Team-BHP > Motorbikes


Reply
  Search this Thread
88,658 views
Old 10th September 2022, 08:47   #31
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pune
Posts: 1,799
Thanked: 2,570 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

Seriously Kawasaki? Who is going to buy a bike that looks like HF Dawn and will probably deliver a ride just as anaemic? That too for 1.5lakhs ex!
Attached Thumbnails
Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh-img5475.jpg  

Nilesh5417 is offline   (18) Thanks
Old 10th September 2022, 09:57   #32
BHPian
 
amvj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 698
Thanked: 2,414 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nilesh5417 View Post
Seriously Kawasaki? Who is going to buy a bike that looks like HF Dawn and will probably deliver a ride just as anaemic? That too for 1.5lakhs ex!
The Dawn looks better proportioned than W175.
amvj is offline   (11) Thanks
Old 10th September 2022, 16:31   #33
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: KA-xx
Posts: 511
Thanked: 1,551 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

Nice to see Kawasaki getting into smaller capacity releases here. But not sure who'd want to buy this though.

VV On the other hand, if they were to bring this, it would be getting a lot of attention. VV
Attached Thumbnails
Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh-11.jpg  

drt_rdr is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 10th September 2022, 21:57   #34
BHPian
 
Black_Star's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Siliguri
Posts: 259
Thanked: 1,022 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

Quote:
Originally Posted by drt_rdr View Post
Nice to see Kawasaki getting into smaller capacity releases here. But not sure who'd want to buy this though.

VV On the other hand, if they were to bring this, it would be getting a lot of attention. VV
Not the kind of attention they want though. People will just say that it's more of a Honda Navi on Steroids.
Black_Star is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 11th September 2022, 22:41   #35
BHPian
 
dj_666's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 39
Thanked: 89 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

The cat is out of the bag
Attached Thumbnails
Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh-google-search.png  

dj_666 is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 12th September 2022, 01:59   #36
BHPian
 
PraNeel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Jaipur
Posts: 669
Thanked: 1,993 Times

Really Kawasaki? A rear drum brake, 13 bhp output from a 175cc motor, priced at 1.5 lakhs? Even if priced lower the bike looks like a CT100 (older version with round headlamp) with disc brake.
Gotta hand out to Indian companies like Hero, TVS, Bajaj etc who are giving us so much in 1.5 lakhs.
D.O.A. in my view even if priced at 1 lakhs.

Just have a look at the bike on their Philippines site: https://kawasakileisurebikes.ph/moto...e-models/w175/
The features section on the page is quite interesting, they mention 4 features:
w Heritage, Engine with a presence, classic analogue styled speedometer and relaxed riding position. As rightly said earlier on this thread this a is a joke taken too far!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nilesh5417 View Post
Seriously Kawasaki? Who is going to buy a bike that looks like HF Dawn and will probably deliver a ride just as anaemic? That too for 1.5lakhs ex!
HF Dawn is no more on sale. Hero's base model is HF100 now and looks way better to me than this horrible attempt from Kawasaki.
And guess the price it is 53,000 only ex-showroom.

Name:  HF100.jpg
Views: 924
Size:  47.7 KB

Last edited by Aditya : 12th September 2022 at 07:54. Reason: Back to back posts merged
PraNeel is offline   (4) Thanks
Old 12th September 2022, 08:21   #37
Senior - BHPian
 
Viju's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Yokohama, Japan
Posts: 1,066
Thanked: 2,584 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

There is a fine line differentiating 'retro' and 'outdated'. Unfortunately, Kawasaki seems to have missed the plot completely with this one.

It looks like an amalgamation of older Kawasaki-Bajaj products such as the Boxer and Caliber. The muffler looks like a cheap after-market end-can from 20 years ago when some 'people' used to strap it on everything from CD100 to Pulsars to get the 'Bullet thump'.

Kawasaki has been attempting to localize the W175 in India for at least 5 years now. This will be a strictly built-to-cost product with zero appeal to the enthusiast biker.

The plastic fenders, metal rear grab bar, powder-coated everything (we didn't have money left for chrome!), loaf-of-bread shaped seat - all screams one thing - cheap! This could be a replacement for the old Rajdoot 175 in the rural areas if it's rugged, fuel-efficient and priced at 60,000/-.

But then, who in the hinterlands has heard of 'Kawasaki' I wonder!
Viju is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 12th September 2022, 10:01   #38
BHPian
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 408
Thanked: 1,966 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

Ha Ha ! This would be funny if it wasnt so tragic !

Some angles remind me of the Suzuki Samurai from the 90s.

Looks like Kawasaki is taking lessons from Honda Cars India on how to take a brand down market.

Why would Kawasaki even want to enter to the sub-200 cc market is beyond me.

Atleast has piqued my interest to go take a test ride, when it comes to showrooms.
Redline6800 is online now   (1) Thanks
Old 12th September 2022, 10:55   #39
Senior - BHPian
 
TusharK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Pune
Posts: 6,176
Thanked: 54,999 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

Kawasaki W175 brochure leaks ahead of launch

Kawasaki is gearing up to launch the retro-styled W175 bike in India. According to media reports, prices could be announced on September 25, 2022.

Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh-kawasakiw175brochurespecsindialaunchleakprice.jpg

However, ahead of its launch, details of the India-spec Kawasaki W175 are already out thanks to a leaked brochure. It reveals that the bike will be offered in two colour options: Ebony and Special Edition Red.

The Kawasaki W175 is based on a double cradle steel frame. It measures 2,006 mm in length, 802 mm in width, 1,052 mm in height and its wheelbase is 1,320 mm

The W175 is powered by a 177cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that produces 12.8 BHP @ 7,500 rpm and 13.2 Nm @ 6,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Braking is handled by a 270 mm petal-style disc at the front and a 110 mm drum at the rear.

Source: Rushlane

Link to Team-BHP News

Last edited by TusharK : 12th September 2022 at 10:56.
TusharK is online now   (1) Thanks
Old 12th September 2022, 11:55   #40
Team-BHP Support
 
CrAzY dRiVeR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Bangalore / TVM
Posts: 17,126
Thanked: 73,295 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

The only figure that stands out is the kerb weight - at just 135kgs.

Kawasaki seems to totally misread the market here if they plan to position this as a premium retro motorcycle.
CrAzY dRiVeR is offline   (7) Thanks
Old 12th September 2022, 12:34   #41
BHPian
 
Singh101's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Ahmedabad
Posts: 103
Thanked: 1,123 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

Quote:
Originally Posted by TusharK View Post
Kawasaki W175 brochure leaks ahead of launch

The W175 is powered by a 177cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that produces 12.8 BHP @ 7,500 rpm and 13.2 Nm @ 6,000 rpm. The engine is mated to a 5-speed gearbox. Braking is handled by a 270 mm petal-style disc at the front and a 110 mm drum at the rear.
Huh. The engine looks quite relaxed. Maybe too relaxed. Wildly underpowered for enthusiasts, IMO.

The styling too is..iffy, at best. I don't see it being too appealing with way prettier options like the Royal Enfield Hunter 350, Honda CB350 and Jawa line-up in the vicinity.

Anything over 1.3-1.4L ex-showroom and it's DoA. It'll be too expensive for someone wanting a commuter and the specs let it down for anyone over that line.

Also, drum brakes? Really, Kawasaki?

Last edited by Singh101 : 12th September 2022 at 12:36.
Singh101 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 12th September 2022, 17:40   #42
BHPian
 
Samarth 619's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: Ajmer
Posts: 229
Thanked: 675 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

A lot with this launch depends on price. Kawasaki Caliber is still known for its reliability in certain circles so brand is not going to be a problem.

In fact, if anything, bikes like these will let Kawasaki break away from Bajaj easily, as they try to find their own identity.
I would advise forum members to think long term, and not just limited to this bike, which by the way, we don't know much about. Maybe it will turn out to be the next torquey bull, that also generates reasonable fuel mileage? What if it gives 65 kmpl?

A motorcycle product range is like a pyramid. Without flagships, you don't have the shining top blocks, and without a commuter range, you don't have the base blocks.
Harley Davidson, Ducati, MV, many failed to sustain an impact in big and small cities, because their bottom range was missing. Which means missing business model for dealers.

However, if I was an advisor to Kawasaki, I'd advise them to bring commuter bikes under a different brand name to maintain high value for Sbk level owners. Service different segments in same service center with partitions. But they must sell commuters!

Its a known fact that it is far easier to launch and service flagship motorcycles when you have a working base of 100cc's and commuters ready and up. Sorry to say, but Yamaha, Suzuki & Honda have pretty much been a disappointment here, a couple of outageously priced CBU's and some overpriced Royal Enfield or KTM 250/390 wannabees is not ground breaking for premium segment.
But I really think Kawasaki can have a great future here. Provided the market supports them. Remember, their liter class is the cheapest here (I hope it still is?). Their 636cc offering is the only one in the market for the segment.

Last edited by Samarth 619 : 12th September 2022 at 17:48.
Samarth 619 is offline   (6) Thanks
Old 13th September 2022, 18:16   #43
BHPian
 
Samegoodkid's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2022
Location: Pune
Posts: 64
Thanked: 141 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

As always, pricing will be key. The power output suggests primary competitions should be the 125-150 cc bikes and hope the pricing also reflects that.
Samegoodkid is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 13th September 2022, 22:24   #44
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Location: KA-21
Posts: 585
Thanked: 3,268 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

The bike looks like a moped on steroids. Excuse me, I'am not finding a better word to describe this machine. No matter the pricing, I would be mighty surprised if the bike manages to garner decent market interest.
Emvi is offline  
Old 13th September 2022, 23:10   #45
BHPian
 
bravo82in's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Pan India
Posts: 534
Thanked: 1,013 Times
re: Kawasaki W175 coming to India. EDIT: Launched at Rs. 1.47 lakh

This reminds me of the Bajaj Caliber and it was a hit thanks to it’s TVC. It’s too early to write off this bike, but the market have evolved these days. A retro bike with commuter looks will be a miss unless priced right or loaded to the tooth with features.
bravo82in is online now   (1) Thanks
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks