KAWASAKI’S W800 is one of those bikes that really should be higher-profile than it is.
Triumph’s Bonneville is an endless sales success and recently we’ve seen retro models coming to the fore again with the likes of Ducati’s Scrambler, so there’s clearly an appetite for machines that hark back to the old days. But sales figures suggest that not too many people are considering the Kawasaki option despite it’s sub-£7k price tag and convincing retro looks.
This is the latest take on the bike, a Japan-only limited edition version that’s set to go on sale over there in April. It’s marked out by its black engine casing and forks, plus gold wheels instead of chrome and metallic beige paint. It looks better than it sounds on paper.
While the W800 isn’t finding many buyers here, the fact that the firm is making 300 of these limited models for the Japanese market, in addition to the bike’s standard colour options, shows how much bigger a success it is over there. Are British buyers missing a trick by not considering it?
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