Kawasaki has introduced a new version of its most affordable motorcycle, the W175 urban retro. Called the W175 Street, it's priced at Rs 1.35 lakh (ex-showroom), making it Rs 12,000 more affordable than the standard W175. Despite this, it actually features some improvements over the standard bike.
The biggest change here is that the W175 Street gets alloy wheels, and therefore, tubeless tyres. In contrast, the standard motorcycle rolls on wire-spoke wheels and tubed tyres. Sizes for wheels and tyres remain the same, though – 80/100-17 at the front and 100/90-17 at the rear. Comparing the spec sheets of the two bikes, there are also slight differences in seat height, ground clearance and wheelbase, though there is no word yet on whether any changes have been made to the frame. One confirmed difference is the addition of more blacked-out finishes on the Street.
What remains the same is the 177cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine, which continues to produce 13hp and 13.2Nm. It's also still a fairly sparsely equipped motorcycle, sporting a basic halogen headlight and largely analogue instrumentation, with a small LCD digital inset.
Kawasaki has announced that this Rs 1.35 lakh price tag is introductory, but it hasn't announced what duration or number of units it is limited to. There is also no word yet on when bookings will open or deliveries will begin.
Ved Janve
Azaman Chothia
Dinshaw Magol
Vishal Venugopal
