Z800 opinions

sharpygsxr · 8 Mar 2014 at 20:24

Got a test drive booked for the new Z800 on thursday (13th). Just so happens to be my birthday that day as well

As im currently on a Fazer8 i realise its more of a sidegrade than an upgrade but ive just loved the look of the bike since i first seen it.

Anyone own one here? or been on one enough to give an opinion on it.

Im guessing it will have a few more bhp than my fazer, more sporty riding position etc, all depends what i get as a trade in price for my current bike as to whether ill change or not.

Always seems the way with me, get through the winter on my current bike and first sign of spring and im out lookin for a new ride

Love it in that matt black finish however i normally find it sacrilegious to consider Kwaks in anything but green

wazza300 · 8 Mar 2014 at 20:37

black is a good colour tho,and yeah I like the style aswell

MatteH Oxford · 8 Mar 2014 at 21:05

It's a lovely looking bike, way nicer than the z1000, but the weight (229kg) and the power (112Bhp) put me off.

VoG · 8 Mar 2014 at 23:34

MatteH Oxford said:
It's a lovely looking bike, way nicer than the z1000, but the weight (229kg) and the power (112Bhp) put me off.

It actually weighs in heavier than a Bandit 12, which is surprising, but that being said, all the reviews ive read on the Z8 rate it really highly so ide forgive it being a bit of a porker in that respect.

ZedPowered · 9 Mar 2014 at 07:46

Keep meaning to grab a test ride on this and the Z1000. Love the styling on them. Let us know how it goes!

Dogbreath · 9 Mar 2014 at 09:36

Quite a nice looking bike but what's the price like compared to the MT-09? I'd take the latter with a suspension rebuild budgeted in unless the price difference was silly.

sharpygsxr · 9 Mar 2014 at 11:58

the weight of it is actually one of the plus points for me as one of my biggest gripes with my Fazer8 is that it feels like riding a 125 its so light.

My bike before the Fazer8 was a Tiger 1050 so im used to a heavier bike and they just feel more planted and ironically more stable than the lighter bikes.

My Fazer8 is 2012 so im not sure what they will offer as a trade in price, have a rough figure in my head that they will need to cross before im even tempted so it all depends how much they want to shift the new bike and how quickly they think they could shift my Fazer (which is mint)

Yaayuh! · 10 Mar 2014 at 09:05

I would check out the MT-09 tbh, i'd much prefer one of those to a Z.

ttaskmaster · 10 Mar 2014 at 15:56

Not my idea of a good looker (looks like a Lego insect) but if that's what you like it's all that matters, eh!

I agree with the added weight - My FJ has 130BHP and weighs in at 266kg. It is definitely heavy to shuffle around, but feels *very* solidly planted when riding and even more so under 'spirited' acceleration. Riding a Bandit 1250 felt like going back to my 125 days!

wazza300 · 10 Mar 2014 at 16:38

anyone find the heavier bikes better under hard braking?

the lighter ones just skit along the road

Yaayuh! · 11 Mar 2014 at 09:14

MatteH Oxford said:
It's a lovely looking bike, way nicer than the z1000, but the weight (229kg) and the power (112Bhp) put me off.

229kg isn't too bad. My GSX650F weighs around 227kg, without fuel and is considerably less powerful.

ttaskmaster · 11 Mar 2014 at 15:41

wazza300 said:
anyone find the heavier bikes better under hard braking?
the lighter ones just skit along the road

Again, far more stable and actually feels like it's going to stop... which it does.

sharpygsxr · 26 Apr 2014 at 14:35

2nd test ride out on the Z800 today took it out for a good couple of hours.

Dealer is offering me a decent part xchange on my Fazer 800 and Kawasaki are doing interest free on the 2014 models so seems like ill be going for it.

Just need to sort out the finances and see what extras id like on the bike.

Sorry for the crappy pics camera phone

General impressions compared to the Fazer 8

+ a lot more torquey than the fazer, seems great for commuting.
+ motorway riding wasnt as bad as i expected, the little screen the test bike had seemed to make a big difference and cruising along at 70ish wasnt a problem
+ the extra weight compared to the fazer is a big plus point for me, bike seems very well balanced

- riding position is a lot sportier than the fazer, i expect ill be having sore forearms and numb fingers for the first few weeks till i get used to it
- was finding a few false neutrals when downshifting, not sure if thats an issue with the test bike i had or a known issue.

Need to do a bit of juggling around and see how the finances would look, im probably lookin at £3k on top of my trade in for the z800 so its in the ball park i expected.

atpbx · 26 Apr 2014 at 16:25

I looked at one of these, but ended up ordering an MT-09 instead.

wazza300 · 26 Apr 2014 at 16:28

have you thought about a used z1000? would work out cheaper?

I wish they would make the front mudguards longer at the back,your radiator aint gonna last long as it is

sharpygsxr · 26 Apr 2014 at 18:30

not interested in the z1000 really, have no need for that much power.

That bike is only a demo one which i was on but id definately get a fender extender as well as a radiator grill cover.

Would also prob get the fly screen and rear seat cowl.

Wouldnt be in a hurry to change the exhaust as it has a nice sound to it.

As for the MT-09 havent had a test ride on one of those but its not really been on my radar.

atpbx · 27 Apr 2014 at 09:04

sharpygsxr said:
not interested in the z1000 really, have no need for that much power.

That bike is only a demo one which i was on but id definately get a fender extender as well as a radiator grill cover.

Would also prob get the fly screen and rear seat cowl.

Wouldnt be in a hurry to change the exhaust as it has a nice sound to it.

As for the MT-09 havent had a test ride on one of those but its not really been on my radar.

You should really, but if your main concern is a desire for the added weight of the Z800, you would probably find the MT too frisky for you anyway.

It's the closest thing I've ridden to my old TDR 250 in the past 20 years.

sharpygsxr · 27 Apr 2014 at 12:02

the main reason i wanted to change from the Fazer 8 was it just feels too light (im a pretty big guy 17st) and coming from a 1050 tiger means im used to the heavier bikes.

Hows your experience of the Mt-09, every vid i watch of them shows guys lifting the front wheel (not a plus point for me), they also seem to be a bit bitpicky about the throttle response and suspension.

Going by the MCN tests they rate Speed triple > Z800 > Mt-09 , again speed triple too light for me had a ride on one of those a year or so ago.

atpbx · 27 Apr 2014 at 20:17

I only had a short test ride before ordering.

It's very light, like I said, it's almost like the old 2 strokes I use to have, you never feel as if there is an 850cc motor down there.
Throttle response is sharp, the only time it felt snatchy is I was particularly ham fisted with it.
If you rack the throttle back without putting any weight over the front wheel it will lift, but that's as much to the seating position as anything else, it only makes 14 ftlb less torque than an R1 while weighing 20 odd kilos less, on a sports bike you are over the front wheel naturally, on the MT, just like a super Moto, you have to get over it to get it planted on acceleration.
Suspension for me was fine (14 stone) nice and pliant.
Only thing that I found annoying was the clutch on the demonstrator I had was a bit grabby, but that's probably because most people would be canning it as it's not theirs.

sharpygsxr · 27 Apr 2014 at 21:14

cheers for the feedback mate, ill book a test ride on one just to have a look, its certainly priced very competitively