(07-12-2013, 10:17 AM)Scoobynut_imp Wrote:

(07-12-2013, 09:02 AM)ChipBeck_imp Wrote: I should have known better. Yeah I was talking about the 650 and even though you posted W800 I wasn't sharp enough to realize it was a new bigger engined model. I stand corrected. You can probably answer another question. My objection to the shaft can drive wasn't it's looks, it was that the original Bonneville's didn't have that. I know another vintage bike did. What was it??

Chip

I'm not sure if we're playing trivia now, or if you just don't know! I'm not sure about any parallel twins that might've had the bevel drive, but I know classic Ducatis did at one time.

As far as the Bonnies not having the bevel drive, well, even the old W series Kawasakis in the 60s didn't have it, so who knows why Kawi incorporated it into the W650/800. I'd like to think so they could one-up the new Bonnie when it came out, but that's just what I'd like to think...

(07-12-2013, 08:04 AM)Scoobynut_imp Wrote:

(07-12-2013, 07:55 AM)ChipBeck_imp Wrote:

(07-12-2013, 04:50 AM)Scoobynut_imp Wrote:

(07-12-2013, 04:24 AM)wildezt_imp Wrote: looks Great...! and nice bike..

Yeah, aren't those W800s gorgeous? I'd have one in a heartbeat if Kawasaki ever sold them here.

(07-12-2013, 04:28 AM)Guth_imp Wrote: Now that looks nice. It will be interesting to see what they come up with for the CB1100.

Hopefully looks just like the one in the pictures! I'm going to buy one as soon as they're available so will be able to give some real world reviews after living with it for a while...

They did sell them here. When I bought my Bonneville I also looked at that Kawasaki. In many ways it was a better copy of the original Bonneville than the new Bonnie was. But I didn't like the strange shaft drive for the cams (still the biggest visual eyesore on that bike to me) and it was a Kawasaki and not a Triumph so I bought the Bonneville. They sold them here for a couple of years but they never moved well here in the states.

Chip

They did sell them here. When I bought my Bonneville I also looked at that Kawasaki. In many ways it was a better copy of the original Bonneville than the new Bonnie was. But I didn't like the strange shaft drive for the cams (still the biggest visual eyesore on that bike to me) and it was a Kawasaki and not a Triumph so I bought the Bonneville. They sold them here for a couple of years but they never moved well here in the states.

Chip
Chip, yep, I'm well aware they sold the W650 here, if only briefly, 2000-01, I believe. I know a guy who has four of them. It's too bad Kawasaki is gun shy about selling a retro because of that experience, but I think the W800 would do better now that retro design is more sought after. I do like that the W800 has a substantially larger motor than the 650 and is fuel-injected instead of carbs. Staintune makes a full system for the 800 that sounds fantastic from what I've heard in the youtube video. Oh, and I like the bevel drive shaft on the one side of the motor. Different strokes for different folks, eh?

The 800 wouldn't be enough to make me sell my 1100, but I'd like to have both.

(07-12-2013, 07:34 PM)ChipBeck_imp Wrote:

(07-12-2013, 10:17 AM)Scoobynut_imp Wrote:

(07-12-2013, 09:02 AM)ChipBeck_imp Wrote: I should have known better. Yeah I was talking about the 650 and even though you posted W800 I wasn't sharp enough to realize it was a new bigger engined model. I stand corrected. You can probably answer another question. My objection to the shaft can drive wasn't it's looks, it was that the original Bonneville's didn't have that. I know another vintage bike did. What was it??

Chip

I'm not sure if we're playing trivia now, or if you just don't know! I'm not sure about any parallel twins that might've had the bevel drive, but I know classic Ducatis did at one time.

As far as the Bonnies not having the bevel drive, well, even the old W series Kawasakis in the 60s didn't have it, so who knows why Kawi incorporated it into the W650/800. I'd like to think so they could one-up the new Bonnie when it came out, but that's just what I'd like to think...

I didn't know and couldn't find a British bike with a shaft (bevel) driven camshaft although I could have sworn I'd seen one in the past. I knew Ducati used them. It was bugging me so I did a little research and finally found it. The bike photo I saw a long time ago was a late 1940's to early 1950's Norton 500cc single which had a bevel drive on the right hand side of it's cylinder.

Chip

(07-13-2013, 02:27 AM)Scoobynut_imp Wrote:

(07-12-2013, 07:34 PM)ChipBeck_imp Wrote:

(07-12-2013, 10:17 AM)Scoobynut_imp Wrote:

(07-12-2013, 09:02 AM)ChipBeck_imp Wrote: I should have known better. Yeah I was talking about the 650 and even though you posted W800 I wasn't sharp enough to realize it was a new bigger engined model. I stand corrected. You can probably answer another question. My objection to the shaft can drive wasn't it's looks, it was that the original Bonneville's didn't have that. I know another vintage bike did. What was it??

Chip

I'm not sure if we're playing trivia now, or if you just don't know! I'm not sure about any parallel twins that might've had the bevel drive, but I know classic Ducatis did at one time.

As far as the Bonnies not having the bevel drive, well, even the old W series Kawasakis in the 60s didn't have it, so who knows why Kawi incorporated it into the W650/800. I'd like to think so they could one-up the new Bonnie when it came out, but that's just what I'd like to think...

I didn't know and couldn't find a British bike with a shaft (bevel) driven camshaft although I could have sworn I'd seen one in the past. I knew Ducati used them. It was bugging me so I did a little research and finally found it. The bike photo I saw a long time ago was a late 1940's to early 1950's Norton 500cc single which had a bevel drive on the right hand side of it's cylinder.

Chip

I didn't know and couldn't find a British bike with a shaft (bevel) driven camshaft although I could have sworn I'd seen one in the past. I knew Ducati used them. It was bugging me so I did a little research and finally found it. The bike photo I saw a long time ago was a late 1940's to early 1950's Norton 500cc single which had a bevel drive on the right hand side of it's cylinder.

Chip
I vaguely remembered something along those lines, but had no idea it was a Norton single.

(07-13-2013, 10:11 AM)jamboa_imp Wrote: [quote='Buffalohead' pid='7413' dateline='1373743847']
This retro movement is the best thing that has happened to motorcycles in eons. , especially the British bike look-alikes. I do love the CB11 but I would kill for a Kawi W800. With fuel injection, it would be much better than the W650 and sell better too. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like British bikes, I do. The Triumph is the BEST looking bike (except for maybe the Royal Enfield and I won't go there). But, reliability and build quality is too important to me. I'm afraid every time they come out with a Japan/British clone, I will HAVE to buy one. I already have a Suzuki TU250X. It's a great little bike and more fun than you'd think for a small bike.

I wish Kawi had waited and brought out the FI W800 before the W650 because I think it would have given them a better outlook on the retro market. I believe it would be much better suited to American bikers. Besides the W800, have you seen all of the retro bikes the Japanese guys are making that are not being imported here? If the Japanese keep coming out with these retro bikes here, I may have to go back to work!
[/quote
LOL! Yea my nightmares R that I am no longer retired and I had to run my business again. Talking about the Dart Screen I had a color matched one on my Scramble and they look good but do virtually nothing in the function department. I think the W800 is still too small a motor. I Had my 790 Bonneville bored to 904. That wome it up plenty.

(07-14-2013, 12:52 AM)Scoobynut_imp Wrote:

(07-13-2013, 10:11 AM)jamboa_imp Wrote: [quote='Buffalohead' pid='7413' dateline='1373743847']
This retro movement is the best thing that has happened to motorcycles in eons. , especially the British bike look-alikes. I do love the CB11 but I would kill for a Kawi W800. With fuel injection, it would be much better than the W650 and sell better too. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like British bikes, I do. The Triumph is the BEST looking bike (except for maybe the Royal Enfield and I won't go there). But, reliability and build quality is too important to me. I'm afraid every time they come out with a Japan/British clone, I will HAVE to buy one. I already have a Suzuki TU250X. It's a great little bike and more fun than you'd think for a small bike.

I wish Kawi had waited and brought out the FI W800 before the W650 because I think it would have given them a better outlook on the retro market. I believe it would be much better suited to American bikers. Besides the W800, have you seen all of the retro bikes the Japanese guys are making that are not being imported here? If the Japanese keep coming out with these retro bikes here, I may have to go back to work!
[/quote
LOL! Yea my nightmares R that I am no longer retired and I had to run my business again. Talking about the Dart Screen I had a color matched one on my Scramble and they look good but do virtually nothing in the function department. I think the W800 is still too small a motor. I Had my 790 Bonneville bored to 904. That wome it up plenty.

I have a small screen (not a Dart, admittedly) on my Hawk GT and it functions exactly as I want it to; it keeps the wind off my chest and keeps my helmet in the clean airflow above. I'm hoping the Dart will function similarly on the CB1100, but am not expecting a Goldwing, cocoon-like level of protection. Am wondering if the Dart on your Scrambler kept any wind off your chest or not?

(07-14-2013, 12:52 AM)Scoobynut_imp Wrote:

(07-13-2013, 10:11 AM)jamboa_imp Wrote: [quote='Buffalohead' pid='7413' dateline='1373743847']
This retro movement is the best thing that has happened to motorcycles in eons. , especially the British bike look-alikes. I do love the CB11 but I would kill for a Kawi W800. With fuel injection, it would be much better than the W650 and sell better too. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like British bikes, I do. The Triumph is the BEST looking bike (except for maybe the Royal Enfield and I won't go there). But, reliability and build quality is too important to me. I'm afraid every time they come out with a Japan/British clone, I will HAVE to buy one. I already have a Suzuki TU250X. It's a great little bike and more fun than you'd think for a small bike.

I wish Kawi had waited and brought out the FI W800 before the W650 because I think it would have given them a better outlook on the retro market. I believe it would be much better suited to American bikers. Besides the W800, have you seen all of the retro bikes the Japanese guys are making that are not being imported here? If the Japanese keep coming out with these retro bikes here, I may have to go back to work!
[/quote
LOL! Yea my nightmares R that I am no longer retired and I had to run my business again. Talking about the Dart Screen I had a color matched one on my Scramble and they look good but do virtually nothing in the function department. I think the W800 is still too small a motor. I Had my 790 Bonneville bored to 904. That wome it up plenty.

I have a small screen (not a Dart, admittedly) on my Hawk GT and it functions exactly as I want it to; it keeps the wind off my chest and keeps my helmet in the clean airflow above. I'm hoping the Dart will function similarly on the CB1100, but am not expecting a Goldwing, cocoon-like level of protection. Am wondering if the Dart on your Scrambler kept any wind off your chest or not?