While cars and bikes are getting more expensive in India owing to the government rolling back excise duty benefits, Kawasaki has made an announcement that should delight customers. The bike maker has cut the price of its naked sportsbike, the Z800, by Rs 50,000. It is now priced at Rs 7.35 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune), and this price will be valid till end of March 2015.
According to the Japanese manufacturer, the price reduction on the Z800 is owing to a drop in the cost of production at its Thailand plant, which is where the bike is manufactured before being brought to India. The price cut is limited only to the Z800, because all other Kawasaki models are manufactured in Japan. Kawasaki has also added that this benefit on the Z800 can vary depending on local taxation.
The Kawasaki Z800 is directly rivalled by the Triumph Street Triple, but it not only holds a performance advantage over the Triumph, but is now also considerably less expensive than the Street Triple. In fact, the Z800 is now the most affordable in-line, four-cylinder motorcycle on sale in India.