Kawasaki has reduced the price of the W800 in India which now retails for a price of Rs 6.99 lakh. It considerably undercuts the price of Triumph Street Twin at Rs 7.45 lakh which is its main rival.
Kawasaki had launched the W800 neo-retro motorcycle in India last year for a price of Rs 7.99 lakh. The Japanese manufacturer has now updated the price of the 2020 Kawasaki W800 on their India website to be Rs 1 lakh cheaper than before and is thus now priced at Rs 6.99 lakh. The Kawasaki W800 is a direct rival for the Triumph Bonneville Street Twin in India. The latter is however priced at Rs 7.45 lakh, which makes it more value-friendly and it also packs in more electronic equipment and extra performance as well.
Thus the Kawasaki W800 always fell short of the Street Twin, simply because it was an expensive proposition. Now however, with the price of the W800 under cutting that of the Street Twin, Kawasaki might jut might just pick up few more sales figure from this motorcycle. At this price, the W800 also competes with the Harley Davidson Street Rod. Kawasaki has however not stated any specific reason for the sudden price cut.
The Kawasaki W800 Street is a very simple and pure motorcycle underneath. It does not come with any electronic rider aids or riding modes. Its underpinned by a double-cradle frame, a 41mm conventional telescopic fork at the front and dual shock absorbers at the rear. It gets 18-inch wire-spoke aluminium wheels with 100/90-18 front and 130/80-18 rear tube-type tyres. And although it gets LED headlamps, twin-pod instrument cluster with a digital screen and dual-channel ABS, those are the only modern bits. The W800 stays true to being a retro motorcycle.
Also Read : Called the Royal Enfield Classic Combat, this Classic 500 is a Thing of Dreams!
Although the Kawasaki W800 Street comes with a big displacement 773 cc engine, it is not much high on power. The parallel-twin air-cooled SOHC motor has a long stroke configuration and a low 8.4:1 compression ratio. The engine produces 47PS at 6000rpm and 62.9Nm at 4800rpm. In terms of specs, the Kawasaki W800 Street takes on the Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 in India. Both motorcycles have equivalent power but the Kawasaki has 11Nm of more torque. It also weight a little heavier with 221kg kerb weight. Given the stats, the W800 sure wouldn’t be high on performance, but it intends to be a relaxed cruiser and we think it will do that pretty well.
Also Read : Royal Enfield Increases Price of BS6 Classic 350, Bullet 350 and Himalayan
Kawasaki launched the W800 last year as a SKD (semi-knocked down unit) and was limited in volumes. It is unclear if the 2020 models are limited in numbers as well. Still considering the simple mechanical components of the motorcycle and the kind of riding experience it has to offer, the W800 has been priced a little out of its league. Something around Rs. 5 lakhs would have been fine. The motorcycle however looks very sensational and stands out among other neo-retro motorcycles in India for its design and simplicity.
