutch. Not that it is very heavy but its very long 1st gear. One has to play with the clutch a lot to keep moving it at low speeds leading to hand pain which you might get used to with time. The torque at the bottom end is not as much as the Z or the Bonnie. I found the Bonnie easier to ride in city because of this. But the heat from the Bonnie is terrible in traffic. The Striple hardly feels hot in stop go traffic. Power delivery is linear and there is no jerkiness. No idea about top end behaviour but I have seen @hifisharu fly like a bullet on the open highways. Also, you can feel that the tires were better as soon as you took the first sharp turn. More miles out a tank as well. The suspension is harder than than the Z and rough roads are a bit more painful. Also ground clearance could be an issue with speed breakers unlike the Z.

I think if someone is not planning on riding their superbike in the traffic everyday, can look beyond horses/rupee and plans to upgrade performance parts with time then Streetie is your best bet for weekend fun. With 79ps you can grow into her easily and slowly upgrade her to 100 horses, part by part. Economically it is expensive to buy considering the figures on the paper but the cycle parts are great. Also, a shorter rider should not have trouble with the Streetie.

Finally, you would not find a moment when you think wish 'this' or 'that' was better in any of these machines, except for the mileage maybe :P, if you are someone like me who graduated from one of the run of the mill bikes available in India. If you are already used to a similar/bigger monster then you might be able to find out the differences.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Sorry sourjya I was talking abt Hd Street 750, not striple. No offence but i feel striple too costlier when you have a better option in Z and never liked buggy headlights of striple.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Never ridden it. Just know that the brakes are useless, instrumentation is minimal, tires don't offer much confidence, it heats up terribly and scrapes every speed breaker unless you almost stop. Its best avoided IMO unless one is stuck on a budget or is an avid Harley fan.

It depends as I told. The striple has a better frame, better cycle parts, better ASS, lesser in weight and more nimble. The Z has a smoother engine, is more traffic friendly, has a better ground clearance and has more presence. Looks are entirely subjective. I adore the bug eyes and think the design of the Striple is much more mature than the Z though it lacks the wow factor that the Z posses especially in places like ours.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Hahahahaha !! You can actually write a book on them I believe .

''AS THE RULER SO THE RULED'' , implies 100% with Khivraj, Bangalore.

What's the On Road Price, any idea ? I thought it is close to N650

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

You know ! Don't you ! Khivraj - SuperMan - Madam All equally incapable. I think they should stick to selling auto-rickshaws.

Yes Shreeni, think it was just a shade above 6L and the N650 is around 650 thousands OTR, Bangalore. The 650 has brake issues as well but not as pronounced as the Street.