Kawasaki’s most affordable motorcycle in India is scheduled to be launched in the country on 25 September. Now, the Ninja 300 has kept the title of the most affordable Kawasaki one can buy in India for as long as we can remember, but the W175 will take that baton soon. Before we tell you what we expect it to be priced at and where it will be positioned in the market, let us tell you everything there is to know about the upcoming Kawasaki W175.
Retro design
Now the W175 sports a design that is as retro and conventional as it can get. Like the rest of Kawasaki’s W series, including the W800 and W800 Café, the W175 draws styling inspiration from the 1966 W1 which was the largest displacement Japanese motorcycle of the time.
However, while the W1 was oozing chrome, the W175 takes a slightly modern approach with its blacked-out components. It’s bodywork, however, tells a different tale. The simple-looking fuel tank, side panel and rear section, even the pea-shooter shaped exhaust hark back to the 60s. The fork gaiters, single-piece seat with its rolled pattern and spoke wheels complete the retro side of things. That said, we do know from a recently leaked document that the W175 will be offered in two colour options- Ebony and a dual-tone Special Edition Red.
Engine performance
Underneath the retro styling, Kawasaki has plonked in a 177cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that will come with fuel-injection system in India. In comparison, the Indonesian-spec model gets a carbureted engine. However, the specs on both models are the same.
The W175 offers 12.8bhp at 7500rpm and 13.2Nm at 6,000rpm and comes mated to a five-speed gearbox. That said, the motorcycle weighs in at just 135kg. While we are yet to ride and test the motorcycle, these output numbers may not be significant but are on par with motorcycles like the Yamaha FZ-X. However, when placed against the Royal Enfield Hunter which offers 20bhp, the W175 is far off.
Even though that makes it 9kg heavier than the Indonesian model thanks to the difference in fueling system and bits like the mandatory saree guard, it still is light on paper. And while it rides on 17-inch wheels with skinny 80-section and 100-section tyres like the international model, there are some other differences. The Indian-spec W175 comes with a 270mm front disc that is 50mm larger than the model sold abroad. It also gets a 10mm taller seat height at 790mm and a 12-litre fuel tank that is 2-litres smaller.
Simplistic features
Simplicity trickles down to the W175’s feature list too. It is likely to skip out on LED lighting and makes do with conventional units all around. Even the circular, retro style instrument cluster has limited info to offer- you get a speedometer, an odometer and three tell-tale signs for the indicators, high beam and neutral. Lastly, you get single-channel ABS as standard equipment.
Pricing
Now for the most important bit- how much will the W175 cost? Well, Kawasaki is said to have heavily localized the motorcycle to bring down the cost. Hence, we expect it to come priced between Rs 1.5-1.7 lakh, ex-showroom.
Competition
While this pricing makes it the most affordable motorcycle from Kawasaki in India, when compared to its competition and what it offers, the W175 does seem like it would be an expensive proposition. If its displacement is to be considered, the Kawasaki W175 would compete against the Yamaha FZ-X. However, when it comes to the expected price point, it would go head on against the comparatively more affordable TVS Ronin priced at Rs 1.49 lakh and the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 in its Retro avatar priced at Rs 1.41 lakh.
Now, both the Ronin and Hunter have individual characters and we recently pitted them against each other. I’ll leave a link to that video in the description below. Both, the Ronin and the Hunter seem to offer much better features, displacement and performance as well as higher value for money compared to the Kawasaki W175.
We will be riding the Kawasaki W175 soon to bring you a detailed review on how it performs in the real world so stay tuned!
