New Kawasaki Z900 RS livery honors 1975 Z1

Retro colors never get old

Back in 2018, we were privileged to try out Kawasaki’s retro-inspired Z900 RS, courtesy of our friends from Wheeltek. The Z900 RS was directly inspired by the Kawasaki Z1 Super Four 900 from 1972 — an iconic UJM that helped popularize Japanese motorcycles in America back in the day.

This current version is powered by a 948cc, liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder engine that produces 111 PS at 8,500 rpm and 98.5 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm. It is mated to a 6-speed gearbox with chain as final drive. It's designed to offer a comfortable but still engaging ride invarious conditions.

When it was first launched, the Z900 RS was offered in Candytone Brown and Orange, the same colors offered in the 1972 Z1. After nearly 3 years, the Z900 RS gets updated for 2022 with a new candy tone blue color scheme, which was last used in the 1975 Z1.

Our 2018 test bike was nicknamed “fireball” largely due to its brown and candy orange color scheme. The 2022 Z900 RS revives the classic livery, nicknamed “blue jewel beetle” by enthusiasts back in the day.

Other features of the new Z900 RS include a combination of analog and digital instruments, dual floating discs for the front which are gripped by 4-piston calipers for precise stopping power, a sporty inverted fork, Kawasaki traction control (KTRC), and underseat power socket.

At the moment, the local availability of this new candy tone blue Z900 RS has yet to be announced. Still, if you're planning to get one once it arrives, the current SRP for the 2021 Z900 RS is PhP664,000.