RE: PH2 ridden: Kawasaki W800

RE: PH2 ridden: Kawasaki W800

Author
Discussion

EdM

182 posts

172 months

Friday 5th October 2012
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Turn7 said:
Steve Evil said:
I think the special edition one which replaces most of the chrome with matt parts and gold wheels looks ace:

Like that !
if you're in the market for one of these Kwaka got it so right...had a '79 Bonneville T140V and loved it wholeheartedly despite terminal maintenance issues..beauty of these was that you got your thrills and spills at normal speeds on normal roads..I had most of the fast big cc jap in line fours of the day GPz's GSX's etc and whilst great bikes in their own right didn't somehow deliver the same rounded experience of the Bonnie...maybe it was the parallel twin mated to the single disc up front and 'performance' limits too easily reached on these low tech bikes that make them so lovable..am I alone..?

Numeric

1,389 posts

150 months

Saturday 6th October 2012
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Steve Evil said:
I think the special edition one which replaces most of the chrome with matt parts and gold wheels looks ace:

I wouldn't normally consider a retro bike - but this for a nice quiet pootle and possibly as a starter bike for the misses - I'm guessing they aren't too big?

BBL-Sean

336 posts

175 months

Saturday 6th October 2012
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Numeric said:
I wouldn't normally consider a retro bike - but this for a nice quiet pootle and possibly as a starter bike for the misses - I'm guessing they aren't too big?
W800 seat height: 790mm (31 inches).

mrmarcus

649 posts

178 months

Saturday 6th October 2012
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ive got a w800 and it's a great bike. Get a r1 if you want to go fast though. This is for pootling and cruise type riding. They are actually 48bhp on paper. The vibes are only between 2500-3500rpm and are not that bad really. Above/ below that is fine, you'll be doing 70mph at 3750rpm in 5th. All the torque is at the bottom about 2500rpm. 14 litre tank, reserve comes on with 3 litres left. I'm getting about 58mpg.. I've "operated" on the exhaust to "fix" the sound which now is nicer. The brakes and suspension are fine for the bike. I've ridden the t100 also but for me the w800 is the better bike.

Old Fart

420 posts

225 months

Saturday 6th October 2012
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I used to have a early W650, it was all right but nothing special. The brakes were rubbish even after fitting different pads, handling wasn't too bad but ground clearance was not brilliant. I had to replace the seat as the original was so uncomfortable.

I ran a Guzzi V7 for a while, in my humble opinion a much better bike to ride, try one and see.

Blackpuddin

16,378 posts

204 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
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Are there any rorty pipe options for the 650?

Turn7

23,478 posts

220 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
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Theres this as well:



Which I really like as well. I must be getting old.

AV12

5,302 posts

207 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
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"wot" in the title? Shocking.

Nice bike though.

diluculophile

130 posts

250 months

Sunday 7th October 2012
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"Parallel twins: were they ever any good?"

Yamaha XS650.

I'd have one over the Kawasaki, but they're getting hard to find/expensive.

V8 FOU

2,970 posts

146 months

Monday 8th October 2012
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John.
I reckon the old chap should get one of those electric start conversions for the Velo
Much better from his point of view!

Blackpuddin

16,378 posts

204 months

Tuesday 9th October 2012
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Turn7 said:
Theres this as well:



Which I really like as well. I must be getting old.
Reminds me of the old Yamaha Midnight Specials (XS650 and 1100 as I recall?).

Chicken Chaser

7,736 posts

223 months

Tuesday 9th October 2012
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Steve Evil said:
I think the special edition one which replaces most of the chrome with matt parts and gold wheels looks ace:

That is bloody lovely.

I've actually considered buying something like this when I sell the KTM. Completely different bike, and different experience.

3DP

9,912 posts

233 months

Tuesday 9th October 2012
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Very nice - people forget the Jap bikes go back many years now - retro is not limited to shonky old Brit bikes.

A factory cafe racer from them using the special edition black one as a base would be ace!

K2MDL

2,673 posts

218 months

Tuesday 9th October 2012
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I had the previous version and to be honest it was too heavy and too slow.

The new version looks fantastic - if I was still "into" bikes I'd be down a Kawasaki dealer this instant.. blah

Tel

38 posts

137 months

Tuesday 9th October 2012
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Hi,

My first rambling…

Good review. Whilst the W800 looks nice, you might like to consider the fact that they can't get shot of them out of the showrooms, why?
…The W650's flew and are going up in price/demand.

Just my observations…

I was after a bike with a nice easy riding position, no broken back or wrists, and the ability to either sit up and toodle, or give it a 'squirt' around the twisties we have around the South coast.

Looking at the new Bonnies; The whole triumph range was a real disappointment; the finish and grade of metal was poor and would have surely turned to dust at the mere hint coastal air!

Stumbled over an add for a W650 and bought it. Really smashing ride…BUT it has it's weaknesses:
OEM Tyres – The same as used on Asda shopping trolleys, I.e. They go where they want rather than where you point it!
Sound – As in the report…there is none. You could hear a butterfly fart above it! (Darn EU!)
Brakes – They are adequate for the original setup (STC as soon as you start playing with the carbs/exhausts)
Fueling – Flatspots everywhere, flatter than the Bonnevile salt flats. Bigger mains, different profile needles

And the list goes on…just some of the reasons I feel committed to spending most of my spare time making this little beauty better!
Although this is no racer by any stretch of the imagination, with mild mods they can give a spirited ride.

So what on earth does this have to do with the W800 I hear you ask?
Well, so bitten by the W650, the 800 was the next thing to get my sticky mitts on and start playing with….unfortunatly though when up close and personal;
The finish and general fit and quality of the material is nowhere as good as the earlier 'dubyas', guess that'l be recession hit Japan then?
The direct injection system instead of carbs looks hideous. Will it change it's fuel metering if you play with the breathing and exhaust to make it sound nice?
Looks too modern IMO.

That said, I have to agree that the L.E is pretty on paper, and in the flesh looks nice, satin black everywhere, but for me, chrome, ally and black looks right, black plastic and gold anodised wheels is too modern to make it convert to an old looker…or is it?

I could go on, but I'm sure that most of you will not share my passion for these little beauties and would have fallen asleep by the end of this posting!

I stick a spoonful or two of Castrol R in the tank and end up with a whole fleet of bikers stuck to my rear end getting afix of that wondeful smell!
Rearsets, reverse megas, ace bars, 7R racing seat, bigger mains/needles....etc
Here's a picture of it..no there isn't...the beta upload thingie will not work with a 75KB image!

ZesPak

24,416 posts

195 months

Tuesday 9th October 2012
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So, I'm not really up-to-speed on these bikes, is this comparable to the Honda VT750?

Chicken Chaser

7,736 posts

223 months

Tuesday 9th October 2012
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So Tel, do you still have the W650? They can be had fairly cheaply, and the money saved could easily go on mods. Whats the top speed of these things? I dont know why I ask as its probably something 95% of its owners never consider.

I'm starting to really think I could buy one of these next, something to completely change my outlook on bikes. I think the Street Triple tried it, but i'm not sure I got it with that. I still wanted to point, squirt and go as fast around the corner as I could with it. After all, it was just a Daytona without fairing.


aeropilot

34,173 posts

226 months

Tuesday 9th October 2012
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For impressive W800 antics, check out the W800 Gentlemans Cup, over in Switzerland.

Kawasaki sponsored flat-tracker style W800's competing on mixed tarmac/loose short circuits (a bit like a motorcycle version of Rallycross).


ZesPak

24,416 posts

195 months

Wednesday 10th October 2012
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aeropilot said:
For impressive W800 antics, check out the W800 Gentlemans Cup, over in Switzerland.

Kawasaki sponsored flat-tracker style W800's competing on mixed tarmac/loose short circuits (a bit like a motorcycle version of Rallycross).

eek does speak volumes about the built quality if they're sponsering events like that imho.

gbbird

5,186 posts

243 months

Sunday 14th October 2012
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Chicken Chaser said:
Steve Evil said:
I think the special edition one which replaces most of the chrome with matt parts and gold wheels looks ace:

That is bloody lovely.

I've actually considered buying something like this when I sell the KTM. Completely different bike, and different experience.
That looks lovely. I think i may have just found my first proper bike smile