[naveenroy]

Inspired by @sangwan (My Almost-New Kawasaki Z900RS 50th Anniversary Edition), I am starting this thread of my ownership of a new (to me) Kawasaki Z900RS. It is a used, 2018 model. I bought it without having seen it in person. The bike has had one previous owner and it had run just 600 miles. If you are still interested, read on!

Many of you know me and interacted with me in the past here - especially on the motorcycle section of Team-BHP. I am not a car guy and never am interested in cars - though my adopted country forces one to use a car - even if it is to buy groceries from a store that is just a few minutes away lol. As you see on my signature, I own a Mazda CX9 and have not bothered to change it though is 6 years old now. It does its job well and why fix something that ain't broke?

My love for motorcycling never went away after moving here - though life came in the way (son is 3 years old). But I struggle to go on rides on the motorcycle - I am highly introverted but love close company for rides but have no such like minded buddies here. The motorways are filled with cars driven by people who are not used to seeing motorcycles on the roads. In the last 3 years, I completely work from home and so do not get an excuse to take the motorcycle out for commute. And lastly - the weather. From maybe end of November till mid-March, it is tough to ride the motorcycle. We don't get snow in GA but it can go into single digits and I don't have the conviction to ride in those temps. I have to admit that I have probably ridden a couple thousand miles on the motorcycle in the last 8 years I've been here.

Before our son was born, I bought the Honda Africa Twin in 2019. A very short ownership thread (Honda Africa Twin - Ownership Review) on that machine which I never kept updated.

I love the Africa Twin - a beast of a machine. I had dreams of riding it all the way to Alaska and back. None of that happened. But when I used to commute to work at another office, I was able to ride it quite a bit - was fun to ride to the train station and back every week. Some dislikes - the height! I have dropped it 3 times, once on myself - the pillion grabrail hit my knee, popped a small hole through my jeans and I spurted some blood lol. I have dropped it another time on my car and another time when my wife was pillion - poor thing, she tried saving the bike from hitting the ground. And the wide handlebars - not disorienting but still a gripe for me.

But it was sad to see the AT just stand in the corner of the garage month after month and see no action. I've often thought how would someone let a motorcycle stand idle but now I know - life happens! It was so bad that the air went out of the tires and I had to replace the battery cause it was so dead. But I said enough is enough and decided to sell it last year. By this time, I had already started looking for my next motorcycle....

[naveenroy]

What motorcycle was I interested in?

I decided that I needed a machine that was not sporty - no fully faired machines - I don't think I am interested in riding in a sporty fashion anytime soon. Didn't want a heavy, tall ADV bike - the AT was fun but I felt that I was not riding partly because it was such a pain to maneuver it in the garage when I suddenly felt like riding and I wanted to run for some groceries. I again leaned towards the Versys - even before I bought the AT, I was interested in it and even reached out to @mobike to get his views. He provided so much info and help and lol I think he was disappointed that I finally went with the AT. But yes, I wanted a "smaller" motorcycle that would be easy to push in and out of the garage. I wasn't worried about larger engine capacities - the AT was more than 1000 cc! But this is what I finally trimmed my list down to (in order of preference)

* Triumph Bonneville

* Kawasaki Z650 RS

* Yamaha XSR900

Hehe, where is the Z900RS in that list? It isn't. I hadn't even considered it!

I watched so many videos of these bikes and I really thought I would end up with the Triumph - I'd even written about the Bonneville in my blog 14 years ago! The Bonnie still pulls at my heart strings lol. The wife and I decided to go check the bikes in the showroom - this one in Roswell closeby is a beautiful showroom, well maintained and has a cafe attached to it. They arrange meetings and rides IIRC and when we went, the place was packed. Riding season was just around the corner and loads of interested customers were ogling the machines. Had a very nice chat with the guy there and he said he can provide me a quote for the AT in exchange. He personally rode an ADV bike and it was nice talking to him. The prices were north of $12K which would only make sense to me if I got a very good deal for my AT. Left my contact details with him and left hoping I would get a good deal. They got back in a couple of days and well, I was disappointed - they would only offer me $6k for my AT which had hardly run in all these years.

I then visited Mountain Motorsports in Roswell and they didn't have the Kwacker since they only have it at another showroom but I was able to see the Yamaha. Ah well, it was third on my list but I think I discounted it right then when I saw it in the flesh. Too hipster for middle aged me! I can write quite a bit about why I disliked it but I don't want to push fans of that machine away from this thread lol.

I then started looking online as well for good deals on the new Z650RS. The green one was just spectacular! I did see a few good deals in Tennessee state and Alabama and even Florida. I even went so far as to call some of them and nearly block one for me. But I still wanted to see one in person and the Mountain Motorsports further away from home told me they had one in stock and that they could give me a good deal on my bike. Rode my AT there hoping to finish paperwork that same day. Rolled my AT into their service center so they could inspect and meanwhile we looked at the 650. Gorgeous in that muted green and we started talking numbers. It was then that the main man for sales said we could not do a straight swap for the machines and that I would have to pay $2K extra for the 650. He was essentially only offering me 6K for my AT. I found it very irritating that he had talked differently on the phone and I tried reasoning with him and even bringing it down to a thousand dollars but no go. Walked out after a handshake and literally burning inside but that was that.

Took me a few days to get out of that funk but I decided to try and sell it directly to someone. Posted it up on ADVRider and FB Marketplace. I got a few good feelers but nothing concrete. I had listed mine for $10K and was hoping to get atleast $9K for it. It was at this time that it struck me that for that price, I could look for a used Z900RS!. Yeah stay with me here guys lol!

After this realization, the Z900RS looked to me like a completely different beast. Went down the same road of looking at videos, reading up about it and the machine it paid homage to. A Youtuber who lived quite closeby had made a nice video -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlRcXLFWRyo

The video I liked most though was by Freddie Dobbs - he called it a thug in a suit lol!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlEmMaPi0Kw

MotoBob had also made a nice video about the Z900RS. The Z900RS grew on me and the more I read about it, the more enthralled I became. I hadn't seen one in person still and I didn't want to go back to that showroom. Saw some really good deals online - realized that most of these bikes for sale had been owned by older folks who bought it for the nostalgic looks. It is true that once you are interested in a car, motorcycle you will start seeing it often on the roads. You don't see any motorcycles on these roads but I did start seeing more and more online. FB Marketplace gave me some really good deals for Z900RS Cafe or decaf that started at around $9K. Most of these were 2018 or 2019 models. The 2018 model - Rootbeer? - looked spectacular but I saw one in a town close by - 2019 model. Spoke to the guy but he sold it just days after I spoke to him. Oh well, the search continued.

It was around this time that someone reached out to me for my AT. IIRC was on FB Marketplace. Had a quick call and he was interested in purchasing the bike from me. I was worried about the process but I had the title in hand (as I had paid off the loan) and all I needed to do was sign and give him the title. He took the AT away on a trailer. My son bawled his eyes out that day! Buyer was a gem of a guy who kept in touch months afterwards following up on my motorcycle search as well.

Maybe the AT wanted to be out before I got a new motorcycle but as soon as I sold it, I saw a spectacular 2018 Z900RS on FB Market but far away in the Florida panhandle. My original idea was to drive with my wife and son if it was close by and ride the motorcycle back but then I learn that you cannot do that. How it works for used motorcycles outside of a dealers showroom here is quite simple once you know the process. 99% of them will not let you test ride unless you pay them full in cash. If you like the machine and all goes well, you pay the person and he hands over the keys. He removes the tag (number plate) since he can use it on his next machine. You cannot ride the motorcycle to your home since no tag, no number plate, no insurance and the title is not in your name. The best choice is to haul it on a trailer. You will have taken the title (if he has a clean title with no lien or loan) from the previous owner. You need some other documentation like DL copy etc and you pay some fees, a hefty tax (at least in GA) and you also have a cop inspect the vehicle and sign a form. When all this is done, you register the motorcycle in your name and start riding the motorcycle with a new or old registration number.

Back to this 2018 Z900RS that I had seen - beautiful machine and I sent some feelers out to the seller. Here is the pic that hooked me! Isn't she a beaut?

It was the cafe version which I wasn't a huge fan of but I liked this aftermarket fairing - it kinda went well with this machine. I also knew that I could remove it if I didn't like it. Texted the seller who was willing to ship it as long as I was ready to pay for it and take the risk of having it shipped. It took a few days of back and forth - the seller had many other motorcycles and he'd been holding this machine for someone else. It wasn't in his name and I didn't push it further - though he had a clean title (no loans, no accidents etc) and I also ran the VIN at a well known site just to check and it all came back clean. I planned to drive all the way to Crestview FL and trailer it back but then, people on ADVRider helped out with info on shippers who specialize in motorcycles. The next few steps might be unthinkable for many of you but my wife always says about me that I always get good people when I am looking to buy something used. I have never been burnt lol. I took the big step of bringing down the price of this machine to $8200 - he'd listed it for $8500 and then transferred the whole amount to him without having seen the machine in person or even having met this seller! But my luck holds - this seller was a gem of a guy. Sent me all the details of the machine and was willing to help ship it if I handled the shipping part of it. Even there, my luck held - shipper turned out to be great though he had not shipped a motorcycle before. Seller had sent me the title, an extra seat and 2 headlight fairings with the shipper. Good stuff, I could sell those to get some extra cash if I didn't need them.

Bike reached me safe - only slight damage I could see was to the rear indicators. Decided to change them when I got the chance and did a short ride - brakes and tyres were still good, no issues. I was a little worried about the tire degradation but it didn't seem bad at all - no flat spots, tire compound still nice. Oil change as well. I admit I rode the bike around for a few days after I stuck the indicator back on with superglue. I also noticed that the front indicator was also loose. OEM indicators were pricey so I figured out that only the holders were needed and bought those off Fleabay. It was a bit of a pain to get the older holders removed but as usual, if you like working on your machine for small stuff like this, it makes you appreciate the machine. I don't know about other manufacturers but man, the Japanese really do a good job with how well they make their machines. Reminds me of some of the technical Lego sets - so much fun to work on. Maybe you all know it but it was a revelation for me that you don't need the service manual for stuff like this - jump to a site like Partzilla and you can easily look at diagrams with all part numbers etc. It made it so much easier for me as you will read below.

Why did I need part numbers you ask? Cause I stripped the head of one of the screws under the seat and thankfully was able to remove it with a thread tool specifically for this.

Next I wanted to install the center stand. OEM was pricey so went with a seller on Amazon. Bought one with mismatched screws so bought another and that worked really well. Fit well. Was so good that I left a review with pics on Amazon lol. Fitting that last spring brings out all the bad words you may know but is quite easy if you have the tool. Someone had suggested paracord years ago when I wanted to fit the center stand on my AT - that works well too. In fact, I learnt of another trick a few days ago from ADVRider - bend the spring one way, insert coins into the gaps. Bend the spring the other way, insert coins and so on.

I found out that this fairing was purchased on Webike - a good price. Sometimes I dislike the fairing, I remove it and ride and sometimes I love it so much that I fit it back on. What do you guys think?

Did a few short rides and will post them up once this thread goes live. In the meantime, I decided to fit a rear carrier rack and a box. Was fun to install that - a simple install. Again, bought the rack from Fleabay - I think a copy of the Givi rack. Box again, used from Fleabay for good deal. Not a big fan of the rack on bikes but I need it for grocery shopping lol

I'll let this thread go live with a hilarious situation I was in when I was fitting the rack in. My son usually stands around and helps me in stuff around the house - he was helping me when I was fitting the rack too. I suddenly heard a few clangs and noticed this piece was missing from the toolbox.

What do you think happened?

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Sangwan]

Let me be the first one to congratulate you. This is an amazing machine and remove the fairing please!

Hope someday we can ride together.

Happy motoring!

Cheers,
Sangwan

[shabih]

Congratulations Naveen. What a wonderful beast this one is. I own a Street Twin and have the Z900RS in my crosshairs as my next upgrade. The problem in India is that this bikes comes at a hefty price tag because it's imported as a CBU so if I get one in the preowned market, I'll certainly pull the trigger.

I wish you many miles of smiles and eagerly will be looking through this thread!! Happy riding.

[gaurav_3000ad]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

I'll let this thread go live with a hilarious situation I was in when I was fitting the rack in. My son usually stands around and helps me in stuff around the house - he was helping me when I was fitting the rack too. I suddenly heard a few clangs and noticed this piece was missing from the toolbox.

What do you think happened?

Lol...It might be in the exhaust though I hope not.

Congratulations on the Z900RS. I feel that this bike would have sold a lot more in India had it been priced right. Its got a lot of things going for it - Inline 4, timeless looks, jap reliability and an accessible seat height with comfy ergos.

[sureshkishore]

Originally Posted by naveenroy

What do you think happened?

7/8" socket would it fit in the exhaust end? Then my guess you would have a very different exhaust note from now on.

[maddy42]

Beautiful looking bike. Congrats and happy riding. Reminds me of a RD350 which my friend had.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Congratulations on the Z900RS

Beautiful bike, beautiful evening read. Thank you for sharing

One of my most favourites bikes in the modern era - just wish Kawasaki had a more reasonable pricing strategy for India. This one is a keeper IMHO!

[amol4184]

I have this bike in my short listed modern classics! Absolutely loved the seat (most comfortable amongst the 4 bikes I rode) and the 4 banger makes the sweetest sound too. Do you mind sharing how much did you pay for the shipping? I might have found something in CA but unsure about the whole process.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by Sangwan

Let me be the first one to congratulate you. This is an amazing machine and remove the fairing please!

Hope someday we can ride together.

Happy motoring!

Cheers,
Sangwan

Cheers! Thanks for inspiring me to post up my thread!

Originally Posted by shabih

Congratulations Naveen. What a wonderful beast this one is. I own a Street Twin and have the Z900RS in my crosshairs as my next upgrade. The problem in India is that this bikes comes at a hefty price tag because it's imported as a CBU so if I get one in the preowned market, I'll certainly pull the trigger.

I wish you many miles of smiles and eagerly will be looking through this thread!! Happy riding.

Thank you much! Yes, it is indeed a wonderful machine.

Originally Posted by gaurav_3000ad

Lol...It might be in the exhaust though I hope not.

Congratulations on the Z900RS. I feel that this bike would have sold a lot more in India had it been priced right. Its got a lot of things going for it - Inline 4, timeless looks, jap reliability and an accessible seat height with comfy ergos.

Haha, you might have guessed right! And indeed, sometimes I don't understand the pricing structure in India at all. Do they want it to remain kinda exclusive to only a few people?

Originally Posted by sureshkishore

7/8" socket would it fit in the exhaust end? Then my guess you would have a very different exhaust note from now on.

Lol think you guessed correct.

Originally Posted by maddy42

Beautiful looking bike. Congrats and happy riding. Reminds me of a RD350 which my friend had.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by CrAzY dRiVeR

Congratulations on the Z900RS

Beautiful bike, beautiful evening read. Thank you for sharing

One of my most favourites bikes in the modern era - just wish Kawasaki had a more reasonable pricing strategy for India. This one is a keeper IMHO!

Yes, more than even the machine, I wanted to take everyone on my journey through the decision making and deciding ultimately on the machine. Hope to keep you all engaged.

Originally Posted by amol4184

I have this bike in my short listed modern classics! Absolutely loved the seat (most comfortable amongst the 4 bikes I rode) and the 4 banger makes the sweetest sound too. Do you mind sharing how much did you pay for the shipping? I might have found something in CA but unsure about the whole process.

Yeah I am surprised that I did not mention the inline 4 grunt anywhere on my posts. I love the exhaust note. That quiet, angry muted roar when it is idling is beautiful to the ears.

[naveenroy]

Originally Posted by amol4184

I have this bike in my short listed modern classics! Absolutely loved the seat (most comfortable amongst the 4 bikes I rode) and the 4 banger makes the sweetest sound too. Do you mind sharing how much did you pay for the shipping? I might have found something in CA but unsure about the whole process.

Sure, I paid just a bit more than $500 for shipping - considering that this was a covered vehicle with insurance coverage for the transport as well.

[loki]

Sweet bike man. Easily among the best of the Modern yet retro machines! Too bad the pricing in India has been attrocious compared to regular Z900. Ride safe and send more pics!

Is yours the standard Z900RS with an aftermarket Cafe-style fairing? Or is it the Z900RS Cafe version itself?

[shabih]

Originally Posted by loki

Sweet bike man. Easily among the best of the Modern yet retro machines! Too bad the pricing in India has been attrocious compared to regular Z900.

I cannot get my head around why this bike cannot be assembled in India like its regular Z900 sibling. If I am not mistaken, they do assemble the Z650RS in India. If the 1200cc Bonnies and Speed Twins can sell in good numbers in India, what's stopping Kawasaki from trying their luck. They are in fact the better Japs among their peers to take our market more seriously and aggressively.

[bf1983]

Wow. The Z900 SE is a freaking beautiful bike whichever way you look at it. Would have been my dream bike if it wasn't for the bloody horrible price Kawasaki has priced it here in India. Wish you many happy miles!

Originally Posted by shabih

I cannot get my head around why this bike cannot be assembled in India like its regular Z900 sibling. If I am not mistaken, they do assemble the Z650RS in India. If the 1200cc Bonnies and Speed Twins can sell in good numbers in India, what's stopping Kawasaki from trying their luck. They are in fact the better Japs among their peers to take our market more seriously and aggressively.

AFAIK the reason most Kawasaki bikes are relatively inexpensive is because they are imported from Thailand where we have a Free Trade Agreement. However the Z900 SE isn't sold in Thailand and that is imported from Japan which adds a lot of hefty duties which is the reason for it's high price.