KAWASAKI Z E-1 LAUNCH
When Bob Dylan went electric, they called him Judas. Is Kawasaki committing treason with the new Z e-1 battery bike?
It might not look like it, but the new Kawasaki Z e-1 is a bit of a revolutionary machine. Okay, it’s got less power and range than most 125cc petrol bikes, but this is the first proper battery-powered motorbike from a big Japanese firm, and it seems set to be the first of many as firms move away from internal combustion engines, for small commuting bikes at least (the upcoming hybrid Ninja 7 looks like a solution for bigger machinery).
We rode the new Z e-1 in Paris last month, and while it shows up the problems of the class, it also works well within those parameters. It has a continuous power output of around 6.5bhp, and a ‘e-Boost’ power-up mode that gives you a full 12bhp, but only for 15 seconds before it has to regenerate. Top speed is around 62mph with boost, but more like 50mph once the boost runs out… Range is claimed at 45 miles, and the power comes from a pair of roughly pizza-box-sized battery packs, which are removable and can be charged in or out of the bike.
Away from the air-cooled electric motor and battery powerpacks, the rest of the Z e-1 is much like the firm’s Z125 learner machine, with slightly higher spec running gear. The trellis frame, long swingarm and disc brakes all give solid urban performance, and it was super nimble round the Arc de Triomphe and Eifel Tower traffic jams. There’s enough power to stay ahead of traffic, especially once you work out how to get the best from the e-Boost button. It lasts 15 seconds and takes over a minute to fully regenerate (it’s actually limited to prevent overheating in the motor and batteries), but if you’re smart about using it, you can accelerate for a gap, then let it regenerate, and get back on the ‘gas’ again. Once it runs out, you’re snookered though, and stuck with the 6.5bhp output. That probably rules it out for use on dual carriageways or motorways in the UK.
The bottom line is that 125cc internal combustion engine machines, like the Kawasaki Z125, are faster, cheaper and more flexible than the Z e-1, and probably nearly as ‘green’. You’d have to be dead set on an electric bike to pick it over the petrol powered alternative. But, like Dylan with his electric guitar, this could well be the start of that revolutionary change. • The new Kawasaki e-1 is also available in fully-faired Ninja form, with the same spec, slightly higher top speed and a couple of kilos more mass for £8,299.