Kawasaki
W650
Parts and Accessories from Motorcycle
Products Ltd
Our online
shop has brand new spares for sale for the Kawasaki W650 series
Just because the 1960s were forty years ago doesn't
make the music bad. You could say the same about the motorcycles, if there were
enough original examples left to say it about!
Kawasaki W650 with yesterday's looks and today's technology. The chance to
rediscover the feel-good ride quality of those great machines from the 60s, on a
retro styled machine sporting some thoroughly modern technology.
Kawasaki have taken the classic parallel twin design and modernised it to suit
today's riding conditions. With advanced features like bevel-gear cam drive for
quiet, reliable high-rpm operation. Instant starting comes courtesy of an
electric starter backed by dependable electronic ignition. They even fitted a
balance shaft for smooth running and low vibration.
The W650 has been designed with a brief of producing a traditional looking
European parallel twin style machine with a subtle blend of 1960s looks and
contemporary technology.
A 675cm³ air cooled parallel twin beats at the heart of the machine. It looks
and sounds like a classic (Triumph Bonneville) but has a host of features under
the skin like one of the most advanced ignition systems ever fitted to a
Kawasaki and a gear driven single overhead camshaft design.
It's the clever combination of old style and up-to-date design that make riding
and owning a W650 so rewarding.
The ribbed seat with its distinctive white trim evokes perfectly the styles of
the heyday of British biking.
The bevel drive to the camshafts is just one hint that this is a very special
and highly specified motor. With electric and kick starting available, the way a
journey begins is up to you.
Chrome tank badges and rubber knee pads combined with classic paint schemes to
make the W650 an outstanding example of motorcycle styling.
Kawasaki has manufactured the W650 since 1999. It is a "retro" model designed to
reflect the appearance and sound of 1960's British parallel twin motorcycles
such as the Triumph Bonneville. The "W" in its model name makes a historic
reference to Kawasaki's W1, W2 and W3 models, manufactured between 1967 and
1975.
In the United States and Canada the W650 was imported from 1999 until 2000. With
weak US and Canadian sales and the introduction of the competing "retro"
Bonneville by Triumph, Kawasaki concentrated sales in in Europe and Japan.
Kawasaki gave the W650 a long-stroke engine of 72 mm bore x 80 mm stroke in
order to mimic the character of historic British parallel twins. However, in
2006 Kawasaki added a short-stroke W400 model, in Japan. Kawasaki simply
combined the same 72 mm bore with a short-throw crankshaft to give a 49 mm
stroke and 399 cc displacement. |
