[windiesel]

I think this bike will have stiff competition from the Kawasaki Vulcan.......for being the least selling K bike!

[fnftech]

i really don't understand, what missing features in a two wheeler of this category are we talking about here ? i mean seriously is it a rear disk brake or an odd blue tooth connectivity ? with what i understand kawasaki would be targeting sub 1L price here.

[NTab]

Originally Posted by Nilesh5417

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!

Now I cannot unsee it
It looks exactly the same.

[RD150]

Honda Unicorn with similar specs is available for 1.3 lacs on road. It also gets alloys which are missing on the W175. If Kawasaki is aiming commuter segment they better price it aggressively. 1.5 lac ex showroom will be DOA.

[saitvsk23]

I feel that this engine is a direct descendant of the erstwhile Eliminator 175 sold in our country. It is strikingly identical to the Eliminator's engine. Maybe because of Euro regulations the engine might've seen a few changes here and there, but at this point of time, its ancient tech. Kya 1.5L, if I were buying it, i wouldn't even bother going near it. If i wanted retro looks that bad and an age old engine, I would take the CT100 and call it a day. People are quite happy with that little bike.

[bf1983]

Originally Posted by fnftech

i really don't understand, what missing features in a two wheeler of this category are we talking about here ? i mean seriously is it a rear disk brake or an odd blue tooth connectivity ? with what i understand kawasaki would be targeting sub 1L price here.

Kawasaki will be pricing it around 1.5l ex showroom. The main issue is that the bike looks just cheap. Not sure why they decided to launch this bike in India. They should have focused on upgrading their long in the tooth Ninja 300 instead of this bike.

The bike's engine is underpowered but the main issue is that it just doesn't look good. Rather than retro it just looks old and outdated

[Torino]

It's clear that Kawasaki isn't planning to sell the W175 in big numbers. With just 97 dealers in India compared to Royal Enfield's 700+ dealers, Kawasaki knows it'll be a aftersales disaster if they end up selling the W175 in large numbers. With retro looks & simple mechanicals offering bullet proof reliability, Kawasaki will add a slight premium pricing to keep mass market buyers away. I guess Kawasaki is targeting middle aged returning motorcyclists & midlife crisis needs who appreciate brand value, comfort, simple & reliable engineering.

On the other hand the W175 has quite a following in the South East Asian markets and also popular in the already popular South East Asian modification scene. Expect all sorts of aftermarket bolt on kits and accessories following the launch of the motorcycle.







The above pictures are taken from the internet. Credit to respective owners.

[Mafia]

Originally Posted by Torino

It's clear that Kawasaki isn't planning to sell the W175 in big numbers.

Wow!

Looking at these pictures, I feel the pricing of the bike will be at a premium for the performance it offers. IMO, it will be an instant dud due to the performance numbers.

[Samarth 619]

Originally Posted by Torino

It's clear that Kawasaki isn't planning to sell the W175 in big numbers. With just 97 dealers in India compared to Royal Enfield's 700+ dealers, Kawasaki knows it'll be a aftersales disaster if they end up selling the W175 in large numbers.

I somewhat disagree.
Kawasaki as such are not expected to be burdened with a lot of bikes compared to RE, considering how RE has been selling bikes since almost ages now, and Royal Enfield's general reliability compared to Kawasaki's top quality.
Plus, lesser dealers automatically mean lesser sales, and lesser burden. So, I expect good sales as per India Kawasaki's standard, just not RE level or Hero/ Bajaj level.

With retro looks & simple mechanicals offering bullet proof reliability, Kawasaki will add a slight premium pricing to keep mass market buyers away. I guess Kawasaki is targeting middle aged returning motorcyclists & midlife crisis needs who appreciate brand value, comfort, simple & reliable engineering.
On the other hand the W175 has quite a following in the South East Asian markets and also popular in the already popular South East Asian modification scene. Expect all sorts of aftermarket bolt on kits and accessories following the launch of the motorcycle.

Slight premium is expected given that its a Kawasaki. If they add too much of a premium, it will make it a DoA. Mass Market, let's be honest is exactly what Kawasaki needs right now.
Can you sustain a dealers' network and sales with just high performance motorcycles in India?

I hope the rest what you said happens, but if I'm not wrong, accessories and bolt on kits from the same brand are also homologated with the bike, and it may turn out expensive.

[aargee]

Dear Kawasaki, we bought Interceptor 650 for the additional cylinder of ~325cc with 270 degree firing interval not because it had the spoke wheels, headlamps, analogue speedometer, ergonomic (or not) and the retro styling.

Ofcourse, when it breaks down, we've ASC pan India, not just at state capitals!!

[Venkatesh]

Kawasaki has launched the W175 in India at Rs. 1.47 lakh for the Standard version (available in black) and the Rs. 1.49 lakh Special Edition (available in red).

- 177cc single-cylinder air-cooled engine
- 13hp, 13.3Nm
- 5–speed gearbox
- Semi-digital instrument cluster
- Front disc, rear drum brake | Single-channel ABS
- 17-inch spoked wheels



Link

[amvj]

I feel this bike is an insult to the biking community. This looks out of date even when compared to bikes launched 20 years ago. The engine casing is not embossed, rear foot rest, tail light, grab handle and the whole bike is seriously looking sad. How come Kawasaki designed it so wrong. For similar money one can buy Meteor or slightly weird looking Ronin that has a better finish than this contraption.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gvcMEfOlZQ

Of course, Kawasaki is not forcing anyone to buy this, but I think they could have designed and price it better. The market has moved on. Even if they think this bike is for those want to customize, the pricing is way off.

This bike gives the same Honda Navi vibe which is another ridiculous looking vehicle. Hope people vote with their wallets on this not so wise decision from Kawasaki.

I think even the cheapest Bajaj looks slightly better than this.

[drt_rdr]

I don't think this bike is that bad. I mean, even though a cursory look would give a lacklustre impression, I think this holds some promise.

Let's try to break the bike down a bit. It's got similar specs as my 12-year-old Suzuki 150 or almost any air cooled 150 from 10-15 years ago.

> Makes around the same power... BUT from a 177 cc motor. It does have a decent displacement advantage. It could be faster, easier to ride. We'll have to wait for detailed ride reports to see what it's like in the real world.

> 30mm diameter thin fork legs. That's a bit sad looking in the face of the current 150ccs all sporting ~40mm forks, and the likes of the Ronin featuring USDs for the same price. Then again, I don't have any real complaints with the thin forks on both my 150s, and these forks do go well with the retro image of the W175.

> Twin rear shocks, though this is neither good nor bad. I certainly have no complaints with them on my Suzuki. And for a bike trying to be retro, twin shockers fit the description well.

> Thin tyres. 80mm wide front, and 100mm wide rear tyres are a bit disappointing. Looks anaemic. Atleast 110mm wide tyres at the rear would've been nicer. Then again, the advantage of thin tyres is, my Suzuki with 90F and 100R is agile like a squirrel, even while sporting 18 inch wheels. So, I'd expect the W to be a squirrel on drugs.

> Wire spoke wheels. Punctures are a pain with tubed tyres. But this is the price one must pay for going proper retro and not neo retro.

> Drum brake at the rear. Why in 2022 would they not just put a disc? Then again, it's a light bike, unlike the Hunter Retro. At 135 kgs, the W can easily get away with drum brakes.

> 135 kg wet weight+1320 mm wheelbase. This is the talking point of the bike. I wager it'll be easy-peasy to live with, and quite the agile handler. I believe this would sway many a retro seeker who can't\don't want to live with the weight of REs.

> Halogen bulb headlight. Sigh. Again, par for the course for a retro. But atleast, it's apparently a 60 watt bulb.

> Outdated instrument cluster. No tacho. Another sore point about retro designs. Bah. But it is what it is.

All in all, a cheap Kawasaki, but appears competent enough alongside my Suzuki. And this cheap Kawasaki still appears to be better than the cheap RE in my books.

I mean, the Hunter Retro competes in price, but I don't know. Apart from the engine, the bike appears to be specced out similar to the W175. I mean, thin tyres, wire wheels, drum brakes at the rear, barebones instrumentation, halogen lights, etc etc.... And REs are slow as heck for their engine capacities. If the Ronin can outrun the Hunter with its 125cc displacement defecit, the W175, with its ~50kgs lower weight, may possibly be able to keep up with the Hunter. I know my Suzuki can easily keep up with UCE RE 350s. Then again, that rear sprocket on the W looks tiny...

Kawasaki's marketing spiel also claims to be offering build quality from a segment above, whatever that means. Is that supposed to mean the W is built like the Ninja and Z250s from a decade and half ago? That's still not bad at all.

Anyway, the FZ-X seems to be the main competitor in terms of class of motorcycle where it makes around the same power, weighs similar, albeit offering a more modern experience at 20k less onroad KA. It's a solid pick.

The Ronin is the biggest rival though, I think. For the same price as the Kawasaki, TVS is offering a substantial amount of bike and biking (in the same colours too). Again, it's a more modern experience with all the flash and tech, unlike the much simpler W and the Hunter Retro.

Anyway, now that I've seen the W a step closer, I can understand what game Kawasaki is playing. I'm half interested. If the bike came with a 250 or 300cc motor, I'd be looking at it very closely. I'm not into the retro fad, but the utter practicality of such a bike attracts me. A fast, lightweight, comfortable, agile and versatile bike that can take beating upon beating and jump back up for another round hard-appeals to me.

I don't know who's gonna be buying the W175, but I hope people do. And I hope Kawasaki is buoyed by success to make more small capacity motorcycles in India like develop a W250\300 or bring the KLX230, KLX300 rather than keep selling decade old CKD Ninjas at bonkers prices.

[anshumandun]

Target Audience for this motorcycle - People who know nothing about motorcycles!

I really can't figure out why Kawasaki launched this product.

[Nikhildrao]

Kawasaki really drank the kool aid on this one. Now you tell me why would I buy this bike over the FZ15 which looks better , is probably more reliable, and costs less!! To the people going on and on about the light weight, I got news for you "The FZ is also 135 kilos!". This is just killing the brand value of Kawasaki in the name of people who want to buy an RX100 in the modern era.