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Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely
Blog Date - 21 July 2013
I had a test ride on a Kawasaki Z800 yesterday. Awesome machine, a proper hooligan plaything. It also produces an awful lot of power in the midrange, nay even the bottom end. This lead to a "moment". Nothing serious, nothing too scary but it sure as hell caught me by surprise and had me reaching hard for the brake levers.
2 90 degrees sharp bends and between them a 500 metre straight. First bend taken with a little speed and with the revs up ready to power out the corner. Power out, enjoy the sensation of the tyre digging into the warm dry tarmac and pulling the bike upright as the speed rises. Keep the bike straight and keep the power on. "WHOA S##T!" Those 500 metres have become 100 metres far far too quickly and I'm approaching the next bend much faster than I'm happy with. BRAKE!
My 600 actually produces the same maximum power output as Kawasaki's 800. My Fazer FZS 600 is well known for having a good midrange punch too. So where did Kwak put the extra cubes and modern technology to use? BAM, right in the middle where you need it. Sheesh the motor produces power that feels as solid and as impenetrable as a concrete bunker on the Normandy coastline. What is interesting, possibly scary, is the on the Kwak website the 800 is marketed squarely at the new rider.
Another tale I must tell is on a ride out with the gf on a country lane we found a biker on a smart clean and modern XJ 600 struggling to get his bike out of the grass verge. We stopped and I helped the tall, slim gentleman extract his bike over some grass covered stones and back onto the tarmac. He hadn't dropped the bike, all was well and although visibly shaken the middle aged chap was unharmed. He'd only passed his test a couple of weeks ago and only just collected his new toy. I suspect he'd approached the corner far faster than expected, panicked and gone straight on into the verge. I imagine the rest of his ride was more sedate.
Talking to the gf about my hairy moment and recalling our little rescue we realise it's so easy to be caught out by the performance of a motorcycle. Particularly when you're not used to that motorcycle. Even the best of riders must surely need a little time to adjust to a motorcycle's performance, to learn where and how the power is delivered. Motorcycles are still essentially an engine with a few bits added to allow it to move and a rider to sit on. That means they go like the clappers. That's why we love them!
We also wondered how "fairweather" bikers manage. Most riders these days will leave their pride and joy tucked away in the garage over the winter and on rainy days. From October to April not a wheel will be turned, it's not uncommon for riders to SORN the bikes for 6 months then tax it for 6 months. On that first sunny spring day countless machines are polished, checked and started and the rider heads out. They've gone from the family car with a 0-60 time of 10 seconds to a rocket that will do it in 2.5 seconds. Do they really remember how fast they are? Do they recall how to get it around that corner?
The lesson I ought to take from the 800 Kwak is that of respect. Any bike is only as fast as the rider turns the throttle. It wasn't the 800's fault that I turned the twist grip too hard and the bike will happily do 20mph as it will 100mph. I didn't give it enough respect to take the time to learn how it goes. The same applies to the novice XJ 600 rider.
Back on the 125 today and 2 up. Sublime to the ridiculous. ('ll be writing up the Z800 review soon)
Reader's Comments
Latchy said :-
I also rode one of these and loved the way the engine delivered the power, but when I then rode the new street triple, well it was a bad day for the kwacker, to put it simply it is just too heavy as you found out trying to get it to corner at speed.
In fact it is a whopping 47 kilos heavier than the triumph which goes like stink and totally out accelerates the z800. If you like that sort of thing. But for me it is the total rideability at any revs for the triumph, but if it was a jap bike I was buying then yes the z800 is better than the gsr or the fazer.
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