Riding Sugomi style

THE glorious Langkawi sunshine glinted off the complex curves and angles of the newZ1000. The latest reincarnation of the Z1000 for 2014 has become even more organic than before.
As I walked towards it in my racing suit (which curiously gets tighter each year) – I felt a giddy mix of anticipation and excitement. The old Z1000 was already a hooligan of a bike. I wonder what the new one would be like.
Parked there in the car park of our swanky hotel, it already looked like nothing else out there in the market. At the presentation that was held the day before, Kawasaki talked of their new concept for the bike, which is known as Sugomi.
A presenter had dutifully clicked through the power point presentation, and came to a slide with a picture of the Z1000 and a caption that read: "Sugomi can be seen in the crouching form of a hunting predator as it gathers energy in preparation to strike, muscled tensing in anticipation, eyes locked onto its prey.
The Z1000's Sugomi design borrows from the predator's fiercely intense glare and a dynamic form that radiates with the promise of explosive action." There was silence around the room.
Now, in the driveway, I sort of get what the designers were gunning for. The squat, evil looking beast in front of me is quite a masterpiece of engineering design. It seems to me that as the Z model line progresses, it further pushes the line from practical design to simply outrageous.
A very un-Japanese trait. The front headlamp on this new monster sits low, like a creature lowering its head, ready to pounce. Inside the cowling, which incidentally reminds one of a Gundam's head, sit a pair of intensely bright LED lights.
The overall effect is to make the bike look like it rode straight off the pages of a Japanese Manga.
Sitting on the bike, the ergonomics are quite similar to the old Z1000. The only difference is you feel even more exposed to the elements, as the front end dramatically drops off, leaving an unobstructed view of the road ahead.
The dash consists of a digital RPM bar, digital meter and fuel gauge. The RPM gauge has an interesting layout, with the first 3,000RPMs displayed on the main panel, before the bars progress onwards to a horizontal LED display that shows the 4,000 to 11,000 RPM range.
While more readable than previous Kawasaki digital meters, I still found reading the engine speed a bit of chore. However, using a traditional RPM meter would have no doubt affected the bike's ultra-modern looks.
The digital speedometer on the other hand, is much easier to read. Build and finish on the plastics is good, although not exceptional. As we rode out of the hotel car park, police escorts closed lanes to the rest of road traffic.
Our first stretch of road was Jalan Kuala Muda that encircled the far end of the Langkawi airport. There was a tight left-hander followed by two 90-degree right hand turns before we came to a long straight.
With the Andaman Sea on our left, and the airfield on our right – I got my first chance to crack open the throttle. The Z1000 responded with a deep guttural howl from the engine, followed by instant acceleration.
For 2014, the engine has gone through some reworking. There is a new cylinder connecting passageway that reduces pumping losses and improves mid to high engine ranges.
A new camprofile further improves low to mid-range torque. A new bore and stroke dimension of 77x56mm gives a better balance between peak power and low and mid-range flexibility.
The bike also gets shorter gearing to improve acceleration, but a taller sixth gear to improve on highway comfort. Combined, the changes allow the bike to accelerate even quicker and achieve greater speeds than before. The airboxes have also been modified, and the bike now has a distinctive intake snarl that is simply intoxicating.
The Langkawi roads were a perfect test track for the Z1000. It may have seemed odd initially to choose Langkawi as a place to test big bikes, but it turned out that the tight turns and trunk routes allowed us to test the capability of the bike in real life situations.
As we rode past the airport, we raced deeper into the interior of the island, past a series of tight corners that reminded one of the famed Kuala Klawang in Selangor.
The Z1000 proved its mettle there, leaning precisely and predictably into the corners. The suspension on this new bike is now significantly taut – set up for sports riding.
Kawasaki has added what is called a "separate function fork, big piston", known by its acronym as SFF-BP. This inverted 41mm set up, which is similar to the X636 fork, has springs on both sides, with preload adjustability in the left tube and damping in the right tube. The new forks give even more precise steering to the bike.
Coupled with the new Tokico monobloc 310mmdual front brake rotors with four pistons per calliper, the bike was amazingly easy to throw around the corners.
As we reached the interior of the island, along Jalan Teluk Yu with the Bukit Sawak reserve forests on our right, our speeds got progressively higher. At high speed, the Z1000 is predictable and stable. The forward canted seating position and low handlebars counteract the wind blast.
The powerful brakes and predictable suspension gave a great deal of confidence to the rider. There were not many high-speed sections on Langkawi, but from the few kilometres that were ridden, it did not seem the bike would have any trouble cruising on the highways.
Getting on the Ninja 1000 (previously known as the Z1000SX) after the Z1000 revealed a much more civilised motorcycle, at least on the surface.
While the Z1000 is purely radical, the Ninja 1000 appears soft on first impression, thanks to full fairings and some creature comforts such as a more ample seat.
The meter cluster is more traditional. Instead of a digital bar, you get a traditional RPM clock and digital speedometer combo. In my opinion, this works way better than the Z1000, although it loses out in terms of 'cool' factor.
The headlights and front fairing is very similar to the ER6F or Ninja 650 in the United States or even the 250R. One would logically associate the new model as the biggest sibling in the Ninja range. However, a wring of the throttle soon reveals that underneath, it is the same hooligan as the Z1000, albeit cloaked in more respectable clothing.
The engine is similar, but the Ninja gets a new KTRC Traction Control system that features three different modes in varying conditions. You also get selectable power modes that you can use to select full power or 70% power. I did a reverse loop of Langkawi island on the Ninja, starting from our resort near the airport.
The Ninja spins up to high-speed with less hassle than the Z1000. The full fairing though, dulls the excitement down a bit. The bike I tested came with standard hard panniers. The standard panniers fit seamlessly into the bike. When removed, there are no visible mounts that upset the clean lines of the bike.
While much of the bike's suspension remains the same, Kawasaki added a remote rear spring preload adjuster to allow quick tuning for passenger and luggage weight adjustments.
ABS also comes standard with the Ninja. Tearing around the island, it was soon apparent that the Ninja was just as quick as the Z1000.
The Ninja, however, would be the perfect choice for a rider who prefers long distance touring and needs to carry luggage. The Z1000 has a sale price of RM76,900. The Ninja 1000 on the other hand is priced at RM82,900 sans pannier and RM87,900 with panniers.
These two new bikes are impressive efforts from Kawasaki. The dramatic and raw performance of the Z1000 will no doubt gain it fans. The practicality and versatility of the Ninja 1000 will entice long distance riders.
Either way you go though, you will no doubt be riding with some "Sugomi" style.