Kawasaki Motorcycle Road Tests
& Reviews
Kawasaki Motorcycle Guide
The Kawasaki Motorcycle & Engine Division has been manufacturing motorcycles since 1954. The trademarked names of some of Kawasaki's powersports machines–from Kawasaki Ninja sportbikes to Kawasaki Vulcan cruisers to Kawasaki Jet Ski personal watercraft–have become household names.
2009 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Road Test
Greg Drevenstedt
February 24, 2009
[This 2009 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Road Test was originally published in the April 2009 issue of Rider] As time passes, people tend to get slower and heavier, and their mass becomes less centralized. In contrast, sportbikes slim down, firm up and have more energy. If I could reinvent myself every two years,... Read more »
2009 Kawasaki Ninja 650R Road Test
Rider Magazine
January 15, 2009
photography by Scott Hirko [This 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 650R Road Test was originally published in the March 2010 issue of Rider magazine] 2009 Kawasaki Ninja 650R in action. Test motorcycles come and go here frequently, except certain models we have trouble letting go. Our shop will only hold so many,... Read more »
2008 Kawasaki Z1000, Triumph Speed Triple and Yamaha FZ1 Road Test Comparison
Greg Drevenstedt
November 5, 2008
In my past life I was a scientist-specifically, a demographer who studied trends in human mortality (depressing, I know). Although my number-crunching days are behind me, my research background still comes in handy. To put these bikes-Kawasaki Z1000, Triumph Speed Triple and Yamaha FZ1-on a level playing... Read more »
2008 Motorcycle Fuel Economy Comparison
Bill Stermer
September 15, 2008
Photography by Kevin Wing [This review of nine fuel-efficient motorcycles was originally published in the October 2008 issue of Rider] 2008 Suzuki GZ250 Motorcycles included in this review (2008 model year): Honda Nighthawk, Kawasaki Ninja 250R, Star V Star 250, Suzuki GZ250, Honda 750 Shadow Aero,... Read more »
Rider’s 250-class Dual-Sport Motorcycle Comparison
Arden Kysely
September 15, 2008
photography by the author, James Norris, Roger Eggers and Kail Wathne [Rider's 250-class Dual-Sport Motorcycle Comparison including the 2008 HONDA CRF230L, 2009 KAWASAKI KLX250S and 2009 YAMAHA XT250 was originally published in the October 2008 issue of Rider magazine] 2008 HONDA CRF230L, 2009 KAWASAKI... Read more »
2009 Kawasaki KLX250S Road Test
Arden Kysely
September 15, 2008
[This 2009 Kawasaki KLX250S Road Test was originally published in the September 2008 issue of Rider magazine] Have plate, will travel–that’s dual-sporting in a nutshell, and nowhere is that description more appropriate than in Death Valley National Park in California and Nevada, where miles... Read more »
2008 V-twin Touring Cruiser Motorcycle Comparison
Bill Stermer
September 15, 2008
[This V-twin touring cruiser motorcycle comparison review features the 2008 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic, 2008 Honda VTX1800T, 2008 Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 Classic LT, 2008 Star Stratoliner S and 2008 Suzuki Boulevard C109RT was originally published in the September 2008 issue of Rider magazine] Cruisers... Read more »
2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Road Test
Bill Stermer
July 9, 2008
[this 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R road test review was originally published in the June 2008 issue of Rider] Motorcycles are amazing. Can you imagine, in the highly competitive world of automobiles, that a company could bring out a particular model and continue to sell it, virtually unchanged (except for... Read more »
2008 Kawasaki KLR650 Road Test
Rider Contributor
July 8, 2008
[This 2008 Kawasaki KLR650 Road Test was originally published in the July 2007 issue of Rider magazine] I don’t know what you’ve been doing for the past 21 years, but over at Kawasaki they’ve been listening, and making lists. The company’s mainstay dual-sport, the KLR650, has... Read more »
2008 Honda VTX1300T, Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT, Suzuki Boulevard C50T, Star V Star 1100 Silverado Motorcycle Comparison
Bill Stermer
July 8, 2008
[this middleweight touring cruiser comparison review features the 2008 Honda VTX1300T, 2008 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Classic LT, 2008 Star V Star 1100 Silverado and 2008 Suzuki Boulevard C50T, and was originally published in the May 2008 issue of Rider] You’re a cruiser rider, and you like to travel,... Read more »
