P102
QUICKSPIN I 2021 Kawasaki W800
It's an aesthetic that doesn't
hark back years but decades.
The two-person stepped plank
seat, lashes of chrome on the
wheel guards, dash surrounding
the analog rev and speed coun-
ter and all over the engine—even
the rubber fork gaiters have that
hippy 1960's vibe about them.
The pea shooter mufflers that
exit under the twin shocks give
such a muffled, farty exhaust
note. You can tell the engine
would sound better if only there
was a bit more room for the
exhaust gasses to escape, yet
it somehow blends in with the
overall ride experience nicely.
You really are transported
back in time on the W800. The
brakes are average, albeit as-
sisted by mandatory ABS, and
despite the uber-relaxed ride
position, the pegs feel about an
inch higher than they should be.
It feels almost sacrilege to wear
a full-face helmet when riding
the W.
The five-speed motor gets the
job done of cruising back roads
nicely but it's not a lot of fun
trying to keep up with 80-mph
traffic on the 405 freeway in rush
hour. Using the W800 as an
everyday commuter—unless, of
course, you don't need the free-
way—is not the ideal scenario.
You're better to have this as a
weekend café (remember going
to those places?) ride, content
to put it on the corner and have
other people gaze at its beauty.
And, trust me, you'll get more
than your fair share of admirable
glances from onlookers as they
try to figure out what British mo-
torcycle you're on.
We've become so used to
performance retro bikes from
companies like Triumph with
the lovely Speed Twin that the
Kawasaki really does feel old,
even though it's a 2021 model.
The W800 has been around for
eons, just not in the U.S. It first
went on sale in 2011 to 2015,
replacing the old W650, but we
(Right) How cool
are fork gaiters?
Some things never go
out of style. (Below)
Even the ignition
barrel is channeling
the retro gods. The
analog dials
look a treat.
(Above) Gotta love the aesthetic of an air-cooled
twin. And how Kawasaki has hidden those fangled
fuel injectors. (Below) This is straight off a Kawasaki
Z1 900 of 1971, and it's all you need, really.
