Introduced for the 2013 model year, this naked middleweight was Kawasaki’s successor to the well-known Z750 and was aimed primarily at the European market. Kawasaki presented it at INTERMOT 2012, describing it as an all-new machine for the mid-size class with a larger engine and a more mature chassis concept than the model it replaced. In Kawasaki’s own history timeline, it appears as a 2012 release announcement for the 2013 lineup, while later parts documentation identifies the model range through 2016, confirming a single, continuous production run.
The machine sat within Kawasaki’s long-running Z family and helped define the brand’s modern streetfighter direction before later Z models adopted the same basic market role. It was positioned as a more substantial and aggressive alternative to smaller twins and entry-level nakeds, while still below the larger Z1000 in size and image. An ABS version was also offered in some markets, and the nameplate was closely associated with the European naked-bike segment where Kawasaki had built much of its Z-series identity.
Its production ended after the 2016 model year, after which Kawasaki moved on to newer middleweight Z models with different naming and platform strategies. As a result, this nameplate represents a focused, single-era chapter in Kawasaki’s Z lineage rather than a recurring badge with multiple separate revivals.