Z900 vs Street Triple 765 - the middle class dream

Two bikes which appear very similar on a spec sheet and in terms of price, but couldn't be more different to ride. Before I share my experience with both these bikes, I'll say you can't go wrong with either one of them, but wait for the 2025 z900 as it brings some much needed changes. For me, the winner is the 765 😁 let's discuss as to why that is. Kawasaki Z900 :- 1. Bike isn't that heavy as people make it out to be, this won't be a problem to handle even for shorter or lighter riders. 2. The whole reason why the z900 is so popular, is the screaming inline 4. It's extremely linear and predictable in terms of power delivery, all thanks to kawasaki's excellent cable throttles. Refinement is second to none. Heat like the triple is only felt when stopped, it's actually impressive considering this is a 948cc i4. Very easy to ride, the smile this engine puts on your face is priceless, this can be the deciding factor inspite of the z900's shortcomings, especially if you're not a very fast rider. More on this later. 3. Best gearbox I've ever tested. Upshifts are super smooth, clutch is light, downshifts are practically effortless and it begs you to rev match. The positive neutral finder also makes going into neutral at stops easy, no competition for the japs when it comes to gearboxes, but this one takes the cake. 4. Seat and ergos are great, very traditional naked bike stance. People who ride Dukes, pulsars apaches will feel at home. I just wish the handlebar was a bit more straight like on the z650rs, it's bent a bit towards you and I don't like that here but it's a very minor complaint. It should be comfortable for hours though, there's a nice windscreen mounting slot too which should help for touring folk. Cons of Z900:- The suspension. It feels extremely cheap with very little sophistication, which actively discourages you from taking corners at speed. Even at speed limits, it doesn't soak up rumblers or uneven roads well, it isn't "stiff" nor is it "soft" it's somewhere in the middle with very poor damping. I've seen better suspension from kawasaki on their budget bikes, what went wrong here? You can adjust suspension to a degree I think but still I doubt any adjustments will make this as good as the competition. 2025 Z900 :- full electronics suite with cruise control and quickshifter standard. Radial brake calipers now and slight improvements to engine tune to make lower rpm performance better. Regardless of offers, wait for the 2025 one as it's quite literally better. Triumph Street Triple 765 - 1. This is the bike you get if you want a more engaging experience. The way you sit is much more aggressive than the Z but it's still comfortable enough for daily, the stance gives you a lot of front end feel and handlebar is wide enough for easy maneuvering. 2. The 765 engine is really good too! It's much smoother than the 660s and it doesn't throw heat at you until you stop. Also is very predictable much like the z900 and the RBW throttle here is much better than the ones on the 660s. If you get the RS though, it will feel noticeably more urgent than the z900 due to better lowend torque delivery. 3. Where the 765 shines is at ride quality. Might be my favorite suspension setup, full confidence all the time and it soaks up bad patches well too. This combined with the pirelli diablos and the slightly aggressive seating is a very very exciting experience at double and triple digit speeds. 4. More equipment on offer. Standard quickshifter, IMU, better suspension, tyres, etc. can go on and on. The current z900 simply can't compete. I can forgive electronics but good suspension and tyres are to be expected, the Z's dunlops leave a lot to be desired but the new one apparently has better dunlops on offer. The pirellis on the triple are excellent. Feels higher quality in some areas but the new Z can change this. Cons of Street triple :- Useless barend mirror which become obscured due to vibrations. Nothing else really So what's the verdict? The z900 will suit easy riders, the 2025 Z will bring a lot of changes which might just fix most of the issues listed here, if you want to just chill, listen to the i4 symphony and occasionally go fast, then this is the bike for you but if you constantly desire to go faster and especially if you ride to the limits the Street triple is the way to go. It's extremely hard to fault the Triple on any front, slap on a pair of good mirrors and it's perfect.