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-   -   Kawasaki could assemble Z800 in India? EDIT: Kawasaki says no (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/175035-kawasaki-could-assemble-z800-india-edit-kawasaki-says-no.html)

Japanese two-wheeler manufacturers such as Honda and Suzuki have already started assembling bikes from CKD kits in India. Now, Kawasaki is reported to be assessing the possibility of assembling the Z800 motorcycle in the country.



In India CKD kits attract a lower import duty than vehicles imported as completely built units (CBU). This enables manufacturers to price their vehicles more competitively. The Z800, which is imported as a completely built unit from Thailand, is priced close to Rs. 8.30 lakh (on-road, Delhi). If Kawasaki starts building the bike in India, the price of the motorcycle is expected to come down by at least Rs. 1,00,000. This will make it cheaper than the locally assembled Honda CBR 650F, which retails at Rs. 7.99 lakh (on-road, Delhi).

The Z800 is powered by an 806 cc, liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, in-line 4-cylinder, 4-stroke engine, developing 113 PS @ 10,200 rpm and 83 Nm of torque @ 8,000 rpm. A 6-speed gearbox transmits this power to the rear wheel.

Source: Autocar Professional

Down by a lakh and it gets to Versys territory! Impossible that it will drop down so much. I would expect it to be priced just a tad few thousands above the CBR to kill it.

If its true then it's definitely good news. The Z800 at under 8L OTR will literally kill the competition - Street Triples and the Benelli's. However it may also affect the sales of the Versys 650 even though they belong to different categories. But someone just looking for a big bike will definitely spend a bit more and go for the Z800.

I hope the quality of the assembly prevails when the bike is assembled here. If it's a CKD, does it mean that the entire bike is knocked down and assembled here. if so, how are the components catgorised - like the entire chasis with the wheels and suspension, engine block, exhaust system, body parts etc. Also other than the assembly - is there any local parts that are used (like horns, mirrors etc).

The thing I am looking forward to is the saree guard lol:

Not an expert in this, but my understanding is that it varies according to the manufacturer. Ideally most of the stuff like engine, gearbox maybe steering head etc will come pre-kitted. Here all of it will be bolted together.

What I got from the CBR650F CKD was that only the Saree Guard and the front number plate holder was manufactured here in the name of Make in India, rest everything was imported.

CKD does bring an opportunity to locally manufacture some small parts atleast.

Rachit

Thanks Rachit! That was useful info. I just hope the Make in India parts conform to the quality standards. Till date I have not seen a single rust on the Z... Not even on the nuts and bolts. Just one bolt on the sliders has started rusting and that's the one which was Made on India.

Z800 and Versys are two completely different bikes

If anyone in the market for a bike with similar budget in mind and is deciding one amongst the other purely based on "pricing" then sorry to say this but, that buyer doesn't know what he wants from his bike and that will eventually lead to remorse

In short, even a slightly knowledgably biker he will choose either of the bike purely on his expectations from that bike since both are priced similarly (assuming there is a lakh rupee discount in future) and not solely on pricing

I can quote my own example : Could have easily afforded the Z800 at 9 lakhs OTR but, I was clear that bike will not suit my large frame and naked bikes with crouched position motorcycles were always never my cup of tea so even though I loved the Z800 and that brilliant sound from I4, it was never in my consideration while deciding to purchase a bike:)

This will be a great move by Kawasaki India and it will definitely dent sales of many a brands including it's own Versys 650. It is already a superior package than the Honda 650F and this 1L price reduction might kill the 650F for the time being in India. With regards to the Versys 650, which in all honesty is a Sports Tourer and not a pukka GS type off-roader, Z800 as a naked tourer, will eat into that category too, as for touring it's biggest drawback is it's seat which can be easily solved by a 4~5K air seat by Ride-on-Air or similar. It's seating posture as such is also quite comfortable and the high speed wind blast while touring can easily be countered by adding a galore of after-market wind screens available. The superior in-line 4 engine with almost double horse power than the 650's will play a major role to swing customers in the nearly same price bracket, and lots of people do set 100+bhp as a target in bikes as a bare minimum, to enter the sports/touring category.

So bring it on Kawasaki. More competition the merrier...

Kawasaki was the pioneer in bringing down CKD kits with the Ninja 250, Ninja 650 etc. Honda responded late with their CBR650F.

Suzuki deserves credit though for starting CKD manufacturing in the upper price bands with the Hayabusa.

Good move. The price difference between Versys ABS and Z800 ABS is very less in USA at $7999 vs $8399.

Considering that Versys costs 6.6L ESP here, Z800 would be 6.99L if same scale is used.
That would be a reduction of around 35k from the current CBU price, but that does not make sense at all. If it is a CKD, then there would be at least 1L decrease. That would make it cheaper than the Versys!

Kawi definitely has big margins on Versys and Z800 is big VFM even now with the 79HP CKD, fiasco drenched Street Triple costing more than that. Let's hope that the Z800 would be available at 6-6.2L ESP. That would kill Benelli 600i :)

Hopefully Kawasaki considers CKD ZX-6R. If Z800 can be brought down to 6L ESP, 636 can hopefully be sold at 9L ESP. That would be much cheaper than the Daytona 675 ABS and would kill it completely :)

Definitely great news if this turns out to be true! Currently it is about 8.9L OTR Bangalore. It will come down to ~8L OTR. It will give some stiff competition to the triumph stable, considering the VFM this bike offers. I just hope the locally manufactured parts maintain the same standards.

Though the Z800 will be in the same price range as the Versys 650, I believe they are 2 different breed of bikes - naked sports/sports tourer - and shouldn't affect the sales of either. In fact it would be sweet of both are in the same price segment. People who can afford the Versys 650, but really want the Z800 would be able to get it now! So let's hope this becomes reality!

Kaile, I think Allen who owns a z800 will disagree with you. Look up his thread. His latest post says if he needs to tour he definitely wouldn't mind trading his for a versys. I don't think it's just about the seat and the screen.

There's also something called a suspension.

I agree with Mobike, even though I am a newbie when it comes to two wheels, that is the first thing which I tell anyone considering biking; ask yourself what you want out of it and what you are willing to live with.

That said, dkaile might be right in predicting a drop in sales of the versys and cbr650f. A lot of people just buy big bikes for the cubic capacity and probably to play trump cards with their buddies. Even in our very own forum you will see a lot of threads where people buy a particular big capacity bike only because it came with x amount of power, looked cool and was under their budget. I see it happening so often :Frustrati

In the end it ought to all be down to personal preference. When my Dad allowed me to buy a bike this year after learning how to ride one, I ended up choosing the RC 390 against all recommendations to go for something more comfy/practical. Even now in the boiling heat, I walk to the garage with car keys in my hand everyday thinking I'll chill it out in the ac, listen to some tunes and stay fresh, but then end up fishing the bike keys out of my pocket and hopping straight onto the katoom (this habit has forced me to always keep the bike keys on person). I decided that what I wanted was something with a committed riding position that gave me great leverage over the bike at high-speeds and I am more than willing to live with a sore butt, sweaty knees, bad hair and grime in my face on most occasions for that rare thrill :D

Anyway, I'm digressing here, good move by Kawasaki, hope this ends up with manufacturers offering more reasonable pricing on their locally assembled big bikes.

+1

Versys 650 is all about the suspension. It's so comfortable that it makes the buy a total paisa vasool (VFM):D

Let's say this. You will rarely see folks trading in a Versys 650 for a Z800 but, you shall certainly see other way around more often:)

Had a close look at the Z 800 recently. Yup, doesn't feel like a comfortable tourer. The mate also complained about the uncomfortable seat. It's seems best for short sprints and in city riding or track days, which I am not interested in at all.

Also had a chance to swing a leg over the 'baap' of all tourer, the GS 1200. Even after being 6', I couldn't get both feet flat on the ground. Both feet were on their toes which felt quite disconcerting for such a heavy tourer. Also the front rim of the alloy of the GS got bent on the same trip just by going over a good pothole on our highway while our Harleys just creamed over the same. This was highly unexpected. If a pothole can cause a need for alloy replacement, how can we expect to complete circuits like Leh for which the bike is tailor made? This left me highly disillusioned with my favorite brand. Middle weight tourers seems to be a fit package for our conditions like the Versys 650. How I would love to swing a leg over the GS 800 though.

Cheers...

Its tough to judge based on one incident. The alloys bend based of different things including angle, speed, the actual pot hole. Unless we do a bend the alloy test where we put different machines through different potholes i am not sure we can take a blanket call that one machine handles it better than other.

My Yamaha FZ6R has a different alloy component which is heavier and probably good for road riding. 6 months no issues through the same road, same pot holes. The day i wanted to sell, i hit a pot hole to bend both the rims. Cost of repair was close to 900 USD but its part of owning any bike except if its spokes based.

My bull for that instance with spokes are much sturdier over potholes than any other motorcycle i have owned!!

The z800 is its cheaper by a lakh it can be a pretty brilliant proposition. Almost 8L on road is a terrific price for that almost a 1L bike which has more bells and whistles than even the FZ1 that is priced close to 50% higher on road (if z800 ends cheaper)