Thoughts on W800

I also have what Ferret has. LOVE them so bought a set of spares in case I can’t get them.

Also have them on my ST1300. In ST1300 sizes of course :D
 
michael1954_imp said:
I like the way it looks, but I tend to think it would be just too slow and an under performing compared to our CB1100. I am still riding my Kawasaki Z900 RS, retro-Rootbeer colored one I bought in 2018. Yes, I know it is not totally Retro with its water-cooled, large radiator, but on the performance end, not many bikes with such a small displacement will do 155mph or the 1/4 mile near and below 11 seconds.
I just put new Pirelli Angel GT tires on the Z today (a 190/50 on the rear!) and they are so much smoother than the Bridgestone Battlax tires that came on it. Anyone put them on the CB1100 yet? They are 'Z' rated, and can handle the speed of the Z900RS, but are they as smooth on the Honda? Got a little off track, but if the W800 was the only Retro bike out there, I would probably buy one, but the Triumph 1200 Scrambler would be my first choice!
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Holy crap, that IS impressive!! I can't stand that big honking radiator, but maybe I need to take a closer look at that bike...hmmmm can I cross over to the dark side (water cooling)....?
 
DaSwami_imp said:
michael1954_imp said:
I like the way it looks, but I tend to think it would be just too slow and an under performing compared to our CB1100. I am still riding my Kawasaki Z900 RS, retro-Rootbeer colored one I bought in 2018. Yes, I know it is not totally Retro with its water-cooled, large radiator, but on the performance end, not many bikes with such a small displacement will do 155mph or the 1/4 mile near and below 11 seconds.
I just put new Pirelli Angel GT tires on the Z today (a 190/50 on the rear!) and they are so much smoother than the Bridgestone Battlax tires that came on it. Anyone put them on the CB1100 yet? They are 'Z' rated, and can handle the speed of the Z900RS, but are they as smooth on the Honda? Got a little off track, but if the W800 was the only Retro bike out there, I would probably buy one, but the Triumph 1200 Scrambler would be my first choice!
Click to expand...
Holy crap, that IS impressive!! I can't stand that big honking radiator, but maybe I need to take a closer look at that bike...hmmmm can I cross over to the dark side (water cooling)....?
Click to expand...
Yeah, that is the only way to get the performance out of a liter bike these days while meeting 21st emission requirements. The radiator is a mixed blessing for sure. Great when stuck in summer traffic, but a pain when they start leaking. To insult to injury, some bikes have more than one radiator.
 
Back to the W650-W800 topic, I thought I'd share a little opinion. I had ridden a W650back when they were nearly new, and thought they were wonderful, light feeling, toss-able twins, although I ended up on the Bonneville team instead.

But the interest never went away completely, and a couple months ago, I bought one with a motor apart, with 18k on it. The lower bevel gears were destroyed and the top end was off, so the engine needed to come apart completely. Because I had bought it from a second owner, the symptoms or cause are unknown.

Anyway, the bevel-driven lower (and upper) cam drive has lots of parts and shims and spacers that have to be perfect. I've been through a couple bevel-drive Ducati motors, and these are much worse than I recall them to be. In an age of reliable cam chains and belts, this was unforgivable for Kawasaki. When it's together, we'll see how it is. Pushrods would have been better.
 
pekingduck_imp said:
Back to the W650-W800 topic, I thought I'd share a little opinion. I had ridden a W650back when they were nearly new, and thought they were wonderful, light feeling, toss-able twins, although I ended up on the Bonneville team instead.

But the interest never went away completely, and a couple months ago, I bought one with a motor apart, with 18k on it. The lower bevel gears were destroyed and the top end was off, so the engine needed to come apart completely. Because I had bought it from a second owner, the symptoms or cause are unknown.

Anyway, the bevel-driven lower (and upper) cam drive has lots of parts and shims and spacers that have to be perfect. I've been through a couple bevel-drive Ducati motors, and these are much worse than I recall them to be. In an age of reliable cam chains and belts, this was unforgivable for Kawasaki. When it's together, we'll see how it is. Pushrods would have been better.
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Crap. :dodgy:

Good to know!
 
The design is not complex. Also, the concept has been around a very long time (not just in a motorcycle).

It could be, though, Kawasaki's material's and mechanical design implementation is not up to where it needs to be for the application. Materials has advanced vastly well into the 21st century, but maybe they just can't leverage it well enough for something rotating at that rate?
 
GoldOxide_imp said:
The design is not complex. Also, the concept has been around a very long time (not just in a motorcycle).

It could be, though, Kawasaki's material's and mechanical design implementation is not up to where it needs to be for the application. Materials has advanced vastly well into the 21st century, but maybe they just can't leverage it well enough for something rotating at that rate?
Click to expand...
They make fighter-jets and container ships, don't know why this would be so difficult.
 
pekingduck_imp said:
Back to the W650-W800 topic, I thought I'd share a little opinion. I had ridden a W650back when they were nearly new, and thought they were wonderful, light feeling, toss-able twins, although I ended up on the Bonneville team instead.

But the interest never went away completely, and a couple months ago, I bought one with a motor apart, with 18k on it. The lower bevel gears were destroyed and the top end was off, so the engine needed to come apart completely. Because I had bought it from a second owner, the symptoms or cause are unknown.

Anyway, the bevel-driven lower (and upper) cam drive has lots of parts and shims and spacers that have to be perfect. I've been through a couple bevel-drive Ducati motors, and these are much worse than I recall them to be. In an age of reliable cam chains and belts, this was unforgivable for Kawasaki. When it's together, we'll see how it is. Pushrods would have been better.
Click to expand...
I would change the oil FREQENTLY, with that engine design.
 
I wouldn't and change oil and filter uround about every 12.000km or in intervals of 2 years as recommended in the manual of the bike. My W800 is 11,5 years old now and has run over 76.000km without any motor problems. It's a very reliable and solide engine like the motor of the CB.

W650 had intervals of 6.000km or once a year. Don't know why Kawasaki lengthend the interval for the W800. They changed carburetors into fuel injection, gave the engine more ccm, left out the kicker and lengthend the secundary translation. There are no real major changes in the interna of the engine.
 
I'm just saying it probably doesn't belong on a modern motorcycle. It offers no advantages over a properly tensioned chain or belt, costs more, and weighs more, is harder to assemble and work on.
 
pekingduck_imp said:
I'm just saying it probably doesn't belong on a modern motorcycle. It offers no advantages over a properly tensioned chain or belt, costs more, and weighs more, is harder to assemble and work on.
Click to expand...
For an 800cc-class twin mill, the bike actually gets equal or worse fuel economy compared to the CB1100.

However, we can all probably agree that there are intangibles that attract riders to a machine's "soul". Maybe the gear-driven cam brings that uniqueness to the riding experience of the W800.

Similarly, the Moto Guzzi V7 isn't particularly a speed thrill, but its other attributes offers some real soul to prospective riders.
 
Just spent the day on country back roads on a W800 which I borrowed for the day - what an absolute hoot the bike was. Quite a light thing to chuck around in comparison to the CB but some questionable handling and suspension that takes some getting used to! I did get used to it in the end and it can be ridden reasonably spiritedly once you understand what it likes. Change is as good as a rest as they say. About 35 of us out, I ran backmarker for the group, bloody hot, 29 Deg C which is hot for Ireland.
 
Here is what I thought of it, I'd definitely have one. But alas, only room for one air-cooled bike and the CB gets the spot.

 
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