2025 Kawasaki Z900 Review

Full disclosure, dear reader: I’ve been rather fond of Kawasaki’s Z900 ever since I took a first-generation example for an extended road trip back in 2017.

I’ve reviewed each of its retro-styled cousins at least once in the years since. I also bought a Z900, then a Z900RS, and my girlfriend has also acquired a Z900, each a different year and variation of the theme.

But before you shout about any sort of biases, remember all that experience just means I’m about as well equipped as anyone to find fault in the nuances here. I plan to leave no nits unpicked, but cutting to the chase, this updated-for-2025 Kawasaki Z900 is still a brilliant machine, especially considering its starting price of $11,699 is unchanged from last year despite some notable improvements.

Styling Updates

It takes a moment to register that there are styling updates for 2025, but they’re there (even if they’re subtle). Most obvious is the front end, with a headlight assembly that squints more than last year’s model. At the back, the cool Z-shaped LED tail light from before has unfortunately been replaced by a wider W-shaped blob.

Another giveaway of the new bike is the brushed aluminum side panels and saddle adornment, all of which is meant to make the bike a bit more upscale. Sure, whatever — it’s still got that alien-insect look it’s always had, and although my test machine sported red accents instead of the usual green ones, you can still order a Z900 with a green frame, just as it ought to be. 

Getting Comfy

It’s taken eight years, but Kawasaki has finally addressed one of the Z900’s biggest flaws: its seat. Previously, it seemed like a plank of plywood was lightly dressed with black vinyl, slapped on the bike, and called a saddle. This year, the seat was flattened, and the hard corners that would dig into thighs were rounded off, not only making it more comfortable, but also shortening the overall height of the seat. After logging several hundred kilometres in a few days, I can report that those changes deliver greater comfort. 

The downside is that even before lowering the seat height, the Z900 was a bit cramped for legroom, and that’s now fractionally worse than it was. For deep-diving into corners, the high-mounted pegs are a boon, but for touring, long-legged riders will want regular breaks to stretch. An optional low or high seat height option is offered, too.

Otherwise, the riding position is fantastic. It offers just a slight forward lean to prevent the sit-up-and-beg posture of the competitive Yamaha MT-09 or KTM Duke without putting the sort of pressure on wrists or neck that a full-on super sport bike requires.

The minimalist bodywork of naked bikes is one of their endearing traits, arguably making the riding experience purer than hiding behind a giant windscreen and fairing. That’s great when ripping around on tight, twisty roads, or zipping through urban traffic, but it’s less-than-ideal for extended stints on the highway where the windblast conspires to turn you into a bobblehead. My girlfriend has resolved this on her Z900 by swapping out the vestigial cowl screen with a compact windshield that offers just enough reprieve from the worst of the wind blast, so it’s an easy fix if you’re so inclined.

Tech Time

Perhaps the biggest aid to the Z900’s touring comfort is the addition of standard cruise control this year. This add-on alone should justify the price increase that never happened, but the new, larger TFT display adds improved smartphone connectivity and more rider features than before, including on-screen navigation capability.

While the screen is much larger than before and features bright, crisp, and easily legible graphics, using the myriad buttons on the left handlebar is tedious at best. The menu system is not terribly intuitive, and while I appreciate being able to set up different display themes, the (optional) shift warning flashes wildly and distractingly from 4,000 rpm up to redline. The four thumb buttons require some guess-work, sometimes demanding a button be pressed for several seconds before producing the desired outcome.

On the dynamic side, Kawasaki has given the Z900 six-axis sensors that now enable cornering ABS braking and a more advanced traction control that helps manage power when in a lean, plus mitigates unwanted wheelies. It’s all tech that until very recently was usually found only on big-buck bikes, so seeing Kawasaki make it standard equipment here is worthy of applause.

Smooth Operator

I’ve never met a Kawasaki shifter I didn’t like, and the new Z900’s is no exception. Shift action is crisp and Kawasaki’s neutral finder system has always been brilliant. This year, an up and down quick shifter has been added, again as standard equipment, and while shifting the Z manually is a treat with its precise action, being able to snap a clutchless upshift or downshift when really ripping around has taken the bike’s excitement to a whole new level. 

But as great as everything else about this bike is, it’s the engine — that splendid 948-cc, inline four-cylinder — that defines the whole machine. Its 123 hp won’t wow the armchair experts in an era when 200-hp bikes are common, but it would take a pro-rider (or sociopath) to think this isn’t enough power. Combined with its 73 lb-ft of torque, there’s a fluid wave of thrust that rockets this machine toward the horizon with even a partial twist of the wrist. The accompanying howl when really cracking open the throttle only adds to the excitement. 

As brilliant as that is, it’s the smoothness and tractability of this mill that really amazes. Tootling around a parking lot, it happily hums along at idle speed, but snap open the throttle at any rev and it simply skedaddles immediately, and whether howling near redline, or cruising on the highway, there’s a silkiness to it that you simply don’t get with twin-cylinder bikes. 

Carving Corners

Fortunately, that engine is packaged within a frame-and-suspension setup that helps a rider really enjoy this bike. Its default setting felt a little soft, even for this 73-kg (160-lb) rider, but for touring around lumpy backroads, I didn’t mind a bit of suppleness. For backroad carving, the Z900 is a very agreeable partner, and for those looking to do more serious track-day sessions, Team Green also offers a Z900 SE trim that gains more serious Brembo brakes, a front fork with compression adjustability, and an Öhlins rear suspension setup. Still, I can’t help but think there are better track-dedicated bikes out there (not the least of which might be Kawi’s own ZX-6R or ZX-10R), letting the Z900 thrive as more of a jack-of-all-trades.

The Verdict

Serving duty as a weekend warrior, road trip companion, or daily commuter, the 2025 Kawasaki Z900 is a surprisingly diverse machine, yet it still manages to exhilarate every time a rider revs it up. With improved comfort and a wealth of new features added for 2025, Kawasaki has not only made a fantastic bike better, but made it a pretty sensational value to boot. And at this point, it’s pretty much a given that my garage will be graced by another Z900 again sooner or later.