Kawasaki’s Z1000SX started life as an afterthought – a fairing bolted to a Z1000 to create a mid-range sports tourer – but it’s since outshone the machine it’s based on.
Now it’s been revamped for 2017 with a restyle and additional technology, despite the fact it was tweaked just 12 months ago.
The firm says that the changes are a response to customer focus groups, which demanded the wider cowl and double-bubble screen. The LED headlights, now 1.4 times brighter than before, are another response to customer demand.
The seats are more deeply pa dded than the 2016 model’s, and there’s a new ‘clean mount’ pannier system, too.
Technically, the underpinnings are familiar but the engine gets an IMU to help the traction control. The suspension has been revised with new settings, and there’s now a gear position indicator and shift light that – as on the new Ninja 650 – also illuminates the rev counter needle as the red line approaches.