The Kawasaki W175 Street was launched at India Bike Week 2023. Following the launch, Kawasaki has introduced the standard W175 in two new colours – ‘Metallic Graphite Grey’ and ‘Metallic Ocean Blue,’ priced at Rs 1.29 lakh and Rs 1.31 lakh, ex-showroom. Prices have been revised for all colours of the Kawasaki W175, with the base ‘Ebony’ coming in at Rs 1.22 lakh and the ‘Candy Persimmon Red’ coming in at Rs 1.24 lakh ex-showroom. The Kawasaki W175 Street comes in ‘Metallic Moondust Grey’ and ‘Candy Emerald Green’ both priced at Rs 1.35 lakh, ex-showroom. The W175 Street differentiates itself from the standard W175 by incorporating alloy wheels, tubeless tyres, different colours, and a lower wheelbase of 152mm vs the W175’s 165mm, and a lower seat height of 786.5mm vs the W175’s 790mm. Other than that, both bikes are mechanically similar.
The Kawasaki W175 range is powered by a 177cc air-cooled SOHC 2V single-cylinder producing 13bhp and 13.3Nm of torque through a 5-speed gearbox. Both bikes get 17-inch wheels, with the W175 sporting spoked rims and tubed tyres vs the W175 Street’s tubeless alloy wheels. Single channel ABS is standard on the front 270mm disc with a dual-piston calliper, the rear wheel gets a drum brake. The front wheel is suspended by a 30mm telescopic fork and the rear gets a retro-inspired twin-shock setup. Both bikes weigh 135kg wet, with a fuel capacity of 12 litres. Information is presented on a retro-inspired digital-analogue cluster. Adding to the retro style is a round 60W halogen headlamp and peashooter exhaust muffler.
The Kawasaki W175 hasn’t seen much success since its launch, with its initial asking price of Rs 1.47 lakh ex-showroom putting it dangerously close to higher-capacity bikes like the Royal Enfield Hunter 350. Do you think the Kawasaki W175’s new pricing will translate into higher sales?