Photo: Kawasaki
We’ve gotten really close with the 2015 Kawasaki W800 Black Edition last November at EICMA 2014, and now we can bring you more info on this sizzling hot bike as the European branch of the house of Akashi surfaced more data. If bikes with retro looks packing modern technology are your thing, grab your leather jacket, goggles and white scarf and head over to the nearest Kawasaki dealer.
The W800 is the descendant of a successful series which represented one of the landmarks in Kawasaki’s history. The first W bikes made appearance in 1965 and multiple versions have been delivered until 1974, when the model was sidelined. However, since these machines were still in the hearts of so many riders, Kawasaki decided to revive the W series, and 1999 saw the emergence of the new W650 bike, superseded in 2007 by the W800. Eight years later, the bike is doing well and gathering even more adepts.
The 2015 Kawasaki W800 Black Edition pays tribute to the elegant bikes of yore, for which an all-black livery was the only way a gentleman would dress. The new model year sports a most sober combination of matte and gloss black, with sparingly used chrome. In fact, it’s easier to count the chromed/shiny parts than the black ones, as the list only includes the headlight bezel and turn signal casings, collector nuts, the ends of the rear shocks, the mirrors and some of the cooling fins on the engine.
Akashi went for black anodized rims, and left the steel wire spokes intact as a neat accent. The exhaust pipes and silencers are also finished in a ceramic black trim which is as mean as it gets, even though might argue that the black peashooters are a no-no.
The 60 Nm (44.2 lb-ft) @ 2,500 rpm fuel injected engine is mated to a 5-speed transmission via a wet multi-plate clutch and this means a wide spread power deployment diagram which makes the W800 fun in almost any scenario. The braking department could definitely be improved a bit as it uses a single 300mm front rotor complemented by a 160mm drum in the rear. You’re most likely going to ride this bike for the sheer pleasure and not aggressively, so the current setup might just do.
Weight is also on the retro side, as the curb value indicated by thw spec sheet is 217 kg (479 lb). Anyway, with room for two and upgradeable with saddlebags, the Kawasaki W800 Black Edition can definitely be a stylish urban bike, as it can also be the travel machine of choice. In Europe most markets will see the 2015 Kawasaki W800 Black Edition for around €8,590 ($9,700), €300 ($340) more than the base version.
Modern technology carefully hidden under retro looks
We loved the W650 but we love the W800 even more. Not only because of the bigger engine, but because Kawasaki seems to be able to continuously refine the attire of this bike and come up with enthralling liveries season after season. It’s hard to tell which of the W800s made to date is the best-looking, but this Black Edition is definitely one of them.The 2015 Kawasaki W800 Black Edition pays tribute to the elegant bikes of yore, for which an all-black livery was the only way a gentleman would dress. The new model year sports a most sober combination of matte and gloss black, with sparingly used chrome. In fact, it’s easier to count the chromed/shiny parts than the black ones, as the list only includes the headlight bezel and turn signal casings, collector nuts, the ends of the rear shocks, the mirrors and some of the cooling fins on the engine.
Akashi went for black anodized rims, and left the steel wire spokes intact as a neat accent. The exhaust pipes and silencers are also finished in a ceramic black trim which is as mean as it gets, even though might argue that the black peashooters are a no-no.
An A2-compliant retro machine
On the engine side, the good thing is that the 2015 Kawasaki W800 Black Edition can be ridden with an A2 license in Europe. The official Akashi papers indicate a 48 ps max power from the 773cc parallel-twin engine. Online conversion indicates that 35kW are exactly 48 ps, even if translating this figure into hp we get 47.3 which, technically puts the W800 outside the A2 license limits, as we showed in this cool guide on motorcycle licensing.The 60 Nm (44.2 lb-ft) @ 2,500 rpm fuel injected engine is mated to a 5-speed transmission via a wet multi-plate clutch and this means a wide spread power deployment diagram which makes the W800 fun in almost any scenario. The braking department could definitely be improved a bit as it uses a single 300mm front rotor complemented by a 160mm drum in the rear. You’re most likely going to ride this bike for the sheer pleasure and not aggressively, so the current setup might just do.
Weight is also on the retro side, as the curb value indicated by thw spec sheet is 217 kg (479 lb). Anyway, with room for two and upgradeable with saddlebags, the Kawasaki W800 Black Edition can definitely be a stylish urban bike, as it can also be the travel machine of choice. In Europe most markets will see the 2015 Kawasaki W800 Black Edition for around €8,590 ($9,700), €300 ($340) more than the base version.
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