Boffin Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 I wanted light, simple and reliable - so I bought myself a 2013 (62 plate for our UK members) Kawasaki W800SE. I am the second owner, the original owner having amassed a whole 167 miles on it. That dropped the price from the new cost of£7000 to £5300 - most of which is not having to pay the 20% VAT (sales tax). I am having Givi hard-cases and a fly screen added so I may not get the bike until the new-year, depending on availability of the racks from Givi. Andy Link to comment
eddd Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 A new old-school bike. Very cool! Link to comment
Guest Kakugo Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 Nice bike... and a bargain as well. Link to comment
Marty Hill Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 Wonderful Andy, enjoy it. Link to comment
Bud Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 Merry Christmas to you!!!!! Link to comment
Kathy R Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 That is one handsome bike. You're looking pretty good yourself, Andy! Congratulations. Looking forward to more photos of your land, when the weather permits. Link to comment
EffBee Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 A Classic astride a classic. Well done, Andy. Enjoy every mile. Link to comment
barryNmarin Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 That is super Andy! 167 miles on the clock??? There must be a story in there somewhere but I'm glad you are the one to collect on a great bargain. Hope she treats you well for many miles. Barry Link to comment
SWB Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 Congrats, Andy. Every "young kid" deserves a new motorcycle for Christmas! God Bless you at Christmas, and for 1000's for safe, problem free miles, too. Scott Link to comment
David_1200 Posted December 15, 2013 Share Posted December 15, 2013 What a beautiful motorcycle! Triumph has brought back their big twin and Kawasaki has made this in one version or another for a long time. You are blessed! Back in the late '70's I was in a motorcycle tech program, and we had a lot of Vietnam vets there on the GI bill. One guy had lost a leg and rode a W650 chopper with kick start! Seriously, these bikes have a loyal following. I would love to ride one. Cheers and safe riding! Link to comment
John Bentall Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Andy, I wish you all the very best to ride it. John Link to comment
Boffin Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 Well she was delivered today with the luggage attached but not yet the fly-screen which is on back-order from Italy. As today was a window of good weather I took her for a short - 20 mile - spin round the local lanes. How different she is from my R1150RT and K100RT. Light, lithe and open to the elements - which is why I limited the ride to 20 miles - brrrr. It is not only the looks of this bike that hark back to the 1960s, the 773cc parallel twin has that distinctive throb, although Kawasaki has tamed the vibration with a balance shaft it is still unmistakably a big parallel twin. The bike pulls strongly and smoothly from low-down the rev range. The spec sheet tells me it makes max-torque at 2500 RPM and a heady 48hp at 6500 RPM. As this bike is still being run-in I dod not get near the top of the rev range. The gearbox is not troubled very often, but the changes are what you would expect from a Japanese bike, slick and precise. On the back roads and getting used to the bike I found myself tootling along at 50-55mph, the bike just feels so right in this mode. On the main road heading home, she felt planted and stable. Sweepers were dispatched with ease but this is not a bike to be flicked side-to-side at high-speed. The brakes were also more suited to a gentle relaxed ride than the track, progressive and with plenty of feel but lacking the power we are more used to these days. That said, they were more than capable of stopping the bike. I am looking forward to my first proper ride in the not-to-distant future. Andy Link to comment
BULLman Posted January 2, 2014 Share Posted January 2, 2014 Looks Great!!! Why didn't you go with a Triumph? If you don't mind me asking. Was it a budget thing? Link to comment
Boffin Posted January 2, 2014 Author Share Posted January 2, 2014 Looks Great!!! Why didn't you go with a Triumph? If you don't mind me asking. Was it a budget thing? My neighbour who works at a certain factory in Hinckley asked me the same question... The W has always appealed to me, and this one came up for sale with mileage equivalent to about one tank of fuel and looking like new. As used bikes do not attract sales tax in the UK plus it is a year-old I saved around 25% on the price of a new one. If a similar deal had come up on a T100 or a Bonnie I would have looked at those too, but to be honest, the W holds its value better and has a better reputation. Andy Link to comment
Sweendog Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Congrats! Geez, Kawasaki offers all kinds of bikes in the UK that aren't available in the US. Link to comment
hopz Posted January 3, 2014 Share Posted January 3, 2014 Oh man… the W800. Love it and really wish Kawasaki had imported it to the US market. They did bring the W650 here but not for very many years. Congratulations, and please send along more photos. Thanks. Link to comment
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