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Kawasaki W800 Bids Farewell, Sacked by the Euro 4 Emission Standards

In case you liked the Kawasaki W800 and planned to get one soon, you'd better hurry, as the model will be sacked. Kawasaki announces that 2017 will be the final model year for the W800, which will fall short of the Euro 4 emission standards.
Kawasaki W800 Final Edition 5 photos
Photo: Kawasaki
Kawasaki W800 Final EditionKawasaki W800 Final EditionKawasaki W800 Final EditionKawasaki W800 Final Edition
So the Kawasaki W800 is yet another iconic model that will be cast into oblivion by the Euro 4 standards, alongside several Yamaha machines, among which the VMAX is probably the most notorious.

The W800 apparently was nowhere near the strogest-selling model in the range, so Kawasaki has no plans to invest in making its mill Euro 4-compliant or developing another parallel twin engine. It's simply the end of the line for yet another neo-classic model, and we should get used to the feeling, because the W800 is not going to be the last one to kick the bucket.

Retro lines will be represented only by the Vulcan cruisers, that seem to sell in sufficient numbers to warrant continuing production and engine development. In a way, we are sad to see the W800 disappear from Kawasaki's line-up, as this was one of the nicest neo-retro machines that exuded authentic vintage styling, but it looks like Kawasaki has other plans for the future.

With the development cycle of a new model taking at least three years, it's not difficult to understand that Kawasaki is betting on safer options.

Even though we guess that the retro bike fashion will not disappear completely in the foreseeable future, fairly large volumes need to be sold to make developing a new bike a profitable move. Unfortunately, nobody can guarantee an Euro 4-compliant W800 would tick the necessary boxes in the future.

On the other hand, Kawasaki appears to focus more on modern technology and motorcycles, and this is a good indicator of what house Akashi is aiming at. And we have to admit that it's the new generations of motorcycles that drive progress and technological advances, not the old-school ones.

So, be it with a tear, but we just have to bid W800 farewell. Get that W800 Final Edition while stocks last, this time it's the end for good.
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