Motorcycle specifications KawasakiW 800 Street 2020 From the bottom of my heart

It's just bad luck. Just as the Vintage movement was confirming its rise, Euro4 standards sabotaged the survival of the W 800, Kawasaki's epitome of 'classic', the W1 of the '60s, like a retro bike with nothing neo about it, as frail as a bee among the bumblebees.
Push me out the door and I'll come back in through the balcony. A break in the Akashi workshops allowed this machine to prepare for its comeback. The W 800 is just as it was before, but it's changed almost everything.

its resemblance to the Triumph Bonneville is nothing new. It's been that way since the W 650. And it still is. We even wonder what's changed since its last installment in 2016. Let's take a look..... So, there's less, much less chrome. Black everywhere, smaller turn signals, an LED headlight borrowed from the Z 900 RS. Oh, and since it had to comply with legislation, it's no wonder it's got ugly reflectors and ABS tracks.
That can't be all; Kawa has announced that only 10% of the old W has been renewed. So a whole bunch of parts have been reworked, without it necessarily being obvious.

the presence of ABS is one of the first indications. With the front drum, it would have been quite difficult to install. As a result, the W 800 Street, like the Café, gets a rear brake disc - with a two-piston caliper. The front disc has been enlarged from 300 to 320 mm, while the wheel housing it has been reduced from 19 to 18 inches. Spoke rims, sausage pots and fork gaiters are still a must.
The double-cradle steel frame is identical in form, except that each component has been re-evaluated, tube thickness modified and rigidity reviewed for all its constituent parts. The fork is larger, with 41 mm per tube. The fuel tank has been enlarged by 1 liter. As for the scales, they are 5 kilos heavier.
The W 800 intends to show a little more rigor in its escapades. In addition to increased frame rigidity, the suspension has been strengthened. Let's not get carried away, though: the bike dreams of undulating country roads, not arsouilles.

what about the engine? To revive the W 800, we had to make it Euro4-compatible. O2 sensors and new catalytic converters take care of that. From the outside, the 773 cm3 twin-cylinder remains unchanged. The same crankcases, the same fins, the same old-fashioned charm, and above all, the same bevel gearing. This motorcycle is the only one on the market to still feature this gear-driven valve train.
The big advantage of this engine is its honesty: it smells like the old days, it lives like the old days, and it conceives power like the old days. It boasts a maximum output of 35 kW, the same energy as the old version. Its 48 hp are in keeping with its shape and purpose. A small bonus: they are reached a few 500 rpm earlier than before. Torque is even a little fatter: 0.3 mkg, peaking at 6.4 mkg. We're delighted... moderately so. Maximum power is obtained at 4,800 rpm - whereas theex-W 800 offered it at 2,500 rpm.
This block isn't a thunderbolt, but rather a pleasant mill for cruising, with more class than vigor. Yet Kawa has fitted an anti-dribble clutch. This makes for safer downshifting(if you shift 8 gears atonce...) and, above all, a pleasantly smooth lever action.
As a bonus for young drivers, the watts are just right for the A2 license.

with its relaxed riding position, the W 800 is an inviting invitation to pleasure riding. On the handlebars, you'll find the two-dial, two-needle speedo, a digital window and a significantly enriched series of indicator lights. The internal decoration has been revised, while the red zone has lost 500 rpm. In any case, quick revving was never really its thing.
The center stand is no longer standard. Neither are the grip-knees on the tank. Well, if it keeps the price down.
Oops no, the price is not contained at all. The upgrade hurts the wallet, as the W 800 is 17% more expensive. It's barely less expensive than a more powerful and better-equipped 900 Bonneville T100. Faced with a Street Twin, it's not even worth a try. The Kawasaki W 800 Street will have to rely above all on love at first sight.
A crush not only on its plastic but also on its pastoral riding style. Its handling promises to be a notch above the one we tested on the nostalgia roads.

M.B - Manufacturer's photos