Kawasaki has drawn the curtains on the iconic W family of retro motorcycles, with the 2017 W800 ‘Final Edition’. Paying homage to its forefather, the original 1966 Kawasaki W1, the W800 Final Edition will be the last of Kawasaki’s air-cooled twin cylinder roadsters.
One of the last remaining pure retro motorcycles, the Kawasaki W800 Final Edition uses the same old recipe – simple and classic looks, ample amount of chrome, spoked wheels and a finned air-cooled engine. The Kawasaki W800 will be available two retro paint schemes - candy brown and candy sunset orange. Apart from the unique paint schemes, there is nothing that would differentiate the Final Edition from a standard bike.
Propelling the Kawasaki W800 Final Edition is the same 773cc fuel-injected motor that delivers 48bhp and 60Nm of torque through a belt drive. The bevel gear assembly on the right side of the engine further accentuates the W800 Final Edition’s retro character.
Back in 1999, Kawasaki kickstarted the neo-retro trend among motorcycles with the W650. The formula kept the cash registers ringing until 2011, after which Kawasaki decided to up the ante with W800 to keep the bike competitive against the Triumph Bonneville and Moto Guzzi V7. Now though, the looming Euro 4 emission regulation for motorcycles has sounded the death knell for several large capacity motorcycles, the older Bonneville range included. Euro 4 norms are nearly twice as strict as the Euro 3 regulations, and manufacturers have time until the end of 2016 to revamp their range to make them Euro 4 compliant.
