Kawasaki Z1100 & Z1100SE (2026) - Technical Review

2026 Kawasaki Z1100 and Z1100SE

When Kawasaki unveiled the Ninja 1100SX a year ago the immediate response was muted – it was 6hp down on its predecessor despite a hike from 1043cc to 1099cc – but riding the 1100 proved a revelation with the subtle changes turning out to be enough to take it to the top of its class. Now a similar set of revisions has been applied to the closely related Z1000 to turn it into a new Z1100 model for 2026.

The Z1000 actually disappeared from Kawasaki’s range over here in the UK a couple of years ago, the slightly smaller Z900 essentially taking its place in the lineup, but with its new capacity boost and a big improvement in terms of tech, the Z1100 has earnt a place alongside it for 2026.

Could it, like the Ninja 1100SX, turn out to be one of the surprise packages of the year?

Pros & Cons

The SE model is distinguishable by it's gold fork legs and green wheels

2026 Kawasaki Z1100 & Z1100SE - Price

The Z1100 range starts at £11,099 for the standard bike, putting it within £100 of perhaps its closest rival, Suzuki’s £10,999 GSX-S1000. For an extra £1600, you can step up to the Z1100 SE, adding monobloc Brembo calipers and an Ohlins S46 rear shock to the mix.

If you’re a fan of bright colours, you’re out of luck, as both versions of the Z1100 are only available for 2026 in subdued hues. The standard bike is essentially all-black – officially a combination of ‘ebony’ and ‘metallic carbon grey’ – with black wheels to match, while the SE version offered only in two-tone grey, albeit with gold coloured fork legs and Kawasaki-green wheels and graphics to give it a visual lift.

Both versions are due in dealers from October 2025.

2026 Kawasaki Z1100 & Z1100SE - Engine & Performance

The change from 1043cc to 1099cc earns the Z1100 its name-change over the old Z1000, but as with the Ninja 1100SX launched a year ago, the extra cubes don’t bring an increase in power. Instead the focus is on torque, with a bulging midrange that, on the Ninja at least, makes the new bike feel quicker than its predecessor despite the reduced outright output. There’s no reason to believe the same won’t apply to the Z1100.

Kawasaki has gained the extra capacity via a 3mm increase in stroke, up from 56mm to 59mm, while the 77mm bore stays the same. The longer stroke means there’s a new crankshaft, and the rotating mass inside the engine is increased, a change that doesn’t help on-paper performance figures but often results in a punchier feel.

On the intake side, the Z1100 gets a new set of electronic, ride-by-wire throttles, feeding air and fuel to the combustion chambers via a head that carries new camshafts and valve springs. The pistons are also revised, and the engine exhales through a new 4-2-1 exhaust system, ending in a single, large silencer on the right-hand side instead of the twin pipes of the old Z1000.

Power goes through a wet assist-and-slipper clutch to a transmission with longer 5th and 6th gears than the old Z1000, promising lower revs at speed as the bike leans into its fatter midrange performance. That transmission also gets a standard-fit, up-and-down quickshifter, and the power is controlled via lean-sensitive traction control thanks to the new six-axis inertial measurement unit fitted that brings the Z1100 up to modern levels of rider-assist tech.

The engine’s peak power of 134.1hp (100kW) arrives at 9,000rpm, a little down on the old Z1000’s 140hp but reached 1000rpm lower in the rev range. Torque peaks at 83.3 lb-ft, up from 81.9 lb-ft for the old Z1000, and maxes out at 7,600rpm.

2026 Kawasaki Z1100 & Z1100SE - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

The basics of the new Z1100’s chassis can trace their heritage back to the 2010 Z1000, which introduced the aluminium frame layout that’s used on the latest model, and the 41mm Showa SFF-BP forks are another carry-over from the Z1100’s predecessor, along with the ‘Horizontal Back-link’ rear shock layout. If it ain’t broke, and all that…

There are changes, though. The new Z1100 gets a different swingarm, for a start, with conventional chain adjusters rather than the old Z1000’s eccentric system. It repositions the back brake caliper above the arm instead of below it, and makes space for a larger, 260mm rear disc in place of the previous model’s 250mm unit.

At the front, the 310mm brake diameter is unchanged, but the discs themselves are now conventional rather than the old Z1000’s petal design. The calipers are Kawasaki-branded radial monoblocs.

Step up to the Z1100 SE and the rear shock gets swapped for an Ohlins S46, mirroring the same change on the Ninja 1100SX SE, while the front brake calipers are switched for Brembo monobloc four-pot radials.

As standard, Dunlop Sportmax Q5A rubber connects the bike to the tarmac, with superbike-size 120/70-17 front and 190/50-17 rears.

The bike’s similarity to the previous Z1000 means there’s no change to its overall weight, coming in at 221kg complete with a full tank of fuel, or 201kg when measured dry without fuel or other fluids.

2026 Kawasaki Z1100 & Z1100SE - Comfort & Economy

You might expect the Z1100 to be all but identical to the old Z1000 from the rider’s seat, but there are some changes to be found.

Most notably, the bars are new. Measuring 22mm wider than before, they promise a tad more leverage than the old design, and they’re also 13mm further forward to give more space. Kawasaki claims the result is a lighter feel to the handling and sharper responses than before.

Other than that, it’s business as usual. The seat is the same 815mm high, and with an identical 17-litre fuel tank and stubby nose cowl as the old bike it’s bound to be similar to its predecessor in terms of wind blast and feel.

Although Kawasaki hasn’t announced fuel consumption figures yet, the Z1100 is likely to do a bit better than the old bike, largely thanks to its improved midrange and the longer gearing it can sustain. That’s backed up by a reduction in CO2 emissions, down from 151g/km for the old Z1000 to 126g/km for the new bike – CO2 is directly related to how much fuel gets burnt, so expect an improvement in economy to go with those numbers.

Green wheels and gold forks for the SE model

2026 Kawasaki Z1100 & Z1100SE - Equipment

The old Z1000’s LCD instruments would be looking pretty dated in 2025, so Kawasaki has upgraded the Z1100 to a new 5-inch full-colour TFT display that adds the now-expected turn-by-turn navigation and smartphone connectivity features via the Kawasaki Rideology app.

The other tech upgrades come courtesy of the new ride-by-wire throttles, which mean Kawasaki has been able to include cruise control as a standard feature, along with the auto-blipping for the dual-direction quickshifter. The cornering traction control has three modes, with the first aimed at dry, grippy roads, the second an intermediate setting, and mode three aimed at wet or slippery conditions. There are also power modes and four riding modes – Sport, Road, Rain and Rider – the last of those being a configurable setting to tweak to your own liking.

2026 Kawasaki Z1100 & Z1100SE - Rivals

Kawasaki’s Ninja 1100SX might have proved a surprise package in the sports-touring class but the new Z1100 is targeting a more competitive field, so there’s some really stiff competition to consider, particularly at the price level of the higher-spec Z1100 SE. In that £12k-plus region it’s up against the likes of Yamaha’s MT-10 and not far from the price of BMW’s S 1000 R. Meanwhile, the entry-level Z1100 has to face off against not only Suzuki’s slightly cheaper GSX-S1000, but also Honda’s CB1000 Hornet, which undercuts it even in 155hp, Brembo-and-Ohlins-equipped ‘SP’ form.

Yamaha MT-10 | Price: £12,320

Read more

Power/Torque

163.6bhp/82.6lb-ft

Weight

212kg

Suzuki GSX-S1000 | Price: £10,999

Read more

Power/Torque

150bhp/78.2lb-ft

Weight

214kg

Honda CB1000 Hornet SP | Price: £10,099

Read more

Power/Torque

155bhp/78.9lb-ft

Weight

212kg

2026 Kawasaki Z1100 & Z1100SE - Verdict

On paper the Z1100 faces an uphill task in a tough category, but experience with the closely-related Ninja 1100SX tells us that bare figures are far from the whole story. Even with less power and more weight than its direct competitors, it would be foolish to write off the Z until it’s been back-to-back tested against them.

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2026 Kawasaki Z1100 & Z1100SE - Technical Specification

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