Kawasaki’s Biggest Retro-style Bike Makes A Comeback

The Kawasaki Z900RS has made a comeback to the Indian market after a long break. The 2023 iteration of the retro-style beauty continues to come our way via the Completely Built-up Unit (CBU) route, attracting hefty duties. 

It, hence, costs a massive Rs 16.47 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), Rs 1.17 lakh more than before! What do you get for all that extra moolah? Well, practically nothing. The Japanese retro-style roadster is at least available in two new paint schemes: Candy Tone Blue And Metallic Diablo Black.

For perspective, you can get yourself the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, a full-blown litre-class supersport and still save Rs 32,000 over the Z900RS. Wild huh!

But again, the Z900RS isn’t about corner-carving and setting lap times on fire. What it promises is a relatively laidback riding experience with the creamy-smooth 948cc inline-four mill making 111PS and 98.5Nm, 14PS and 0.1Nm less than the Kawasaki Z900. 

Complementing the engine is an eye-achingly gorgeous retro design. The Z900RS' aesthetics are a notch above the Z650RS, thanks to the chunky USD, fatter rear tyre, and of course, a bigger inline four. The dual pod instrument cluster with an inset multi-function LCD console further accentuates the bike’s retro looks. There’s still no smartphone connectivity, though.

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Braking is taken care of by dual 300mm discs at the front and a 250mm one at the rear. Interestingly, the Z900RS gets radial calipers, something that the sportier Z900 surprisingly misses out on. At 835mm, the seat is slightly tall and its 215kg kerb weight too, is on the higher side. 

At Rs 16.47 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), the Z900RS is not a cheap deal and no matter how good the bike looks, justifying its cost will be a struggle for Kawasaki, especially so when the Triumph Bonneville T100, the OG big-capacity retro-style roadster, retails from Rs 9.69 lakh onwards. Heck even the Triumph Speed Twin 1200, a genuinely fast neo-retro motorcycle costs less at Rs 11.09 lakh (both ex-showroom).