Kawasaki Gets Meta and Unveils the Z900RS Cafe

A retro take on a retro take

Remember how we were all excited when Kawasaki dropped the Z900RS at the Tokyo Motor Show? Well, apparently someone at Kawasaki heard we like retro-styled bikes, so they retro-ed up the throwback Z900RS even more with a bikini fairing and some other bits and bobs to produce the sexy Z900RS Cafe.

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Basically a Z900RS with a handful of cafe-style design cues, the Z900RS Cafe adds even more style to an already stylish platform. It has the same lightweight, trellis-style frame, water-cooled, DOHC, 16-valve 949cc inline four and six-speed, KTRC traction contro-equipped transmission as the standard Z900RS. The bike is sprung with a pair of 41mm inverted forks up front and horizontal back link suspension in the rear, and rolls on a pair of cast, multi-spoke wheels.

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To give the bike the cafe racer treatment, Kawasaki designers started with an old school-style fairing and a modern take on the traditional rear hump and tail piece. The bike was then fitted with a narrow, low-slung handlebar for a sportier riding position. To finish, the whole package was sprayed in Kawasaki green and given a bold graphics package consisting of broad, old-school white stripes that just scream mid-70s.

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“We were delighted at the worldwide acclaim for the Z900RS when it was launched just a few weeks ago," said Kawasaki Motors Europe Director Morihiro Ikoma. “The Z900RS Café widens the appeal of the new RS offering and personifies the True Spirit model tagline. Kawasaki took its time to enter the modern classic scene but the wait was worthwhile. The Z900RS Café and Z900RS have a unique heritage and an authenticity that sets them apart as the genuine article.”

Ikoma-san sounds pretty excited. Honestly, so am I. Yes, I know that the Cafe is essentially a standard Z900RS in cafe drag, but just look at it. The faring and that stripe package and the more aggressive riding style are seriously rad, and remind me of the old K-series bikes from Mad Max. If a cafed-out Kawasaki was good enough for The Toecutter, it's good enough for me.