If someone is looking for a W650..

[atadaskew]

I always thought these looked better than the new Triumph Bonnies...
Only $2K!!!  Looks like it needs a bit of elbow grease butt still.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/mcy/1931228462.html

Not mine, no connection etc etc, just giving a heads up.

[JamesG]

At least its starting to really look vintage.

[1KPerDay]

They won't bring the 800 here. The 650 was such a huge sales success...

[Papa Lazarou]

They won't bring the 800 here. The 650 was such a huge sales success...

Only because they rot faster than a staple in salt water and ride like a Super Dream....

[DogBoy]

They won't bring the 800 here. The 650 was such a huge sales success...

Yup. It was a showroom anchor. Plus it just brought a bunch of old guys into the showroom who wanted to talk about that ancient triumph in boxes in their garage and how they would never buy a Japanese bike.  

[gritsngravy]

A few unlikely bikes being imported to the states recently.....lot of folks eating crow about Yami's fz-8 and Super Tenere.

[scarecrow]

Many Kawasaki dealers are still fuming over the W650. It took a letter writing campaign to get the bike here then Kawasaki did virtually no advertising and offered little if any accessories. Most dealers only got 3 or 4 to sell for its 2 year stateside run. It was as if Kawasaki simply did not want to sell it. Instead they wanted to push cruisers which would bring a higher profit margin. For many potential owners the bike was here and gone before most people ever heard of it. Honestly, I'd kill a puppy for a W800.

[DogBoy]

Serious question for anyone concerned about the W650 and vaporware W800: why not just buy something from the Triumph Bonneville series? They look nearly identical (Triumph is better looking, IMO) and there couldn't be much difference in performance between the Bonneville and any proposed W800. The Bonneville already comes in several really cool versions and says Triumph on the tank.

Whats not to like? (I say that as a Kawasaki fan.)

[1KPerDay]

The W650 is bevel drive (ain't it?) and was closer to the size of the older "real" bonnevilles. The new ones are porky by comparison. That's one thing I heard when the 650 was around. I liked it. I like the proposed 800 also.

I like triumphs, too.

[Papa Lazarou]

Aside from my like of its looks and total derision regarding its crap build quality and performance, I should point out that the W650 is a copy of the 1960's Commander. Which was not a copy of a Bonneville. It was copy of a BSA A10.

[nevinfs327]

As a W650 owner I think the bike is much more like riding an old bike than a new Bonnie.  It's physically closer to the right size.  I kick start it.  It vibrates a lot.  Power is ok but nowhere near the Bonnie's.  Build quality not so great and it definitely requires a lot of care and maintenance.  The vibrations have caused my rear fender to crack badly on both sides.  It also caused my license plate to fall off in the Adirondacks last weekend (admittedly I did ride some rough, dirt roads that probably contributed).  I have 32k right now and imagine I'll need to do a frame off resto by 50k.  

I think the original killer for the W650 was it's price tag.  I recall it costing as much as a 600cc sportbike.  I think that hurt the sales success more than anything.  Hopefully a W800 wouldn't have a premium price tag.  If it does, there should be decent deals in a few years.  That's how I got my W650 for just over $3k.  Probably worth about the same now despite the 20k + miles I've put on it.

I've ridden my friend's Bonnie Black a lot and it's a better bike, especially if it's your only bike.  

If I didn't already own the 650 I'd consider an 800, but the V7 cafe is top of my list for my next retro bike.

[scarecrow]

Aside from my like of its looks and total derision regarding its crap build quality and performance, I should point out that the W650 is a copy of the 1960's Commander. Which was not a copy of a Bonneville. It was copy of a BSA A10.

There certainly is a family resemblance.

[Oilhed]

Can u imagine if they brought the 80 stateside then offered a Cafe kit instead of a separate model.  Kinda like a a pair of fenders and a fairing in a box.  Even Enfield does it!

[Leanintree]

Can u imagine if they brought the 80 stateside then offered a Cafe kit instead of a separate model.  Kinda like a a pair of fenders and a fairing in a box.  Even Enfield does it!

If they could figure out how to do this, their entire business model in the US would be irrevocably BROKEN.

LT

[atadaskew]

Aside from my like of its looks and total derision regarding its crap build quality ..

I looked at a few used ones, and while the owners seemed to try to take care of them (not dropped, paint still nice and shiney), almost all the metal surfaces looked like hell.

Bummer.

[Papa Lazarou]

I looked at a few used ones, and while the owners seemed to try to take care of them (not dropped, paint still nice and shiney), almost all the metal surfaces looked like hell.

Bummer.

In Yurp, they are complete rot bags. Shame.

[scarecrow]

This is the 21st century. We should be able to order a forkin W800 or any forkin motorcycle we want direct from the forkin factory with the forkin options we want. We should be able to go to the forkin Kawasaki website and pick the forkin bike and whatever forkin options they offer that we like and give them the forkin card number to pay for the forkin sheet and then that forker from forkin UPS or forkin Fedex would bring it forkin home within 2 forkin weeks and leave it on our forkin porch just like them forkers do with everything they forkin deliver.

[DogBoy]

FORK YEAH!

[Papa Lazarou]

This is the 21st century. We should be able to order a forkin W800 or any forkin motorcycle we want direct from the forkin factory with the forkin options we want. We should be able to go to the forkin Kawasaki website and pick the forkin bike and whatever forkin options they offer that we like and give them the forkin card number to pay for the forkin sheet and then that forker from forkin UPS or forkin Fedex would bring it forkin home within 2 forkin weeks and leave it on our forkin porch just like them forkers do with everything they forkin deliver.

On STN, the convention is to use the Irish (minor) swear word, fecking.