Im 33 and got the 2023 model last fall. Weirdly enough, i've had supermotos since i was 16 and I think this is going to be my forever bike that i'll hopefully pass down the family one day.
I love the under-square bore/stroke ratio and 360 degree crank, all of which provide the exhaust cadence and performance reminiscent of Britbikes of the 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s.
It gives them a pretty beefy low and midrange, too. They're great fun to short shift, these bikes. You can scoot around town briskly and never see more than 3,000 RPM.
Looks great - I had 2 Triumphs and in 1972 , after driving a Honda 750 - I traded my 650 Triumph the next week. The Japanese bikes are way ahead of everyone.
The only thing missing is a kick starter you may not use all the time but it's is nice to have if your battery's low in power plus it just looks right .
As a BSA GoldStar owner myself i just love the W800, if/when i decide to change it would be for this one. The character and period design of this bike is right up my street, although not sure if Kawasaki has the 2024 model in its range in the UK at present i might have to go second hand.
The motorbiking bug bit me in 1965 and still enjoy riding. My 2018 W800 is a great ride despite its rear drum brake. The Dunlop K300 tires are adequate. The stock suspension reminds me to temper the throttle on high speed sweepers. These limitations are the features that help me become aware of its essence as a *retro* bike. And I love it!
I've owned a 2015 for the last 7 months. It is just so easy to ride. Unlike earlier bikes, these things are very well balanced. The weight sits very low and central in the frame which mightn't be the recipe for winning GP's but it is very confidence inspiring in the "real" world. They're a fairly long wheel base, too, which gives them a good ride quality as well as preventing them being "pitchy". They track like they're on rails through the twisties and they are equally at home doing sharp 90 degree turns on city streets. And while these things aren't powerful on paper, all that power is on tap, everywhere in the rev range. That combined with a silky smooth gearbox means that they are really easy to keep on the boil but are equally as easy to lane split through stationary traffic at 5 mph. My only real complaint of this bike is that the front brake could be better. It's not bad, but it's not good. The suspension is on the better side of just adequate, if that makes sense. Oh, and most importantly of all, the tyres that it comes with go straight in the bin. Put a decent set of radials on straight away. Everything else on the bike is quality. The castings are excellent and you could go swimming in the chrome. And on the chrome front, mine is now nine years old and there is not a single spec of rust or any imperfection whatsoever. It polishes up like brand new. Same with the paint. If you do a lot of highway miles, this isn't the bike for you. An hour or two here and there, it's fine, but that's about it. But as a city commuter and B road blaster, these bikes are really easy to ride quickly and will make an average rider faster than they have any right to be. I'm not selling mine anytime soon. I'm absolutely besotted by it.
The only thing I'll add is that, while I agree that the bike is easy to ride, it isn't because the weight is low in the frame. A modern bike has much better weight distribution and centralization. But thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences! I appreciate it.
@@PeterLoweOne Now that I think about it, I'm comparing to older bikes, not new ones. Compared to a Z900 or a CB 900, the weight feels really low and central! Maybe not so much something built this century.
Those GS Suzuki shaft drive bikes were actually great designs. But the newer motorcycle designs became very 'sporty' and so the practical, low maintenance (shaft driven) motorycles weren't cool. I think the latest model was the GS1100G with shaft drive ... not very enticing, but a good used one can be purchased affordably and they probably hold their value too.
Great, detailed review, thanks. I own a 2001 W650 (actually 676cc) and love it. The W800 featured here is, of course, the later version of my bike. The main differences being that the W650 has a kick start, which I use all the time and carburettors. Absolutely love it.
Getting this in 2028, I'm claiming it right now! I am going to work my ass off and be cheap for the next 4 years tho, but I know it will be frickin worth it!!! 🤞🏍🏍🏍
I am sure Grandfathers will love the pre 2017 Version at the most. This tank is? Small? Where are the drumbrakes? But this ugly lightreflectors määäh at the backlight?? I have the 2016 black edition with chrome exhaust. That looks foggging great :-)
Does the speedometer read in MPG (USA) or KPH (Europe) for the US market? There is a black plastic plug on the engine case just behind the right foot rest. Was this where the kick shift was located?
I don't think the person doing this video wants to actually sell these. He makes it sound like it is a real dog, acceleration wise. I'll tell you, my W800 Street model, when you get on the throttle IT REALLY MOVES !! It doesn't dart it gallops.
I'll be doing some riding reviews when I can, but most of the bikes that I review wouldn't be available for riding reviews as they're not demo bikes. So I make the core of my channel these types of reviews, and you'll see me doing riding reviews when I can this summer. I film in Canada, so it's still pretty cold. I'm looking out at snow in my yard as I type this. The other thing is that there are a LOT of riding reviews out there, and I do try to offer something a bit different. So it's all a balance. I don't view other RU-vidrs as competition, if you ask me, we're all working on the same team to round out the information for those who are willing to watch. So I try to do my best in this format. My riding reviews won't be as good as others who have done them for years, but hopefully I'll offer a perspective that will be worth watching. We'll see!
I bought a new 2015 W800. It looks lovely but I found it had two big problems - not enough power for safe overtakes on crowded UK roads, and poor braking performance (it needs twin discs). So it had to go. Also, it didn't sound very good (very quiet).
@@lordjesussavehealus.3505 While I'm not 100% sure on this, I think Radial tires are not suppose to be installed with tubes. The fact that these are tube type rims, forces the issue and your get Bias tires.
@@lorimcquinn3966 .... Yes. The whole point with riders wishing for radials, myself included, is that we do not want to "deal-with" a tube inside a tire! We wished that Kawasaki stepped it up a notch and designed the bike, rims, with radials, inferring...no more tubes! even if they could just use nice mag-wheels. Tubes are just too old-school, for some of us, and not needed for a modern-day bike this size. Thank you 😊
Having rode 750 and 850 Norton's decades ago some questions. Steel or aluminum rims? Where is the oil filter and battery? How is valve lash adjusted? Is there a 12 volt output plug?
That might be sound tuned but it sounds a hell of a lot better when you run a hole saw up the inside of those mufflers and yeet over a foot of db killer out of both of them then rip the snorkel restriction out of the airbox. $12 dollar mod that’s way worth it
When I got my 1972 Norton 750 Combat, one of my roommates put clef up a ‘74 or so Kawasaki 750 to rebuild. You know, despite having an overhead cam, there were no cam bushings,no separate valve guides. There was nothing left of the cam-chain tightening slipper. Parts were hard to find in 1965 so we improvised w a piece of ‘ Blue Brute’ water pipe. No matter, I found the tensioner slipper cast aside long after he left the completed bike ( which never did run again) it was a surprise to see how primitive the actual manufacturer was of such a high-performance DOHC engine was. It don’t know if contemporary Kawis or R Enfields take as many liberties w ‘quality where the consumer can’t see’ as Daimler Benz demanded w the Chysler. LH revisions. But I’d ask to to an exploded view of the engine before I’d buy.
This is so much nicer than the new Triumphs which all have that carbuncle of a car radiator hanging off them now. The W8, the Moto Guzzi Speciale, and the Royal Enfield 350* are all authentic classic bikes. *The RE Interceptor isn't too bad but would have been so much nicer without the large oil cooler. Hey, Indian can make a completely air cooled 1800cc, so why not Royal Enfield and others?
I own a 1982 KZ440 (LTD belt-drive) and a 1993 KZ1000P (ex-Oregon State Patrol). Unless you specifically know what you're looking for, the W800 would fit in nicely with my current bikes.
Love that line about motorcycling versus performance. Explains me and my motorcycle choices over the years. Like the 900RS. Love the sound, the ride, but the radiator Kills it for me.
Excellent overview Peter. Wonderful explanation and insights of a truly beautiful bike. I do ride a 1250 GS at the age of 66( yes , I am the cliché 😅), but I truly love this bike in looks and concept. How to convince my wife of the necessity of a second bike?
I owned one of these for about a year and loved it. Very unique and characterful. Traded it in for a Versys 650 GT because I thought I wanted to go touring. I did not actually enjoy touring in the end - should have kept it! I'm on an Eliminator right now and loving it.
Yeah, this is my only gripe with the bike. If you are riding around the 100Kp/h mark, the engine revs around 3500rpm and is very buzzy. So for the most part I will ride around 80kp/h. Of course on the plus side 5-speed means less shifting operations. Once you are out of town you can put it into 5th and it will pull from 60kp/h / 1500rpm no problem.
I don't think a short "overdrive" would hurt this bike. There's enough low down grunt to carry a cruising gear at 80-110 kph. Much above that, you'd be shifting back to fifth, I'd reckon.
@@PeterLoweOne I understand that, however, I know one of the complaints of this bike is vibration and I wonder if adding a sixth gear would resolve that issue?
@@bluesysaxman maybe, but they didn't set out for ultimate refinement when they produced it, they set out for authenticity and if you smoothed it out, you'd probably alienate the main group this was made for.
Good review 💪. I apologise if I missed out some details. Does the bike have gear indicator, fuel level and fuel range display? I know it’s too basic question but maybe you can enlighten me on these. Thanks in advance for reading and responding. Appreciate it 🙏🤞🌈
I have the 2022, and it appears exactly identical....except the horn wires are better routed (mine broke at 500 miles). Honestly I thought I was done with motorcycling but a few of life's failures led me to ask what makes me happy, and the W does make me happy; I'm back to bikes!. After 1,500 miles the bike is starting to free up some, and has good grunt down low with pleasant vibrations that will let you know you're in a time warp. The build quality is fantastic (other than the horn wiring there for a few years---there's a recall on that I believe, so it's a free fix). Tires are for 60mph or less--read up on those; above 60 mph, pay close attention. Give me a good country road, 70F day, and the W will take you places! At low speed it's like riding a bicycle--it's geometry makes it easy to place where you want to go in a parking lot. This is a great in-town commuter with plenty for the mountains for a fun time, old-school style.
Good detailed description of many aspects of this great-looking bike, thanks. When you are describing how the bike fits, it would be helpful if you told us your height and inseam.
I hear you, but I don't think it would be competitive with what's in the market right now. I can see them considering using the 650 twin engine that they use in every style of motorcycle in a scrambler. That would receive more mass market approval than this engine.
Pete, is it good to buy this bike as my first big bike? I mean i already own a GSX-S 150cc..i am looking to upgrade bikes...just torn between w800 and z650RS
You could buy this as a big bike, it's not giving you the latest and greatest, but that's part of the charm with it. From a power perspective, it would still be good for a newer rider, but I tend to recommend the Z650RS more than the W800. The W800 buyer usually knows that this is exactly what they're looking for, where I feel like the Z650RS is better suited to a wider variety of riders. But that's just my opinion, don't let my opinion change yours if you feel differently than me. You're buying a bike to make YOU happy, not me!
It’s more than a styling exercise, but how is “more” measured? I admire the aesthetics and real world history of the W, but not so much its top-heavy handling and (ironically?) the sounds it emits and commuter-like character. Also, am I wrong that W owners battle with surface rust on chrome and some parts are easily sun-damaged? Still . . . the bike has a certain appeal.
I wouldn't say that they "battle" with surface rust on Chrome. It's chrome.. it needs to be maintained. There's a reason that modern bikes aren't built like this anymore. The weight distribution is different, chrome, if left alone will eventually rust (but can be easily maintained especially with modern chrome polishes) This bike isn't going to be for everyone, but that's part of the appeal to those who love it.
160 MPH speedometer? Why do they do that? You will only use 1/3 of the meter. That sort of thing would drive me nuts. What is the point of doing that? Shouldn't it only go to 120? The numbers are easy to read, so that is nice. I wish every bike had a fuel gauge. I have never had a bike with one, except for one that worked for just a little while, but it sure was nice.
Im a grandad. Always liked this machine. However i want Wire spoked tubeless rims and tubeless tyres & Fully enclosed chain As standard or as optional accessories at time of purchase.
