Kawasaki W800 - any good?

[Wonko The Sane]

I'm fancying a retro bike, would love an enfield but still convinced that I'll ether kill it or just end up servicing it each weekend from the daily 40 mile round trip of motorway,

Most of that is done filtering through traffic but with the occasional stretch reaching actual motorway pace.

I've had a sideways glance at the Yamaha SR400 and decided it's perhaps not powerful enough to have much in reserve on the hilly bits of motorway and so am back on considering a larger engined retro bike.

So, anyone actually ridden one?
Any other retro bikes I should consider? or should I just get an ER6F since I only ever commute?
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[Eddie Hitler]

A naked single for a motorway commute? ..

I would recommend your current ZZR600 (if you still have it). Better than any of those bikes you mentioned for commuting on. Doesn't compute spending more money on a bike when a cheapo ZZR does exactly the same job.

[kawashima]

Bonneville is much better than W650/800 imo.
Bonneville has much better blake. W doesn't stop at all!!!
It's front blake is just terrible for most sport bike users.
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own:2020 Serow 250
owned: 2012 YB125SP, 2008 TDM900, 2005 W650, 2002 LS125R, 2002 CB400SF, NS50F, C50 / Trip to UK(2009), Hokkaido touring(2013)

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

The bonne is pants in comparison. Shimming the valves is a cam out job apparently - unlike the Ws. Also, you don;t get a centre stand as standard. But ironically one of the cut corners on the Triumph actually works in favour of those who would commute on a faux classic - namely the crappy plastic mud guards. The Ws chromed mild steel will rust in no time, whereas the shitty plastic of the bonne will be sitting there in landfill sites fourteen centuries from now. One other thing - the W800 is possibly the blandest sounding bike ever devised. The bonne isn't much better - but is loads easier to make sound good due to the zorst system being in several pieces rather than one big grand's worth dobber. You can sleeve and end can thing on the strumpet and soon have it sounding good. The W by contrast requires far more imagination and £££.

But either way I wouldn't use either of them to commute on - unless I lived in arizona. They have no finish to speak of and will look terrible in a matter of months - even if those are summer months. Unless that is you are massively OCD and willing to spend at least half an hour cleaning at the end of every day. Double that on wet days. They are vampires of time and will suck every spare hour from your life.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[Wonko The Sane]

The ZZR seems to be giving me shoulder and back problems manhandling it in and out of the garden (got a dodgy back anyway) so fancying something a bit lighter

My bike has to live outside which won't help the finish on anything I get!
Would be nice to have something with a bit of a 50's twist for going to rock n roll events tho
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[P.]

Do you literally just commute on a bike?

FZ6 or something, keep it more upright but still have some go.

[slowlydoesit]

[RhynoCZ]

I'd go for the W650. W800 has DFi units and I just don't like these things.
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'87 Honda XBR 500, '96 Kawasaki ZX7R P1, '90 Honda CB-1, '88 Kawasaki GPz550, MZ 150 ETZ
'95 Mercedes-Benz w202 C200 CGI, '98 Mercedes-Benz w210 E200 Kompressor

[Wonko The Sane]

I'm fine on the bike, it's comfortable to ride, it's the shunting it backwards and forwards to get it in and out of where I park it.

I ride up past my back gate and then go backwards (I'm pointing up hill slightly) and wiggle left then right in an S to get into the back garden before pulling forwards up to the garden wall.

To get out I push backwards and then ride in a U turn around my fence post to face down the alleyway and out to the road.

In terms of performance, if a lorry is coming down a slip road next to me I want enough power to twist my wrist / drop a gear and twist my wrist and be in front of it.

On the 125 sometimes the only option I had was to brake from alongside the cab and tuck behind it which felt risky as I was never sure if the driver had seen me.
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[P.]

Can you not just buy an Almax. Forget parking it in a ball ache way?

Security is probably the main issue, so resolve that?

[Wonko The Sane]

I live on a fairly steep road with no driveway backing onto a school and only on-street parking

The bike lives in the garden to prevent someone knocking it over when parking badly - the school run seems to start around 8.30 just before I'm setting off.

Front garden is 4ft higher than the road level so not an option
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[P.]

damn...

DRZ and park in the house. Problem solved

But nah, seriously... just get something lighter, less barge like. My BB is about 1/4 ton and its a fucker just turning it round whilst rolling backwards where as the KTM is a 1 handed affair.

[Wonko The Sane]

Used to side stand spin the vara, started knackering my knee up tho.

In the house isn't an option due to the front steps.

Fancied an ER6f when I did my test but couldn't afford one and not too keen on the new model
____________________
Looking to pass your CBT / Bike tests in Bury Lancashire? try www.focusridertraining.co.uk Would recommend.
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[Rogerborg]

I wouldn't recommend an Enfield for your purposes.

Haven't ridden a W800, I did have a look at a W650 which wasn't looking so clever after a few years of sitting around unused. TBH, the chromed up Electra "Deluxe" wasn't my first choice either, I'd rather have a matt / rat retro and skip the polishing.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[qarka]

My dad had a W650, the first big bike I ever rode (when I was about 15). Obviously rose-tinted memories, but I thought it was excellent. It was actually quite a bit tamer than the SR500 I used to commute on, I'm guessing because of the difference in weight, and because of being a IL2 vs a torquey big single.
For a motorway commute I wouldn't recommend an SR, I found mine pretty uncomfortable above 60mph. W650 I'm not sure about, only rode it on a disused airfield.


Just realised how unhelpful this post is.... Never mind, here's a pic of my old dechromed, matt blacked, keyless ignition, total loss SR500:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/t1.0-9/13511_10200180417487530_204082695_n.jpg
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Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500

[kawashima]

I owned W650. At first it was fun cause it can run at lower rpm compared to CB400SF, but I wasn't pleased with its most of its functional aspects. Poor brakes, weak clutch (I had to change clutch plate), poor suspension.
I really hated Kawasaki attached small diameter single disc on this heavy 200kg bike just to make it look more retro
Even after I changed brake pads into GPZ1100 ones, it didn't bite well.
Some of W owners were saying it's not brake problem but your technique problem things.
No! It should have large diameter single disc like Bonneville.
I rented Bonneville one day and rode winding, Bonneville has solid taste in every aspects compared to W.
W's genuine tyres are TT100GP. If you look at its pattern, you can see how it doesn't grip.
W owners were always talking about which exhaust sounds better? Your jacket doesn't fit W, Who attach screen on W should hang himself etc etc.
I hated every aspect of W because I didn't want retro bike but more solid reliable touring bike.
You can buy Bonneville much cheaper than us. W looks good but it's really bad bike once you ride on it.
Especially W800 doesn't rev at all compared to W650. It has torque curve like a diesel truck. It's max torque is at 2500rpm, but it actually doesn't rev as hell. When I tried W800, I was astonished how sh*t bike it is. Even other riders were saying they were surprised how its brake doesn't bite at all.
W650 isn't good, but W800 was far worser than W650.
You should try W once. I think you agree with me.
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own:2020 Serow 250
owned: 2012 YB125SP, 2008 TDM900, 2005 W650, 2002 LS125R, 2002 CB400SF, NS50F, C50 / Trip to UK(2009), Hokkaido touring(2013)

[billytwomirro...]

Bad back then give the Bonnie a miss,its a heavy bugger.

[Wonko The Sane]

Basically I need to continue on my plan to change jobs to be nearer to home and not using motorway and then I can get something I actually want.

Thanks for the glowing review of the W800
____________________
Looking to pass your CBT / Bike tests in Bury Lancashire? try www.focusridertraining.co.uk Would recommend.
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[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[qarka]

An Honest Review of The Triumph Bonneville

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Previous - Sinnis Apache - Honda Bros 400 - Yamaha SR500 - Honda Transalp - Kawasaki ZX-7R - Honda CB-1 - Honda 929 Fireblade - Honda NTV650 [b]Current[\b] Honda CB500