The Kawasaki Z1100 name is one that’s steeped in heritage, going right back to the early 1980s, as Kawasaki was going through the first few generations of its inline-four superbikes. That class had kicked off with the 903cc Z1 in 1972, which itself went one further than the revolutionary Honda CB750, launched a few years before.
And those bikes would set the scene for the next 15 years, marrying beefy air-cooled inline-four engines with previously-unseen levels of power and torque to decent chassis setups and great styling.
Through the 1970s, the big Japanese firms battled each other in this original superbike class, with ever more power and tech, moving from 750s and 900s up to full 1000cc bikes, and then reaching their peak with the 1100cc class.
Kawasaki’s 1981 Z1100A1 made a grunty 108bhp from a DOHC eight-valve air-cooled four, with five-speed gearbox and shaft final drive. Even more interesting was the Z1100 GP variant released in 1982, which was far sportier, adding chain drive, half-fairing, and electronic fuel injection.
The 1100cc capacity class was to become hallowed ground for Kawasaki for the next few years, with the limited edition Z1100R Eddie Lawson Replica superbike appearing in 1984, alongside a heavily-uprated GPz1100 (note the lower-case ‘z’, which denotes an air-cooled engine) with Unitrak monoshock rear suspension and a claimed 120bhp from the ultimate expression of the firm’s DOHC eight-valve inline-four engine line.
By the mid-1980s though, Kawasaki, along with the other Japanese firms, had moved onto the next generation of tech in their big bikes, which meant water-cooling and 16-valve engines, with ever more power, from more compact, smaller capacity engines.
The 1100 class was usurped by the GPZ900R in 1984, a 150mph fully-faired weapon, and its later 1986 GPZ1000 RX and 1988 ZX-10 updates. But by 1990, Kawasaki was back in the 1100 stakes, with the mighty ZZ-R1100, a heavyweight sports tourer making 125bhp in the official limited-power UK tune, and 147bhp in derestricted form.
Later on, we got another air-cooled 1100, the 1992 Zephyr 1100 roadster, as well as a GPZ1100 sporty tourer in 1995 and the 1997 ZRX1100 muscle bike, both with ZZ-R1100 based engines.
By the time the 21st century came round though, there were no 1100s in the Kawasaki lineup. They’d all been replaced by bigger bikes like the 2001 ZRX1200 and ZZR1200/2006 ZZR1400, or smaller capacity machines like the 2004 ZX-10R superbike and 2003 Z1000 super-naked roadster.
Now, though, 25 years after the last 1100s went off sale, we have a new 1.1 litre Kawasaki – the 2026 Z1100. It’s just been released, to go on sale before the end of this year, and is essentially a Euro 5+ update of the old Z1000, which was discontinued a few years back.
The new cleaner engine has a slightly larger capacity, up to 1,099cc from 1,043cc thanks to a 3mm longer stroke, and a little more torque, up to 113Nm from 111Nm. But there’s less power, down from a claimed 140bhp to 134bhp. Internal mods include new camshaft profiles, valve springs and pistons while the final gear ratios have been optimised with 5th and 6th gears that are longer than previous litre class Z bikes.
There’s a heavier flywheel compared with the old Z1000 model, and Kawasaki says the new motor offers strong performance and sharp throttle response from the midrange to higher revs.
On the exhaust side, you get a new 4-2-1-into-pre-chamber-into-1 silencer arrangement, while the fuel injection is now ride-by-wire, for better emissions control, and more sophisticated rider aids. It also means cruise control and an up/down quickshifter are far easier to accommodate, and both are present and correct.
Kawasaki’s also added an IMU to the rider aids, for cornering functions on both the ABS and the traction control. Standard stuff for 2026, pretty much, but still very welcome.
Style-wise, the new 1100 owes a lot to the previous Z1000R, with the same insectoid ‘Sugomi’ styling used on the other members of the Z family, from the Z125 up through the 500, 650, 900 and H2 supercharged naked machinery. The chassis is similar to the older bike too, with the same aluminium twin-spar main frame, but the swingarm has been changed, with a conventional chain adjuster setup in place of the older bike’s eccentric adjusters.
The standard 1100 comes with Showa suspension both ends: a SFF-BP fully-adjustable 43mm USD fork and horizontal back-link suspension with preload/rebound adjustment, while the SE version has a fully-adjustable Öhlins S46 rear monoshock with remote hydraulic preload adjuster.
The SE also has Brembo discs and four-piston radial mount calipers up front, where the base bike has Kawasaki-branded monobloc radial parts, and 310mm discs.
A new 5” digital TFT colour dash features turn by turn navigation and integrated Smartphone connectivity, facilitating functions via Kawasaki’s Rideology phone app, including voice command technology.
There’s a new ergonomic package, with an updated handlebar position, now 22mm wider and 13mm further forward, for better response to rider inputs, making handling easier and lighter, says the firm.
And finally, all-up mass is the same as the old Z1000: a chunky 221kg wet, which seems a bit high for a 134bhp naked machine like this. By way of comparison, the new Honda Hornet 1000 makes 150bhp and weighs 211kg.
Both versions of the Z1100 will be available in dealers from October, with the Z1100 costing £11,099 and the Z1100 SE £12,699. More info: www.kawasaki.co.uk