2019 Kawasaki W800 Cafe and W800 Street are expected to launch in India soon, carrying an impressive price range of INR 5-7 lakh (ex-showroom). The retro-modern machines are available with a parallel-twin engine, carrying 773cc displacement and 47 HP of maximum power. The engine is based on the version seen two years back, which was discontinued due to change in emission norms, with Kawasaki explaining how 90% of parts used here within the engine are new and improved. They worked hard on the frame and brought LED lights and a rear disc brake for the first time. The cafe version comes with minimal fairing around the headlight, a single seat with rear fixed panels and clip-on handlebar.
The huge 62.9 Nm of torque figure will bring relaxed riding back into existence. Kawasaki W800 Street comes with a standard handlebar, a comfortable ribbed seat for two and standard round headlight. The console stays purely retro-focused, with the left pod getting the analogue speedometer and digital odometer while right coming with a beautiful tachometer and other lights. The front and rear brakes are available with ABS while tires were kept standard for both the models. The front suspension is telescopic whereas rear gets dual springs. Keeping the legacy alive, Kawasaki is using orange indicators on the W800.
This is what Kawasaki has to say about the 2019 W800 twins: Having little in common with previous iterations, the newly born Euro4 compliant twins are “90% new” with a whole host of styling, technical and practical changes, many of which are, at first, hard to detect. Sharing a completely new chassis, each machine has powerful new brakes – including a rear disc for the first time on a W – as well as ABS and, in another nod to contemporary riding, LED lighting.
Celebrating the fact that “original never goes out of style” both the stripped for action 773 cm3 bevel driven camshaft W800 Street and W800 CAFE can trace their roots back over half a century to the original 1966 W1 650; at the time the largest capacity four-stroke machine manufactured in Japan.
Fully A2 licence compliant and with a targeted maximum power of 35kW*, the authenticity, classic style and seductive good looks of the new W800 Street and W800 CAFE are sure to attract new riders… as well as tempting existing licence holders who appreciate classic style and carefully considered the simplicity of form and function.
