Colourful life in the fast lane

Until last week, I had not ridden a Kawasaki for 21 years. The memory still appals me. It was a red-and-black 1983 model GPZ 750. It looked aggressive, but not as aggressive as its owner. Let's call him Gordon. On this occasion Gordon was more drunk and belligerent than usual when the barman evicted him. There would have been blood but, as he was steered towards the street, a police car arrived. It parked beside his pride and joy.

He threw me the ignition keys and mounted the pillion, beckoning me to sit in front. To my amazement, the police car didn't follow us as I took Gordon home. Too soon he felt sober, and insisted on taking me back to the pub to collect my own motorbike. He took a long detour and used it to demonstrate that his claim of a 135mph top speed was not exaggerated. It wasn't Kawasaki's fault, but that ride was potent aversion therapy. As the years passed, I was unmoved by friends' enthusiasm for the brand. Kawasaki's choice of names for its bikes didn't help. Titles like Samurai, Eliminator, Avenger and Ninja conveyed an impression of an untamed hooligan performance.

My reintroduction to Kawasaki didn't begin well. Its UK fleet manager seemed determined to place every obstacle in my way when I asked to ride one. He was obviously unaware that Scotland has excellent roads on which to enjoy high-performance motorcycles. However, Kawasaki's press office and Kevin Wallace of MCS Motorcycles in Renfrew were patient and helpful. They went out of their way to put me on a blazing orange Kawasaki Z1000.

The Z1000 is the big brother of the hugely popular Z750, a direct descendant of Gordon's pride and joy. Fast is not the word to describe it, and Kawasaki avoids such mundane terminology. It describes the Z1000 as a "thrilling, Ninja-based, stripped-down, naked streetfighter".

The Kawasaki Z1000 is basically two motorbikes. Below 7,000rpm in any gear it is smooth and graceful. Between 7,000rpm and the red-line at 11,000rpm it is a furious banshee of a thing, and its four gold-coloured stainless steel mufflers pump out a noise not dissimilar to a low-flying jet fighter. This Kawasaki is lightning fast, and its electronic fuel injection system keeps the power pulling right up to the red line. I did not approach it, but I have no doubt that the Z1000 can reach its claimed top speed of 155mph.

The Z1000 is comfortable around town and Porsche-defying on the motorway - but it's at its best on winding country roads. On the heaven-for-motorbikes stretch between the west shore of Loch Lomond and the naval submarine base at Coulport I found the handling as impressive as any bike I have ridden. The bike is so well balanced that it invites aggression and then flatters the rider by forgiving errors that less impressive designs would punish. It was so light and positive that my speed on familiar corners surprised me. Without the impressively clear digital instrument panel I would have imagined I was running 15mph slower than I was.

But this is not a pure sports bike. The sit-up-and-beg riding position is one of the most comfortable I have experienced on a modern Japanese machine, and although the Z1000 is a compact design it easily accommodated my 6ft 3in frame. It would be comfortable over long distances. The capacious tank suggests that Kawasaki built it with that in mind, not just for local high-speed thrashes. The only factor that limits its potential as a tourer is the absence of any protective screen or fairing. Cruising at speeds above 85mph became uncomfortable after half an hour.

Critics have questioned what the Z1000 is designed for. It's very fast, but not a pure sports bike. Comfortable, but not an all-out tourer. It lacks the luggage-carrying capacity to be a courier bike, though it is easily manoeuvrable for that role. But the target market is not really a mystery. It is revealed by the design team's incorporation of styling cues that date back to the first generation of Kawasaki superbikes. This machine is aimed straight at the 35-and-over market. It is for bikers who use their machines as hobby rides, not as everyday transport.

The Z1000 benefits from ultra-modern technology, but the original plan was to call it the Z1, after its earliest spiritual ancestor, the iconic 903cc Kawasaki Z1 of 1973. That idea was dropped because BMW has copyright on the name. Kawasaki was lucky, because this bike does not deserve to be stigmatised by the reputation of older models. This machine does not have the flaws that once made Kawasakis minority-interest machines. It is not a raw and unrefined beast.

Sales figures confirm that. The Z1000 is the best seller in its class, ahead of the excellent Aprilia Tuono, Honda Hornet 900, Yamaha Fazer 1000 and Ducati Monster S4.

It is an impressive performance from a company still regarded as the minnow among the Japanese manufacturers. The Z1000 deserves it. I won't be surprised if riders 20 years hence regard it as another Kawasaki classic.

However, two changes should be implemented. First, the rear-view mirrors are utterly inadequate. Dealers already offer a variety of upgrades, but the improvement should be incorporated in the basic design.

Second, the colour scheme: the orange and lime green versions are embarrassing. Tone it down a bit, Kawasaki. This machine is actually good enough to be tasteful. Why spoil it?

motoring@independent.co.uk