Okay, I have to admit, this one snuck by me. I was actually going on to Kawasaki’s website to check on the 2017 line up as I had heard rumors that the up-coming Z900 would be replacing the Z800 AND the Z1000. Thankfully, the Z900 and Z1000 will coexist in the Kawasaki dealers for one year at least, and this lead me to the discovery of the Z1000R.

What is the Z1000R? Well, like many R’s in both the 2 and 4 wheeled world, the R is supposed to be the alpha of the pack. The meanest, most powerful, race oriented ass-kicking version of the bike. As everyone knows, the more “R”s you have, the more alpha you are right?

I bet you are all wondering what kind of power bump the Z1k gets? Well it doesn’t get any extra power. The 1043cc inline 4 warp drive under the tank has not had any hardware changes, still throwing 143HP through the Z’s 6 speed. But new fuel mapping means a smoother power delivery and lower emissions. The instrument panel, however, gets a gear position indicator added to it, as well as a user adjustable shift light. A metallic black/grey paint scheme with neon green accents help with recognizing the R from its lesser brethren.

So what’s actually been changed on the Z1000? For starters, (or stoppers, as it would be. I’ll see myself out) the standard 300mm petal discs and monoblock calipers that handle the duty up front have been swapped for a set of Brembo 310mm floating disks, which are now paired with Brembo’s M50 calipers. Stainless steel braided lines finish off the new and improved braking package.

Suspension wise, the Z1000’s Showa big piston forks have been given a once over, and the settings all revised to work with the center piece, an Ohlins S46DR1S rear shock. This little piece of Swedish gold offers full adjustability, with the pre-load being remotely adjustable. This necessitated a new rear linkage to go along with the shock.

The Z1000R will go on sale for $14,499 up here in Canada, a modest $1,200 bump over the base Z1000. Seeing at those brake calipers alone are close to $2k, I’ll call that a deal.

Recently, one of the biggest shifts in the bike industry has been in the adventure bike category, where 1000cc+, 600lbs machines once ruled. Now, many are looking to trade that giant adventure bike for something a little bit smaller and more nimble off the road. So, a slew of new 300cc Adventure bikes have been launched, including BMWs 310GS, Hondas updated CFR250L, and this, the all new Kawasaki Versys 300X.

An all new frame, the Versys 300 nabs the 296cc motor out of the current ninja 300 and retunes it slightly for better fuel economy and more torque. Lower compression pistons also allow the bike to run on regular gas, instead of premium. Kawasaki also added an assist-and-slipper clutch to the bike, to make the pull at the lever lighter and easier for riders (not that I have ever found the clutch on a 300 to be anything remotely heavy, but I digress) A shroud behind the radiator fan help guide the heat from rad down and away from both the rider and the 4.5 gallon gas tank, which should help with comfort.

The frame of the bike is a backbone style frame, using a uni track rear shock and 41mm Showa forks up front. Kawasaki claims they are ‘long travel’ forks, but after doing a little digging, I found out that they only have 150MM of travel, a paltry 10MM more than the ninja 300. We shall have to see how well this translates to riding off road. A 19 inch front and a 21 inch rear wheel do give it SOME off-roading cred, especially as they are spoked and not cast wheels. So there might be hope for the little Kawasaki yet.

The dashboard of the bike incorporates a large analog tachometer, digital gear indicator, speed, clock, trip/odo, your standard array of idiot lights and a fuel level gauge (why fuel level gauges were so rare on motorcycles, I will never now) tucked up neatly behind the fairing. Speaking of which, the small screen coupled with the up-right riding position, rubber foot pegs and low seat should make this a comfortable runabout for anyone interested.

As with any adventure bike that wants to be taken seriously, there will be a range of accessories offer by Kawasaki themselves, including side bags, a center stand, engine guards, hand guard shells and a taller seat.

At 370lbs, the little kawi is still on the heavy side for a true dirt machine, but better road manners and more wind protection, as well as available ABS will help move the 300X off the show room floors and into the wild.

There’s a fair bit of controversy about whether police refused to take witness statements that Rose caused the crash, or whether they’re covering up a fellow trooper’s mistake, or that Rose didn’t even try to help Damore after the crash. You can read both sides of the story and make your own conclusions about the aftermath. I had a good experience with the New Hampshire State Police this past Sunday, but I’ve had some bad law enforcement encounters too, and they’re nothing compared to what others have been through. It could be a cover-up, or witnesses may not have understood or been distraught by what they’d just seen. We really don’t know.

Instead, I want to address the established facts – that Rose pulled a U-turn in a construction zone on I-90 right in front of Damore, causing the crash that led to his death. How could Rose possibly not see Damore? We hold police officers to a higher standard than civilians, and they have more driver training than most people on the road. They drive in and out of construction zones all the time, as well as turn around on busy interstates. Since police are allowed to make such maneuvers while the rest of us are not, they should be expected to take extra care when making them. With all of that training and experience going for him, how could Rose have not seen Damore’s approaching motorcycle?

Jack Baruth wrote about his own experience of being the motorcycle that wasn’t seen, and exactly how and why this occurs. It’s a fascinating article, and one that I recommend all motorcyclists read. To summarize, the human eye isn’t all that great, especially compared to other creatures – hence the term “eagle eyed,” referring to sight far better than human. Our brains work hard to make sense of this data, rather like the computerized image enhancement of blurry photos of distant galaxies. This enhancement isn’t perfect, and in the case of the human brain it’s possible for small and/or fast moving objects to get missed by the constant scanning movement of your eyes. Unfortunately, motorcycles fit this description perfectly.

All road bikes sold in the US since 1981 have their lights wired into the ignition so that both are on at the same time. Most places also have laws requiring motorcycles to always have their lights on to make them more visible on the road. However, a single bright headlight is an even smaller spot in a wide field of vision that can get overlooked. Also, the proliferation of daytime running lights on most cars in the US and all cars in Canada dilute the effect tremendously. Because I’m not exactly young, I remember when seeing a vehicle with lights on during the day was highly unusual, and made it stand out in traffic. But now that everybody’s doing it, bikes tend to blend in.

I’ve made an interesting observation since installing my LED driving lights on my PC800. Over my years of riding, I’ve learned to anticipate when a car is about to cut me off or pull out in front of me without noticing I’m there. You know how it is – it’s a survival instinct. But after installing these lights, which I run all the time, people haven’t done this as much. There have been some that I was absolutely certain were going to cut me off, but didn’t. The driving lights are bright, but I think the main reason they make a difference is that they’re mounted a good distance away from the headlight, creating three spots of light rather than one. (There are also the amber running lights, but those aren’t really visible during the day.) They’re also a more bluish white than the yellowish halogen headlight, and the different colors may also play a role in improving my forward visibility, since it’s unusual.

But Damore’s crash was at night, so everyone had their lights on anyway, and Rose should have seen them. Was speed a factor? I’ve seen no information on Damore’s estimated speed, but based on the damage to the cruiser and my own experience with the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor (I used to own a 2003 model), I’d make an educated guess that the damage is consistent with the reduced 45-55mph speed limit I’d expect in a construction zone. The door is wrecked, but the roof and floor are intact, and the bike didn’t land in the trooper’s lap as it would have at ludicrous speed, like this.

I could be wrong. The post at RideChi, which quotes the Sun-Times article and police statement followed by a rather different witness perspective, does confirm that his license was under suspension, despite disputing the police claim that the bike wasn’t registered. They don’t suspend licenses without a reason, so maybe he was a bit wild on the street. But a suspended license was NOT an excuse that makes this crash OK. It may have been suspended due to unpaid parking tickets or taxes for all we know. And even if it was suspended for numerous traffic violations, it has nothing to do with a trooper pulling out in front of him and causing the crash that killed him.

What can be done about this problem? Motorcycles already have lights. If they got any wider, they’d be a Can-Am Spyder, or an Elio. I already see countless stickers and signs like this one all over the place. Even the worst driver knows that they shouldn’t hit a motorcycle (well, except this one). Yet the most common type of car/bike crash is where an oncoming car makes a left turn across the bike’s path. A single headlight and small size make it difficult for a driver to judge a bike’s speed and distance, if it even registers in the driver’s mind at all. A mind can be trained and retrained, as I would expect Trooper Rose’s to have been. I, and many riders I’ve talked to, notice other motorcycles on the road much more since we started riding them ourselves. But it’s a battle against the way the brain functions, and human error is always possible. Despite a few witness claims to the contrary, I’m sure that Trooper Rose had no malicious intent in making his U-turn when and where he did.

Certainly Michael Damore never expected a car to make a U-turn in front of him on the interstate, either, and rightfully so. But as riders, we should try as best we can to anticipate “the other guy” doing the craziest, stupidest thing they possibly can, so that when, someday, they do, we’re that much more prepared for it. Although Sirius Black rode the flying motorcycle in the Harry Potter stories, it was Mad Eye Moody’s philosophy that is best applied to riding: “Constant vigilance!”

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This racing motorcycle runs a fuel-injected liquid-cooled (so, modern) Harley-Davidson “Revolution X” 750cc V-twin (two cylinder) engine out of the Street 750 road bike, race-prepped by motorcycle aftermarket outfit Vance & Hines. They also developed the bike’s special racing frame.

The whole thing is finished in a sexy two-tone red/black livery that basically makes it look like a totally different bike from each side.

Harley’s Factory Team rider Davis Fisher will run the bike in the AMA Pro Vance & Hines-sponsored flat track series, with its competitive debut happening at Springfield Mile in Illinois on May 29th. The bike will be on display at the Austin, Texas X-Games on June 2nd as well.

Unfortunately Fisher will be the only person riding the XG750R, at least for the foreseeable future, as it’s a being built for competition only and not offered on sale to the public. Though I supposed you could always take your Street 750 to Vance & Hines and ask about upgrades.

Harley-Davidson’s in an interesting position as a brand. The cliché rider and style is “crusty old guy on a primitive cruiser.” The reality tends to be “rich guy on a decorated cruiser.” But HD has a deep history to draw from as they branch out to try and appeal to different riders. Which, if they have any sense, will be a priority.

I love that they’re getting back into the scrappy scene of flat-track racing, and I’m sure they’ll get some great photos out of this bike’s participation. If it gets any kind of attention, maybe they’ll start actually selling something that at least looks similar.

That said, would the XG750R get you into a Harley-Davidson shop even if you couldn’t buy one just like it?