[TusharK]

Kawasaki has revealed a new model called the W230. Its design is inspired by the W series of bikes from the 1960s and 70s.



The new retro bike from Kawasaki features a round headlamp with a twin-pod instrument console, a teardrop-shaped fuel tank and a single-piece seat. The bike rides on wire-spoke wheels and has a chrome peashooter exhaust.

The Kawasaki W230 is powered by a 233cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine, details of which haven’t been revealed yet. That being said, the same motor powers the KLX230. It produces 19.7 BHP and 20.6 Nm.

The W230 has a fairly standard suspension setup with a telescopic fork at the front and dual shock absorbers at the rear. It is equipped with disc brakes and dual-channel ABS.

Kawasaki currently offers the W175 in India. We will have to wait and see if the W230 makes it to our shores.

Link to Team-BHP News

[Ratan Prabhu]

Looking at how low the sales are for W175, it makes no sense to launch W230. Kawasaki should rather start manufacturing Ninja400/500 in India like they do 300 and re-launch at better price. 300 is over a decade old now and spending a bit more and getting Aprilia RS457 makes much more sense than Ninja300.

[aravind.anand]

This is one of the things Kawasaki keeps getting wrong. There is a good market for retro motorcycles, but this is not retro, this is outdated. The Royal Enfield Classic, the Honda Highness all seem to be better finished and more sorted than this one.

Going by the Kawasaki Z650RS / Z900RS, I am pretty sure that they know how to do neo-retro motorcycles right. But I wonder why their W series is given such step-motherly treatment.

[amol4184]

This is the first time I am hearing they sell W175 in India. I must be living under the rock. In my defense I have never seen one plying on our roads.

[Mr.Ogre]

If I was in India I would buy it without a doubt. I am going to keep an eye out for this model here in Australia.

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by amol4184

This is the first time I am hearing they sell W175 in India. I must be living under the rock. In my defense I have never seen one plying on our roads.

In your defense, other than those people liking retro bikes, there is no way one can know that the W175 is on sale. The non-biker in me likes it for being a retro commuter bike in looks and feels, but have seen biker BHPians being perplexed by the whole product.

And even if I do wanted to buy it, the nearest Kawasaki dealer/service centre is 250+kms away. For a sub 2 lakh motorcycle? Add to that Kawasaki's reputation for stellar after sale support. No wonder, you can't see one plying on our roads.