"upgrade" option/review - Kawasaki Z750S

[heent]

I was looking at three bikes to buy to move beyond my '00 GS:  Honda Shadow Sabre, Suzuki V-Strom 650, & Kawasaki Z750S.  It was a close race with the V-Strom, but I went with the Kawasaki.  I rode my GS for three riding seasons before passing it to my wife.

80 mile review:

The Z750s, with its extra ~30#'s doesn't flick across the 90 degree apex as quickly as the GS; however, it leans into turns just as well.

The Z750S has a much smoother transmission and suspension.  The 41mm front shocks are unadjustable, and I haven't moved the preload or rebound settings for the rear.  The current setup seems very good for my 185#.

Significantly more torque and acceleration at low RPMs (as expected) - figures for the Z750 are about 100hp and mid-50's ft/lb.  I'm keeping it within break-in limits, but I expect that trend to continue beyond 5K rpms as well.

Haven't pushed the Battlaxes yet...still coaxing the wax wear line to the edge, but they seem surely sticky enough for my conservative riding.

Riding posture is great...possibly even more slightly upright than the GS (believe it or not) and I've noticed less wrist fatigue immediately; however, the pegs are higher and tight, and I could imagine them being uncomfortable at the end of long rides for someone with greater than my 31-32" inseam.

The mirror stalks should have been made longer - at proper adjustment to see the lane behind me, at least half the rear picture is taken up by my own shoulders (and I'm not particularly broad-shouldered).

The stock half-faring is a significant improvement over the little quarter Targa I had on my GS.  Though the top of the sheild appears lower than what was on the GS, wind protection for my helmet is actually better.  I have noticed significantly more heat hits my legs on the 750.

The engine has been very smooth so far though response is quite different being a digitally fuel-injected I4 as opposed to the GS' twin.

I will miss the GS' centerstand and lighter weight/feel.

In addition to increased power, comfort, and possibly handling, I will be glad to have liquid cooling, a fuelgauge, trip odo, and the "park" ignition position placed beyond "on" rather than easily confused with "lock."

What have I left out?  I'd be glad to read anyone else's opinions on this bike.

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As a side note, I had a bad experience attempting to insure the bike with Progressive:  They quoted me a significantly better figure than my current insurer Geico had managed before I purchased this model.  After purchase, when I attempted to insure with Progressive, the annual premium suddenly DOUBLED!  I stuck with Geico, for now and went with a higher deductible.  I asked the Progressive sales rep. if such a jump from the quote was a common occurrence and he said "sometimes they do jump, but it looks like someone [during your quote] entered the wrong model number."  However, if you compare rates for the Z750S and many other bikes with similarly sized engines and power, I think you'll find it's still cheaper to insure.  To avoid the above, I might suggest approaching the process of getting a quote with a rep. as if you are actually going to insure with them so you get an accurate figure, and after receiving an actual figure rather than a quote, state that you need more time to decide if you do not wish to insure with them.