june 01, 2016 - Kawasaki

W800 Final Edition – The end of an era

Some fifty years since its launch, #kawasaki has announced the end of the iconic W series of four-stroke vertical twin motorcycles; the #w800 ‘Final Edition’ marks the end of an era.

With a limited number available for the 2017 season, fans and enthusiasts across Europe have a last chance to experience the contemporary descendant of the famous W series that first emerged from the #kawasaki factory in Akashi, Japan, in the mid 1960’s. Suitably christened the #w800 ‘Final Edition’, the last model in the line is resplendent in its remarkable Candy Brown and Candy Sunset Orange paint scheme.

The #w800 with its authentic retro look and feel is considered by many to be a modern day classic. The clean and simple lines of the beautifully sculpted air-cooled 4-stroke vertical twin air-cooled motor displaces 773 cm3 complete with a bevel gear driven camshaft contributing to the carefully considered heritage engineering approach and stunning visual appearance. Attention to detail abounds and gives the #w800 an exquisite quality and nostalgic beauty complete with its distinctive tank badge resembling that of the original W series highlighting the long-lasting heritage of the #w800.

The family tree of the #w800 and the W series itself can be traced back to 1966 when #kawasaki introduced its ‘great grandfather’; the W1. Equipped with a robust and reliable 650cc engine and 50hp, the W1 was the very first large capacity high performance four-stroke under the #kawasaki banner and turned out to be a true manufacturing milestone – especially in the American market where it helped set the foundations for the brand in a huge motorcycle hungry market.

Echoing the lines and the engineering essence of the original W1, #kawasaki later introduced the W650 in 1998 which was enthusiastically embraced by a new legion of fans both young and old, proving that true style never really goes out of fashion.

Selecting retro overdrive, the Japanese manufacturer then introduced the #w800 in 2011, extending the W family line further still. All the generations of the W series possess authentic quality and classic beauty and #kawasaki has concentrated on delivering a mixture of high tech with heritage in a seductive retro package throughout the modern W series. Now, sadly, the line must end as the current machine will not meet future European motorcycle regulations.

Celebrating over 50 years of the W-family, #kawasaki hopes this last-in-line ‘Final Edition’ will highlight the heritage of the #w800 once more and prove a fitting end to the W series, according to the Corporate Planning Director for #kawasaki Motors Europe, Mr. Morihiro Ikoma: “It’s never easy to say good bye to an old friend, especially one as iconic as the #w800. Paying homage to the W series with this Final Edition is therefore a truly fitting end to a long and successful line of machines.”