UPDATE: Full Review now available on Motorcycle.com

Almost forgotten among a group of new high-profile sportbikes is the new Kawasaki Z1000. After having ridden it yesterday in the twists and hills of the Central California coast, I’m here to tell you that this is a real-world sportbike to be reckoned with.

Forget the old Z1000. It didn’t handle well, its suspension was unbalanced, and its motor – while potent – gave forth too much vibration. These issues are non-existent with the latest Z, which is one of the most entertaining streetable sportbikes we’ve ridden.

Pete gave us an advanced look at the latest Z in an article you should check out here, and I’ll provide a thorough ride report on Monday. But for now, just know that there may not be a better way to spend $10,499 on a sporting motorcycle.

News of the 2010 Kawasaki Z1000 is, in the ‘Net age, kind of old news already. Yet we’ve not even seen it close up and I’m now more eager than ever to ride this nutter!

During the U.S. intro of the new Concours 14 I had a little chitchat about the ’10 Z with some of my buddies at Kawi. Although I don’t think they’ve seen the attached Euro market video, from what little they told me about the bike’s performance, the opening minutes of this video seem to corroborate what the Kawi staff here said after they rode the bike.

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