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(02-08-2021, 05:00 PM)Indypikes_imp Wrote: I have not ridden a W800 but I am attracted to them for obvious reasons as standard, retro bikes do it for me. I've seen leftover 2019 Cafe versions in the yuck brown being sold for ridiculously low prices. What I don't like is the ugly, fat tank that just ruins the aesthetics for me, but that's obviously subjective.
Reviews have not been kind to the W800.....buzzy, slow, clunky, etc. but I know that really doesn't mean a whole lot. A friend of mine in FL, who is a very astute and finicky motorcycle connoisseur, recently picked up a 2020 in Red and really likes it. I hope to see him this Spring and give it a spin.
My thinking is that a new Bonneville T100 would run circles around the W and that would be my choice if in the market for a mid-priced, retro standard. Again, just my opinion.
Ride for 10 years a W800, one of the first 800 edition. Enjoy the bike very much on over 72.000km. It has typical paralleltwin vibrations in a small range of round about 3.300 til 3.800 rpm. Not much but you can feel them. Out of this range the W800 runs very smoothly. The bike is nearly as fast as the speedcutted CB, but it will take more time to rev the W up to its max speed. No wonder. Though the CB can handle faster speeds better, I think the W isn't meant to be driven for fast rides, because the bike sometimes starts to slinger which the CB with its stronger frame and riding layout won't. The W is clunky? By no means no, not mine. The proportions of the motor can stand and win all comparisons in my eyes. All in all the W is a reliable and very good looking retro bike, one of, if not the best. But the looks depend on the version. I personally prefer the shiny first edition and the last released one and would leave out the released ones in between.
Wisedrum
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(02-04-2021, 10:56 PM)The A-man_imp Wrote: Something just attracts me to the vertical twin architecture- Triumphs, W800, old Yamaha 650, old CB 450, etc. Never owned one though. Unfortunately, Mrs. A-man has instituted a strict "One butt, One bike" policy. Repression!
She needs understand that, like a pet dog, motorcycles can get separation anxiety if left alone in a garage. Having a companion bike is not a luxury but a necessity.
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For the experience, I would consider renting and riding a W800 all day if given the chance.
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My BIL and I drove out to hell-and-gone, read Victorville, to look at a W800. I made what I considered to be a fair offer, but the old fart acted insulted and wheeled the bike away. I didn't lose any sleep over it.
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(02-09-2021, 04:13 AM)Charlie Bravo_imp Wrote: My BIL and I drove out to hell-and-gone, read Victorville, to look at a W800. I made what I considered to be a fair offer, but the old fart acted insulted and wheeled the bike away. I didn't lose any sleep over it.
You drove? 
(just kiddin' of course)
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Shoot, Charlie, shoulda kept going to Vegas to made a fun trip out of it.
I know three people in Victorville, and they're all old farts.
I've wondered why I keep seeing W800s in the local showroom, and discounts on the Cafe models. Just read some reviews and now have an idea as to why.
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(02-09-2021, 06:03 AM)m in sc_imp Wrote: I like them., but the w series and the triumphs Bonneville's (at least as of a few yrs ago) look great, but lack of performance was always the deal breaker for me. Nice looking bikes though.
Somewhat like the Moto Guzzi V7.
Good looks (to many), quality build, classic soul, but overall gutless.
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I've never heard a bike described as Visually Offensive. I've applied the term to some of the questionable remodels in my neighborhood, maybe to some in-laws, but not to a bike. I'd describe Guzzis as Visuslly Disruptive.
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Saw right m_in_sc. We are entitled to our own opinion. I'd ride a lawnmower if there was nothing else. Not glamorous, but a Guzzi would be a lot more.
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(02-09-2021, 06:34 AM)GoldOxide_imp Wrote: (02-09-2021, 06:03 AM)m in sc_imp Wrote: I like them., but the w series and the triumphs Bonneville's (at least as of a few yrs ago) look great, but lack of performance was always the deal breaker for me. Nice looking bikes though.
Somewhat like the Moto Guzzi V7.
Good looks (to many), quality build, classic soul, but overall gutless.
Somewhat like the Moto Guzzi V7.
....but overall gutless.
Never heard the word "gutless" before. I translated it into German and found "feige", which paraphrased means: to be too afraid to do something. Something like that.
So I can't see, why a W is gutless. Maybe I don't understand this comparison and it can be descibed in a way I can get it.
Lack of power is a matter of eyesight. For 48HP the W800 has enough power in my eyes. I like the torquey layout of the engine right from down under. It feels good and pulls everywhere like the CB. Some think that even 90HP of the CB isn't enough. So what. For me the way an engine communicates its power is my fountain of joy while riding it. I like to cruise on a wide plateau of torque without peaks. So I choosed motorbikes with this character. The W has definitely such a character. One can find it boring. I don't do it.
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