New Kawasaki Z1000 coming for 2020

New documents published by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in the US confirm that Kawasaki has type-approved a new generation ‘Ninja 1000’ in the States. In UK terminology, that’s the Z1000SX sports tourer.

It means that the naked Z1000 that the bike shares its engine and chassis with is also going to get the same changes, which are aimed at meeting Euro5 emissions limits and reducing weight. The naked Z1000 isn’t sold in the USA but remains a popular model here.

The document doesn’t include pictures but confirms the engine will remain at 1043cc next year, with emissions reduced across the board. Kawasaki is changing from two catalytic converters on the current model to a single three-wat cat on the next gen bike, suggesting there are other engine changes to account for the lower emissions. Hydrocarbon output drops from 0.14g/km to 0.1g/km while the combined hydrocarbon and NOx level is halved, from 0.2g/km to 0.1g/km. Carbon monoxide levels are slashed even further – dropping from 1g/km to 0.2g/km.

While the knowledge it’s cleaner than the old bike might give buyers a warm feeling inside, they’re more likely to notice the change in weight. Although CARB documents quote a strange ‘estimated inertial mass’ (EIM) that’s intended to include the rough weight of a rider and luggage as well as the bike itself, that EIM figure is 10kg lighter on the 2020 bike, down from 350kg to 340kg. In more familiar terms, that means the next Z1000SX will weigh around 225kg ready to ride, down from the current model’s 235kg. The Z1000 is also sure to get similar weight savings, which suggest Kawasaki might have given the bikes a revised chassis.