Motorcyclist

2010 Kawasaki Z1000 - Practically Naked

Kawasaki's new standard of excellence is just keepin' it real
Before we get into what the new Z1000 is, let's start with what Kawasaki says it isn't. First, it's definitely not a warmed-over '08 Z1000-don't look for transposable parts because there aren't any-and it's not a naked ZX-10 either. Your aesthetic inference and these photographs not withstanding, Kawasaki types don't use the word "naked" in its presence. Naked implies stripped, as in a dumbed-down pricepoint version of something else. Maybe that's why naked/standards haven't managed to light up American cash registers as they have in Europe. Kawasaki figures there's a gaping hole between naked mediocrity and race-replica extremism that can only be filled with something fast and comfortable, cool and affordable, with a selection of sporting tack that doesn't usually trickle down this far in the lineup. Whether this Z1000 fills that slot or not, one thing is clear: It's light years ahead of the old one.

They Say: "Faster, more nimble and better than ever."
We Say: "Return of the son of '73 Z-1"

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