Kawasaki W800 Street has been launched in India, to rival the Triumph Street Twin.
It seems to be raining retro classic and with the launch of the Kawasaki W800 Street, there is another model on offer now to appeal to those looking for the styling of yesteryears with the mechanicals of today. Rumoured to be launched since a few months now, Kawasaki has finally brought in the W800 but only the Street variant which is priced at Rs. 7.99 lakhs (ex-showroom).
The Kawasaki W800 is powered by a 773cc, twin-cylinder engine which employs air-cooling and is an SOHC unit, it belts out 47.5 HP of power at 6500 RPM and 62.9 Nm of torque at 4800 RPM, mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Evidently, outright performance isn’t the focus here, rather low-speed rideability and the torque rush in the mid-range.
The parallel-twin engine uses a 360 degree firing order giving it the vertical-twin feel of old classics like the ones from BSA. This bike also uses a bevel gear cam drive which was employed by Ducatis in their old bikes but was discontinued due to more heat being produced. However, Kawasaki wants to keep the retro feel intact, not just in the looks but also the feel of the motorcycle.
That is one reason (or maybe cost cutting could be) that the Kawasaki W800 has a very simple all analogue instrument cluster with a speedometer, tachometer and a low-fuel indicator, there is no fuel meter on offer. However, the motorcycle does have ABS, slipper clutch and a LED headlight, it runs on 18-inch wheels with a 320 mm disc up front and a 270 mm disc at the rear. The motorcycle uses 41 mm telescopic forks up front and twin shock ups at the rear.
Kawasaki will have to market the W800 extensively if it wants to steal any thunder from Triumph’s Bonneville classic range with the entry-level model, the Street Twin, undercutting the W800 on price as well as equipment.
Kawasaki W800 Street
– Kawasaki W800 is priced at Rs. 7.99 lakhs
– Set to rival the Triumph Street Twin
– Uses old-school features for the retro feel
– Misses out on essentials for the console
