Kawasaki Z900RS (2026) – Technical Review

If you’re squinting at pictures of the 2026 Kawasaki Z900RS and wondering whether anything has changed compared to its predecessor, don’t worry: the updates for this year might be significant but they’re also largely under the skin. Given that the bike has always aimed to evoke the original Z1 a radical rethink of the design was never on the cards, but most of the visible components of the new model are straight from the 2025 version.

Below the surface, though, there’s an array of updates to bring the retro machine bang up to date, with new electronic throttles and a suite of rider assists on a par with the best that rivals can offer, all at a price that’s actually lower than the old model.

Pros & Cons

2026 Kawasaki Z900 RS - Price & PCP Deals

It’s rare to be able to say that a new bike is both better and cheaper than its predecessor – particularly in this era of rampant inflation – but the 2026 Z900RS manages precisely that trick despite having more equipment than the machine it replaces.

The base model, available only in the deep candy red colour scheme with gold stripes to mimic the 1975 Z1B, comes in at £11,499, some £300 less than the £11,799 2025 version with the same paintjob. Last year there was also a black-and-green base model at £11,699, but that’s off the menu for 2026.

The higher-spec Z900RS SE is also cheaper than last year’s bike, coming in at £12,949 compared to 2025’s £13,249, again a £300 saving. It’s also more colourful for this year, with black paint and orange graphics to evoke the original ‘Fireball’ Z1, although that machine was dark brown and orange, a look that the Z900RS copied back in 2022 for the Z1’s 50th anniversary.

Lovers of last year’s black-on-black Z900RS SE can get a similar fix through the new-for-2026 Z900RS Black Ball Edition, which features dark grey graphics on a black base and gets the retro-style ‘900 Double Overhead Camshaft’ side panel badges that were seen on the 50th anniversary model in 2022.

Want to know you’re looking at the 2026 model rather than an earlier bike? The exhaust system is the giveaway. The header pipes follow a more snaking path before entering a more bulbous-looking catalytic converter under the engine, and the megaphone-style silencer is cut straight at its rear edge, not at an angle like the older model.

2026 Kawasaki Z900 RS - Engine & Performance

The essentials of the four-cylinder, 948cc engine are unchanged compared to earlier variants, with the same 73.4mm bore and 56mm stroke, but Kawasaki has hiked the compression ratio from 10.8:1 to 11.8:1 and more importantly added a quartet of Keihin 36mm electronic throttles – the key that opens the door to truly modern rider assist technology. Power rises from 82kW/111PS/110hp for the old bike to 85kW/116PS/114hp for the 2026 version, arriving at 9,300rpm instead of 8,500rpm, and backed by 72.3 lb-ft of torque at 7,700rpm, where the old model had a similar peak but at 6,500rpm.

The new intake is paired to a revised airbox and funnels, tweaked cam profiles and valve sizes, a new crankshaft and lighter flywheel, and those new exhaust headers and catalytic converter.

Power is fed through an assist/slipper clutch to a new, closer set of gear ratios and revised final gearing, adding an extra tooth to the rear sprocket to suit the higher-revving powerband of the engine, all controlled via an up-and-down quick shifter, a change made possible by the ride-by-wire throttles.

The electronic throttles also allow the addition of a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) for cornering rider assists (Kawasaki Cornering Management Function, or KCMF), as well as cruise control.

How has Kawasaki made so many changes and simultaneously reduced the price? By increasing parts commonality with the Z900RS’s sister model, the Z900. The modern-styled Z900 has used the higher-compression engine for years and gained the electronic throttles and IMU for 2025, so Kawasaki is simply bringing the closely-related Z900RS into line and actually simplifying production and parts supply in the process. It’s still 9hp down on the Z900’s outright power, though.

2026 Kawasaki Z900 RS - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

Chassis-wise, the Z900RS is much as before. On the base model and the Black Ball Edition, the 41mm inverted forks, adjustable for preload and rebound, are paired to a similarly adjustable gas shock at the back, while the brakes are Kawasaki-branded four-pot calipers at the front on 300mm discs, matched to a single-pot caliper and 250mm disc at the rear.

The SE version ups the ante on the suspension and brakes, with the same forks in a gold finish at the front and a remote reservoir Öhlins S46 monoshock at the back. The discs are the same as the base bike, but the calipers are Brembo M4.32 radial monobloc four-pots, operated via a smaller Nissin radial master cylinder (1.6mm less diameter than the base version) and with stainless steel braided brake hoses.

As before, the SE’s Öhlins shock raises the rear a fraction, upping the ground clearance and increasing the seat height by 10mm over the base model. For 2026, the wheelbase of both versions shrinks fractionally, from 1470mm to 1465mm, probably as a result of the larger rear sprocket and the chain adjustment that goes with it.

Whichever version you opt for, the weight is the same: 197kg measured dry, or a more realistic 216kg when weighed in a ready-to-ride state with all fluids and the 17-litre tank 90-percent filled with fuel.

2026 Kawasaki Z900 RS - Comfort & Economy

The Z900RS is pretty much the definition of a traditional ‘standard’ motorcycle – the sort of thing that might have been called a UJM in days gone by – and the upright riding position is unchanged for the 2026 model. That means plenty of room, wide bars and no causes for concern when it comes to middle-aged backs (Kawasaki knows who’s going to be buying a 1970s-throwback bike like the Z900).

There’s an optional low seat that drops the height down to 810mm, compared to 835mm for the standard model and 845mm for the SE.

Despite the extra power, the 2026 bike’s fuel economy is actually better than the previous model – you can thank those electronic throttles – and the CO2 emissions come down as well. Where 2025’s bike achieved a claimed 54.3mpg, the 2026 version hikes that to 56.5mpg, which means a 17-litre tankful is good for a theoretical range of 211 miles.

2026 Kawasaki Z900 RS - Equipment

We’ve already mentioned the cruise control that’s added to the 2026 Z900RS, a welcome addition for long trips, and the up/down quickshifter is another energy-saver, but those aren’t the only new tech to come to the party this year.

Inevitably, there’s smartphone integration, via the Kawasaki ‘Rideology the App’ software, giving all the usual connection between your phone and the bike, and there’s a new USB-C socket on the right-hand bar that somewhat stingily comes as standard only if you opt for the SE model. It can be added as an option to the base version, though. Other optional extras include heated grips, a centre stand, pillion grab rails either on the sides or around the tail, a small nose cowl and a variety of dress-up parts.

2026 Kawasaki Z900 RS - Rivals

Retro bikes are a thriving market and there’s no shortage of opposition if you want a machine that harks back to years gone by. The £11.5k to £13k pricing of the Z900 puts it into the same ballpark as Triumph’s Bonneville T120 – although the British twin can’t compete on peak power – and is undercut by the £11,100 Yamaha XSR900 that offers similar performance, strong handling and less weight (but a less convincing 1970s appearance) thanks to a modern beam frame.

Perhaps the biggest threat of all, though, is Honda’s new CB1000F – a new addition for 2026 that undercuts the Kawasaki on price, beats it on power and has a similarly retro, four-cylinder style inspired by the late-70s, DOHC redesign of the CB750F.

Triumph Bonneville T120 (2026) | Price: £12,195

Read more

Power/Torque

78.9bhp/77.4lb-ft

Weight

233kg

Yamaha XSR900 (2026) | Price: £11,100

Read more

Power/Torque

117.3bhp / 68.6lb-ft

Weight

193kg

Honda CB1000F (2026) | Price: £10,599

Read more

Power/Torque

122bhp / 76lb-ft

Weight

214kg

2026 Kawasaki Z900 RS - Verdict

The 2026 Z900 has all the ingredients to be better than the 2025 version, and comes at a more affordable price. What’s not to like? The only fly in the ointment is the existence of the new Honda CB1000F, which uses its 1000cc, FireBlade-based engine to get a performance edge and carries and aggressively low price tag. We’ll have to get the pair of them together to decide which is the better option.

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2026 Kawasaki Z900 RS - Technical Specification

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