Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

You can't have a pillion to ride around even in the city. The shape of the seat itself would not allow for general lining to make any real difference to pillion comfort or ability to carry a pillion

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

It will be not easy to take a pillion rider in city for a long time. Also commuting in city is not recommended in traffic. Engine heat will make you uneasy.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

If pillion seat is that bad then I may have to go with other options ST or 600i which supposed to have relatively better pillion seat My main requirements are bike with exciting power output without revving too high,manageable pillion seat and I3/I4. But with ST there the stalling fiasco which keeping me a way from it and Benelli 600i lacks the low end punch. Will get the test rides for all once I return to India to finalize. But my heart is set on Z800

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

hey sam

i have sat as a pillion on my street triple for quiet a time and even on the z800
and i swear to myself i will never sit on the z800 as a pillion again
the ST's pillion seat is comfortable and one can sit for as long as they can compared to the school bench like pillion seat of the z800


the z800 needs to be revved to the mid and higher rpms to feel that punch from the motor
where as the street has usable power all the way from low to high rpms and the power is spread right across the power-band
I'm saying this after riding my ST and friends z800 back to back for more than 150 kms


haven't been a pillion of the benelli 600i nor haven't ridden it ,so cant comment on it

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

If you are an inline four lover, there is no better option at that point. Except the CBR650F.
It is not impossible to ride pillion. My friend Shashvat rode to Jaisalmer and back to Pune with his wife. All on the Z800.
I have ridden the Street triple and CBR650F. Both of which do not give the torque and power characteristic of Z800.
In my opinion
Z800 is a big bad Japanese bruiser.
Street triple is a mischievous British brat.
Cbr650f is typical Honda, gentleman's bike.

After two years of ownership, I still can't find a better substitute in market. That horsepower keeps me entertained.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Do you still have the bike?

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Good comparison Having ridden both bikes back to back must have given you good chance to compare

Agree with you, haven't ridden the Z800 but as far as looks are concerned I fall in love with it. It looks like a proper big bike ,the feel which is imp to me when I am spending a big amount. ST looked like ordinary bike even smaller than my Karizma. Even CBR650 looked ordinary to me and when I test rode it, power delivery was decent but it lacked the feel - exhaust note was muted. So I have already ruled out CBR650. Benelli 600i on the other has big bike feel and exhaust note is just too good. Test ride was small so was not able to asses the power delivery but certainly it did not give me initial kick.

Btw can we upgrade the Z800 headlight with HID ?

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Congrats! You are the first person I have heard say that. You are entitled to your opinion, but my experience was the exact opposite.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Theoretically, the more the number of cylinders, the lesser the low end torque.

That's why in torque matters 2>3>4

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

That's true.
Even with the shorter gearing ratios the Z800 is not as peppy as the ST.
It feels calm and composed. Haven't ridden it outside city so can't comment on the top end delivery but being a i4, I'm sure that's where it shows its true colors.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True


well that's how i felt
i do shuffle between the ST and Z800
every often on my Sunday rides
and that's how i feel

I'm not saying z800 is slow or less powerful
its way powerful than ST , i agree to it
but the power delivery starts spiking from the mid-range
and is calm in the lower rpm's
as opposed to the ST
that's what i meant


i'm not giving a biased opinion
but to be frank
ST shines in the city due to its light weight and low end grunt

and Z800 shows it's weight in crawling traffic and in city riding

while on highway
z800 has better advantage on the top end

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Apologies for the late response.

I use it regularly in the city. It is my only means of personal transport as of now. I have probably done around 6000 kms in the last 1 year in the Bangalore traffic.
But it depends on your usage. Issues that one might face are :

1. Parking !
Only place I park it out of my sight is my basement parking and office parking. Have not been fiddled till date, thanks to it being a Naked. Other places, I park it only if it is in my sight or there is special (trusted) super bike parking. If I park in a basement parking of a restaurant, I tip the security before hand and ask him to take care. Works every time. For places with no proper parking available, I use one of the taxi services. One trick is to park the bike with its rear facing clear view. The rear looks very generic and often gets overlooked. The front view or the side view is an entirely different story but !

2. Kitna Deti Hain !
I get a minimum of 14.X kmpl with deadly office hour Bangalore ring road B2B traffic. Normal Indian traffic conditions, it goes up to almost 15.5 kmpl. Around 20 on regular highway days. Highest I have seen it return was around 26 kmpl :O Don't ask how !!!

3. Swirls and Fine scratches !
Bound to happen. The dusty environment plays its role here, especially with all the plastics everywhere. A detailing job once in a while can take care of that. Some would be deeper and might have to be worn like battle scars or replace the parts.

4. Comfort.
I am with my helmet, jacket, gloves and knee guards at all riding times. Heat is not an issue for me. The guage never goes beyond 102degC and most of the time it is around 99-100 provided your coolant level is fine and the radiator is clean. Maybe if you are not wearing a knee guard, you might feel a bit more around your shin area because I feel the armor is hot after every ride. For me, non issue. The clutch is light enough. No issues if you ride with a decent leather gloves there as well. To compare, its lighter than the Striple. Also, the long first cog of the Striple is a pain in the arse in the traffic. To put it in a usage way, you be playing less with the clutch in the traffic with the Z800 and riding will be more comfortable with the oodles of low end torque available Eg, you can just let go of the clutch without any throttle and the bike would be in move at idle rpms. Great for traffic !

5. No Honking !
Even if you want to, you cannot ! Once the engine heats up to around 100degs and has run for a few kms, the horn stops working at low speeds !!! It will be back when you hit around 20 kmph and go out again. In B2B traffic, the accelerator and the clutch then has to work like a horn. Solution is to get the horn replaced by another aftermarket one. Or you can tune the horn. The working will improve but will soon deteriorate again.

5. MoRossis !
Everything will try to race you. From little 50CCs to humongous SUVers. Have to stay cool at all times, keep an prying eye on the RVMs and let their ego have their space. Either I let them 'win' or if the road is empty, I leave them behind far enough that my RVM cannot spot them anymore.

6. The UTurn Folklore
You would often read how difficult it is to take a Uturn on it. I am not sure why though ! From the first UTurn I took during my test ride after around 100 feet of my first ride till this date, I have not faced any issue with them and I tackle couple of them every day. I am 6 feet and heavy so maybe that cancels out that issue for me. Try it out.

7. The Sumo !
It is almost impossible to move her on even slight uphills. Parking lots are fine and pushing takes a bit of doing but nothing that is impossible or too difficult. Good shoes help. But if you thinking to pushing her back or front (why would you push in front !) then you cannot unless you are the Hulk ! In on off situations, ask for help ! People are good in India During my battery issue, I had to push start her and those moments will not be forgotten in my lifetime

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Hello to all seniors and friends..
I am planning to book a versys 650..now the issue is I am in Agra and closest I can get it is in Delhi..(strangely the KTM-kawa dealer in Agra said they can service the Versys but do not sell it)..
So I need some help in deciding which dealer should I approach in Delhi..as I dont want it to be painful and time consuming experience..

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Thanks in advance

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Thanks for your detailed review! I'm sure this will be helpful to many other prospective buyers.
I, on the other hand, have already finalized on the Street Triple as I feel it suits my requirements better.

Re: Kawasaki Z800 - Dream Comes True

Thanks man!! For some reason I read the whole thread and found this little piece of info which is a gem.