2026 Kawasaki Z1100 Confirmed in CARB Filings
Good things come to those who wait
Last August, we broke the news that Kawasaki was updating its Versys 1000 to a Versys 1100, and speculated that a Ninja 1100 and Z1100 would follow. Sure enough, the Versys 1100 and Ninja 1100SX were announced last fall, and the Z1100… didn’t happen. Instead, Kawasaki updated its Z900, tweaking its styling and adding an electronic throttle and six-axis Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). Welcome updates for sure, but not the Z1100 fans of the liter-class naked bikes were hoping for.
It turns out we just needed to be a bit more patient, as we can now confirm that a Kawasaki Z1100 is coming for the 2026 model year.
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The confirmation comes to us via a newly released executive order from the California Air Resources Board certifying the models using Kawasaki’s 1,099cc Inline-Four engine. Along with the Ninja 1100SX, Ninja 1100SX SE and Versys 1100 SE, the executive order listed a brand new ZR1100HT model code.
Typically, when Kawasaki Motor submits certification data to CARB or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it lists the commercial name of its products that are carried over from previous model years but lists model codes for brand new, or updated models. The “T” in this case stands for the 2025 model year, as per industry standards, but the ZR1100H designation is new. We know from Kawasaki’s usual nomenclature that ZR codes are reserved for naked Z models, so barring a break from standard practice, the new model code is for a new Z1100.
The CARB certification doesn’t tell us much else, except that it shares the same 1,099cc Inline-Four engine as the Versys and Ninja 1100 models. On the Versys 1100, the engine claims an output of 133 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 82.5 lb-ft of torque at 7,600 rpm, while the Ninja claims about 134 hp and 83.2 lb-ft. We suspect the Z1100 will swing closer to the Ninja than the Versys with its performance figures.
If there was one criticism leveled against the Ninja and Versys 1100 models, it’s that Kawasaki didn’t change much else beyond the engine displacement. That won’t be an issue here, as the Z1100 will be a brand new addition to Kawasaki’s Z range. The last naturally-aspirated naked Kawasaki displacing more than 1,000cc was the 2021 Z1000. For an 1100, you’d have to go back even further back to the Zephyr 1100 and ZRX1100.
Despite the addition of a Z1100, CARB certifications confirm the Z900 will return for 2026. That’s not entirely a surprise, considering it did receive some updates for 2025. What is interesting is that the executive order for the Z900 and Z900 SE also includes three new model codes in the ZR902AT, ZR902BT, and ZR902ET.
The three retro-styled RS variants meanwhile were not listed in any of the executive orders released thus far, leading us to suspect the three model codes are for the 2026 Z900RS, Z900RS SE, and Z900RS Cafe. We expect these three variants to receive the IMU and electronic throttle that the regular Z900 received for 2025.
The CARB executive orders don’t tell us when we might expect to see any of these 2026 models announced. We had to wait until the fall for Kawasaki to confirm the Versys 1100 and Ninja 1100SX, and would not be surprised to see a similar timeline for the Z1100 and update Z900RS models.
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Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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You can’t even fart in California! 🤣
Thank you, was this from trusted source?