Kawasaki W800: Which One Should You Buy? Classic, Street or Cafe

[@RJW998]

Gotta love the 360° crank and therefore the sound from the motor, pea shooter pipes are also very cool.

[@Bob-xc2us]

It makes 47hp at 6000rpm for A2 license reasons. Other markets have it rated at 52hp (51.7) at 6500rpm. It has more useable power than the meager UK rating would have you believe and full torque is at a low 4800rpm. It makes 80% of its torque at a low 2500rpm so it's a dream to drive in town and on back roads. It does well on the big road too and is only turning 4200rpm at 120kph (75mph) and is just heavy enough to not get blown around by big trucks. It's not a sport bike but it sure is relaxing to drive and has plenty of grunt for all traffic situations.

[@theodorerobinson2819]

A Scrambler version of the W800, never thought about that. That is awesome if Kawasaki did choose to manufacture a scrambler of this iconic classic.

[@tompayne7661]

I've got a scrambler w800 on my eBay watchlist right now haha!

[@hatchetjack1031]

I have the 2020 W800Cafe. Favorite of all time! About 3600 miles, now. Will be replacing the Dunlap retro K300 baloney skins soon, probably with Michelin Road 6's.

[@josephsperato5645]

My favorite is the bad ass look of the Cafe version. I have owned it for 2 years and it is truly a work of art besides being a awesome classic bikle. I chose the Kawasaki over the royal enfield 650 when I made a choice between the two.No regrets , although the RE is also an excellent choice.

[@mebeasensei]

Re-sale value of the W will be higher for much longer. Good investment. These W bikes will be classics as electric bikes take over the cheap market.

[@BlakesPipes]

I own a 2020 cafe and best bike I have owned. Love the seat to even the tires that are period correct of its time. Headlamp is the best bike I have ridden in the night. Bu my one negative is the center stand at over 200 dollars to add with a chain driven engine. Other then that, it's a bike that makes you feel like a million dollars each time I get on it.

[@dcjr1053]

The Classic is my personal fav, but I like your scrambler suggestion!

[@Jonathan-L]

My preference is the 'Street' model. I'd would like to see Kawasaki offer it with a belt final drive.

[@russtynail55]

W800 Black Edition... limited production only in 2015. Gets lots of looks and attention everywhere as people try to figure out what it is.

[@nagisoich]

Je possède une classique verte, je ne me lasse pas de la regarder et surtout de la piloter. Une moto basique qui fait retrouver le vrai plaisir de musarder à son guidon !

[@chrestensrensen2486]

What does a man need? A beautifull reliable classic bike like the W650 or W800. And a sweet wife beside him. And good music. I have the W650 from 1999 and I love this bike. Why buy a fulldresser Harley, Honda, BMW, Indian or other big bike which never was the idea of riding motorcycle. Buy an open car instead. But dear TRIUMPH - why dident you make such a reliable maschine or why do you not make a copy of the Triumph Bonneville from the 60 ties. Kawasaki can do it but Triumph can not. Or what??

[@Bob-xc2us]

Buy the standard version. You will love it as it is the best looking of the W800s. I have a 2022 that has a red tank and black side panels. It looks very similar to a 1969 red Bonneville. The green and blue are nice to.

[@antbonyziemiak208]

My favorite is my 01 650. You can adjust the idle speed by turning a knob in the lower left side while your sitting on the bike. Mine has a kick starter , and a centerstand. And my bike makes the same horsepower, or more than the 800 because of emissions requirements. The 1999 has the best looking tank paint scheme. You really have to see my tanks paint job in the sunlight to fully appreciate the gold metalflake under the beautiful British racing green paint. Real hand painted gold pinstripe. This has to be one of the best paint jobs to ever come out of a Japanese mc factory. What I'd like to see is an adventure bike version. The beautiful chrome mufflers would have to go as there too low. The bike has a fat wide torque band that starts at idle. An around the world adventure bike with TU BELESS TIRES . Chain enclosure would be nice. Also...how about a touring model ? Its got the perfect powerband for It. dont know about the 800 , but my 650 is in top gear by 27 m.p.h. and for the most part you can just leave it in 5 th gear for the rest of the day. A real dedicated frame mount fairing would be desirable for touring. Also FLOORBOARDS for touring. I think they could make the machines a lot more beautiful with proper paint schemes , like Triumps bobber black paint or the 1999 paint scheme with beautiful black painted mudguards and sidecovers. To sum it up........ Tubeless tires Centerstand Floor boards Chainguards. The last civilizing thing needed for motorcycles would be a chain tensioner . More of a classic paint scheme. And the frame mounted failing. ( the front double down tubes has a metal plate welded to the front down tubes that's just begging for something to be bolted to it , like a fairing , or oil cooler (doesn't really need It I think).

[@francomartini4328]

Unfortunately neither of the Kawasakis that I would buy are available new in the UK in 2023. On Kawasaki UK's website under "modern classic" they list the Z900RS and the Z650RS. Both have sports bike engines and whilst I love the 900, it's 11 grand which is more than I want to spend, and the 650 is in no way retro beyond the fuel tank and the instruments. Meanwhile, under "cruiser" the only model on offer is the Vulcan S, a 650 cc parallel twin naked with forward controls and weird styling. Whatever happened to the Vulcan 900 (VN900 in the UK) with its lazy v-twin that came in three variants (Touring, Classic, and Custom)? And why was the W800 discontinued? Now my only choice is between the Royal Enfield Interceptor, Continental GT, or Super Meteor if I want a modern classic new from the dealer at under 8 grand. (The BSA Gold Star does not appeal to me.) Sorry but I'm simply not interested in something that looks like an alien insect from Starship Troopers and forces you to ride like your hair is on fire. I'm 66 years old and very old school. Having just retired, all I want to do is rediscover B-road biking and enjoy the scenery.

[@rottweiler9535]

if you look on Kawasaki Japan they have a 4th bike, the Meguro. It also would be nice to see a scrambler version. Canada is also just down to one model, I am glad i got the street when i did.

[@viramati5831]

I believe they are sadly no longer available new in the UK

[@stanleylawson9015]

so which bike do you own currently

[@danscram]

A bit more power wouldn’t be a bad thing

[@williammuir638]

A well proven machine with a long lineage. All that chrome wouldn't survive a Scottish winter though. Personally a couple of things I'd like kawasaki to do is put Wire spoked tubeless rims on with tubeless tyres, from a practical and safety point of view. It would be worth a bit extra in cost. Also if possible a stylish fully enclosed chain guard would be nice or preferably a quality belt drive. Again from a practical point of view, as Scottish winters ruin chains.

[@besenwieslersepp1011]

If i want a black engine, i buy a plastic insect KTM with breathtaking performance that makes me overlook the ridiculousness of her looks. If i want a retro bike, i want a shiny engine and dont give a f... on performace.

[@crippleguy415]

Triumph Bonny wanna be

[@gmmotomedia]

I don't know about that 😅

[@Thefab5150]

Definitely not.

[@jdmccall56]

Or maybe the W is what the Triumph really wanted to be. :)

[@Catrinus1]

The W650 came out BEFORE the new Bonnevilles did (1999)!

[@fungi6140]

lm confused i just bought the 2021 kawasaki EJW800 B but on the V5 logbook it says EJ800B VariantC1 then versionB Model EJ800 CKF CAFE So what have the bloody hell have i got. why Kawasaki EJ800B then variant C1 then back to version B It's the version with both back and front 19 inch wheels

[@khalil8043]

47hp.? It must be the undertoned version, because the 800w can generate 76HP

[@gmmotomedia]

Does it?

[@bearcatracing007]

Yeah with a piston kit, flatslide carbies, cam and full system! Stock bike won't.

[@valjatriogina228]

Sold my cafe, that I have bought brand new, after 1000km! Annoying vibrations around 3500rpm, narrow seat, absolutely terrible! Nice sound. 3 of 10! Waste of money!

[@kevinclayton4491]

It's a parallel twin, what did you expect? The vibrations are actually quite well damped. If you didn't want the authentic feel then the RE interceptor would have been a better choice with its 270 degree crank.

[@caverunbassmaster7659]

I agree about the seat, that kept me from buying this bike in a cafe version a year ago. Bought a Moto Guzzi v7 instead and I'm still not pleased 👍🏼