Let’s face it: the liter-class naked bike scene hasn’t exactly been buzzing lately. Sure, the Yamaha MT-10’s been holding it down, and Suzuki recently gave the GSX-S1000 a fresh coat of paint. But overall? It’s been a bit quiet. That’s starting to change, as Honda’s releasing the new CB1000 Hornet and now, Kawasaki's getting ready to bring back some serious muscle in the form of a new Z1100.
Yep, the Z1000’s spiritual successor is officially on the horizon. It’s been a few years since Kawasaki quietly pulled the plug on the Z1000, a bike that never sold in huge numbers but definitely made an impression. It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, had a brawny 1,043cc inline-four, and didn’t rely on superchargers or fancy electronics to get your heart pumping. Just raw, old-school power with killer styling.
Now, thanks to new documents from the California Air Resources Board (CARB), we know the Z nameplate is coming back in a big way. The document lists a model coded ZR1100HT—clear as day for Kawasaki nerds that this is a new Z naked—and groups it with the upcoming Ninja 1100SX and Versys 1100. All three share a 1,099cc inline-four, which already makes about 134 horsepower and 83 pound-feet of torque in the sport-tourers.
