The 2013 Kawasaki Z800
The rumor engines were running overtime in Thailand, most when the Kawasaki Z800 would be revealed. Personally I love the Kawasaki Z800. In a market as Thailand, where out and out performance isn't number one on everyone's agenda, Kawasaki wisely launched the latest 800cc Kawasaki Zephyr inline-four. From today we not have to wait for the Kawasaki Z800 much longer.The 2013 Kawasaki Z800 is powered by a 806cc, liquid-cooled, inline-four engine, with a bore x stroke 71mm x 50.9mm and a compression ratio of 11.9:1. More significant is that Kawasaki has selected a electronic fuel injection system from Mikuni, and not a EFI from Keihin. The 4 Mikuni throttle boddies are 34mm in diameter and are equipped with dual throttle valves.
Styling wise, the Kawasaki Z800 is spot on. You might feel that the Z logo in the tail light is a gimmick, but it's little things like that, which will help the Kawasaki Z800 continue to be the best seller in this corner of the global motorcycle market.
The 2013 Kawasaki Z800 is heavy, there's no question of that, but the revised gearing and extra punch from the latest engine revision hides the weight no worries. If anything, everybody I meet who have done a few kilometers on the latest Kawasaki Z800 like the planted feel that the extra bulk seemed to bring.
The brakes will take a bit of getting used to, the performance is unquestionable, it's the aggressive initial reaction that you'll need re-calibrate for. A real do everything motorcycle that is bound to be a hit in Thailand. Kawasaki Thailand will start selling the non-ABS Z800 from the end of this week for 375,000 THB.
