Street or CAFE – Kawasaki adds to the W legend at EICMA
One of the most enduring and identifiable Kawasaki motorcycle families, the Kawasaki parallel twin, air-cooled W stable will house two more thoroughbreds in 2019 bearing the names W800 Street and W800 CAFE.
Having little in common with previous iterations, the newly born Euro4 compliant twins are “90% new” with a whole host of styling, technical and practical changes, many of which are, at first, hard to detect.
Sharing a completely new chassis, each machine has powerful new brakes – including a rear disc for the first time on a W – as well as ABS and, in another nod to contemporary riding, LED lighting.
Celebrating the fact that “original never goes out of style” both the stripped for action 773 cm3 bevel driven camshaft W800 Street and W800 CAFE can trace their roots back over half a century to the original 1966 W1 650; at the time the largest capacity four stroke machine manufactured in Japan.
Fully A2 licence compliant and with a targeted maximum power of 35kW*, the authenticity, classic style and seductive good looks of the new W800 Street and W800 CAFE are sure to attract new riders… as well as tempting existing licence holders who appreciate classic style and carefully considered simplicity of form and function.
Highlighted as 2019 arrivals Kawasaki made the initial announcement of the new W800 Street and CAFE at EICMA with full information to be released at the beginning of 2019.
Editor’s Note:
* Targeted figure subject to final homologation
* For more information and images, please visit www.kawasaki.eu
