The Japanese company recently sent a 'block your date' request for September 25. And it began teasing a new W series model on its social media accounts around the same time. It was even spotted testing on our roads not long ago. This made-in-India W175 is expected to be released on September 25.
It will be the second model from Kawasaki's W line-up to be offered in India, following the W800. The W175 shares the styling of its elder sibling with a clean, bare-bones, and old-school look. The circular theme extends to the instrument cluster and indicators, and the fuel tank and side panels.
It is expected to be powered by a 177cc air-cooled single-cylinder engine that is now fuel-injected to meet India's BS6 emission standards. It retains its 13 hp of maximum power and 13.2 Nm of peak torque. Which are transmitted to the rear wheel via a 5-speed transmission and chain-drive system.
Those are modest numbers, but Kawasaki has the advantage of being a very light machine at 135kg. So not only the performance levels will be adequate, but the bike should be a lot more manageable and approachable than the larger, heavier retros on the market.
The chassis is simple with a telescopic fork and twin shock absorbers along with wire-spoke wheels. The fact that the wheels are 17-inches means that buyers will have more tyre options. The rear suspension travel is quite limited and the lack of a rear disc brake will be quite disappointing at the price point that this bike is likely to arrive at.
The W175 will be Kawasaki's most localised motorcycle in India, and we expect it to be priced around Rs 1.50 lakh (ex-showroom), possibly even a little lower.
