Of late, it seems like everything is going retro – from fashion to music, there seems to be a sense of nostalgia. This has also extended to motorcycles, the latest case being the Kawasaki W175 – a 2020s motorcycle with a smaller capacity air-cooled engine, a rear drum brake and a simple halogen headlamp. Fret not, there’s more to the W175 than meets the eye.
The new W175 is the younger brother of Kawasaki’s W800 retro motorcycle. While the W800 is beautiful to ride and look at, its high asking price deters many potential customers. That’s exactly what the W175 set out to do, be a more pocket-friendly option with the same charming retro feel of the W800.
And to that end, the W175 gets almost everything right. The round, chrome-trimmed halogen headlight, teardrop-shaped fuel tank, boxy side panels, curved fenders and simple tail-lights are all reminiscent of the classy W800. The only merit is that it seems a little too small and bare-bones, and in absence of that, it looks too simplistic. I am sure the Candy Persimmon Red paint option along with the gold detailing will do justice to this motorcycle. Still, you can’t blame Kawasaki because there’s a certain beauty in the W175’s simplicity.
Keeping up with the retro theme, the smaller W sibling gets a simple analogue instrument cluster with a small digital readout that displays fuel level, odometer, trip meter and clock. The cluster has a nice, old-school font with the W logo in the center and has warning lights as well as buttons to control the digital screen. Meanwhile, the switchgear is nice to operate and also of good quality.
Now features are one area where the W175 falls short. It makes do with single disc brake, halogen headlamps and single-pod cluster with single-channel ABS. While some might argue that it isn’t necessary for a retro motorcycle to have fancy features, you can’t help but think that Kawasaki could have thrown in a few more things, considering that you’ve got to shell out ₹2 lakh (on- Road, Mumbai). ) for W175. A rear disc brake, dual-channel ABS, tachometer and a USB port would all have been welcome additions at this price.
Still, jump on the W175’s approachable 790mm throne, and you’re sitting in a very commuter-ish position. You are sitting nice and straight with easy access to the handlebar and the foot pegs are front-set, which makes the overall riding position comfortable. The seat is narrow though and the padding shallow, so it can get uncomfortable after riding for a while. Given its compact dimensions, it may be cramped for taller riders.
Powering the W175 is a smaller 177cc, two-valve, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine that produces a modest 13hp and 13.2Nm. Now, while those figures are well below its competition, the Kawasaki makes up for what it lacks by being a featherweight. Tipping the scales at just 135kg, the W175 weighs a whole 40kg less than the Royal Enfield Hunter 350. This is really reflected in its performance numbers. Despite losing 7hp and around 14Nm to the Hunter, the W175 gets to 60kph from a standstill in 5.26sec, much shorter than the RE’s 4.95sec.
In terms of in-gear acceleration too, the W175 does 20-50kph in 3.69 seconds and the Hunter in 3.39 seconds, while in the 30-70kph run, the Kawasaki is only a second behind the Royal Enfield. The tiny Kawi’s 177cc engine runs out of steam only after 80 kmph, taking an extra 10 seconds to do 80-100 kmph.
Unlike overseas markets, where old fashioned carburetors are used for fueling, Kawasaki in India has given the W175 fuel injection to comply with the emission norms. The engine itself is a refined unit and has a nice fruity tone. It is not a slow rev thumper like your typical RE, but on the go, this engine has a very laid back nature, which matches well with the character of this motorcycle. It’s not what you’d call loud, but it has a strong mid-range. The engine is tractable and pulls cleanly from low down in the rev range despite the slightly tall gearing. There’s some buzz at higher revs and it struggles to get into triple-digit speeds, which is to be expected from an engine of this size, but it’s not a deal breaker.
In terms of fuel efficiency, the Kawasaki proved to be a light sipper in our tests, returning 48.2kpl on the highway and 43.76kpl in the city. These figures are higher than the Hunter’s 39.84kpl on the highway and 30.61kpl in the city respectively.
The gearbox is nice and slick for the most part, but on a few occasions it will hesitate to shift. The clutch operation is light, which makes it easy to maneuver in traffic. As far as the brakes are concerned, they have ample stopping power, bringing the W to a halt from 60 kmph in 17.52 metres. Still, the presence of a drum brake at the rear is a bit out of date at this price point.
Kawasaki has also managed to strike a good balance between ride and handling on the W175. Underpinning it is a simple, tubular, semi-double-cradle frame that is suspended by telescopic forks and twin shock absorbers. The little W sneaks into corners with ease and remains fairly quiet while doing so. Given that it runs on skinny Seat tyres, they have ample grip and give good feedback to the rider.
The W175 is one of those motorcycles that you buy with your heart, not your head. There are plenty of motorcycles in the market that will give you more performance and features at the same price, but that would be missing the point. Priced between ₹1.47 lakh and ₹1.49 lakh, the W175 costs around ₹13,000 more than another Japanese neo-retro motorcycle, the Yamaha FZ-X, while the retro variant of the Royal Enfield Hunter costs just ₹1,000 less.
The W175 will appeal to those who seek a simple, smooth and authentic retro motorcycle riding experience. You’ll have to get by without some of the niceties and pay a premium, but the experience definitely makes it worth it.