Kawasaki W800 India Launch Canceled

Last year, the Kawasaki W800 was spotted at a Pune dealership which gave rise to rumours that the Japanese bikemaker will be launching it in India soon. When we contacted Kawasaki officials regarding the W800, we were told that one unit of the bike was brought down to get customer feedback and if the responses were positive they might launch the W800 in our two-wheeler space. Sadly for the Kawasaki W800, its retro styling failed to please the Indian buyers and according to our sources the Japanese bikemaker has dropped its plans to launch the bike in India. 

With its classic lines harking back to the W-series bikes of the 1970’s the W800 is a beautiful motorcycle. Staying true to the old-school design language, the W800 comes with a round headlamp unit, twin-pod meters, chrome mudguards and highlights. It has spoked wheels and a pair of peashooter exhausts. While it looks old-school from the outside, the Kawasaki motorcycle is powered by a modern 773cc air-cooled vertical twin mill with fuel-injection that develops 48PS of power and 60Nm of peak torque. The motor is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Talking about cycle parts, the motorcycle features telescopic forks and twin dampers at the back. Braking duties are handled by a 300mm disc brake at the front and a drum brake unit at the back, which was a hot topic of debate among India bikers. Well, the debate has to end as the W800 will not be heading to our shores. Not to mention, the task on its hand was always a difficult one as it was competing against the likes of the Triumph Street Twin and the Harley-Davidson Street 750.