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Kaw W-650

4K views 29 replies 22 participants last post by  shhs97 
#1 ·
yes, i know its a triumph rip off. I saw one here in Austin a couple of weeks ago and there is one on ebay. looks like a cool bike. Anyone have any experience with one?
 
#2 ·
Searching online it seems they do not handle as well as the Bonnie, have a bit of wobble at speed in higher speed sweepers. Seems there were a few other gripes but as I recall it was a decent bike.
 
#3 ·
My buddy just got an '01. I test rode it and it's a great bike.
I was surprised at how good the stock exhaust sounds.

Lots of nice little touches like helmet lock, LCD odometer, centerstand and that awesome kick starter.

He's had it a couple weeks and already got a Corbin and small touring shield.

I don't like the bar position but that was the first change I made to my Bonnie.

He told me the guys on the Yahoo W650 list "sure do talk a lot about Bonnevilles".

Get one. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Dig this: http://www.w650shop.de/

[ This message was edited by: BonneRocker on 2007-02-02 01:22 ]
 
#7 ·
On 2007-01-31 23:14, mecscc wrote:
Bob (ohiorider) has a beautiful one and loves it. In case he is shy when he posts let me know and I'll upload a pic of it I took last summer.

Monte :cool:
Monte knows how modest I am when it comes to talking about my W650. Purchased in August 2000, the bike now has 52,000 miles (trouble free) on the odometer. The only engine tweaking done was to drill out the plugs on the carbs and richen up the pilot jets a bit. Bolt-on's added to the bike are
- Kawasaki low handlebar kit (weird bars 1" dia necked down to 3/4"
- National Cycle flyscreen
- Corbin Gunfighter solo saddle
- Five Star Mounts and Givi E21 hard bags
- Five Star rack (like RennTech) only installed when traveling.

If anyone wants, I have written a couple of longer comparisons between the W and my T100, which I'd be happy to post. Just ask.

Here's some photos of the bike Monte and I took early last summer.

W650 Photos on PhotoBucket

Bob



[ This message was edited by: ohiorider on 2007-02-01 08:16 ]
 
#10 ·
The W650 does have roots in earlier Kaw vertical twins that actually go back to the mid 1960s. As PantherCity stated, the bikes, at least the W1 and W2 series bikes, were much more closely related to BSA than Triumph. Kaw acquired the designs from a much older Japanese bike builder, Meguro. Here's a nice German link (in German) but with some nice shots of the original W bikes.

Photos of Kawasaki W1 and W2 from mid 1960s

History of W Series bikes

Bob

[ This message was edited by: ohiorider on 2007-02-01 10:53 ]
 
#12 ·
I had a 2000 w650, it was a wonderful first bike.Several features
the Triumph lacks (fork gaiters, helmet lock,clock, grab rail) and I sure miss the kick starter.
That being said, my t100 handles much better at higher speeds,
and has a lot more power, and is much more comfortable for two up riding.
 
#22 ·
On 2007-02-01 10:41, ohiorider wrote:
The W650 does have roots in earlier Kaw vertical twins that actually go back to the mid 1960s. As PantherCity stated, the bikes, at least the W1 and W2 series bikes, were much more closely related to BSA than Triumph. Kaw acquired the designs from a much older Japanese bike builder, Meguro. Here's a nice German link (in German) but with some nice shots of the original W bikes.

Photos of Kawasaki W1 and W2 from mid 1960s

History of W Series bikes

Bob
Bob, if I remember correctly (and the mind is a terrible thing...), I believe that BSA actually helped Kawa with the development of the W1 & W2's....

There sure is a lot of similarity between them...
 
#23 ·
On 2007-02-02 17:26, KF6VGZ wrote:
Does the 650 sound anything like a Triumph?
I suspect it would. It is a small bore, long stroke engine much like the older vertical twins, ie BSA, Triumph, Norton, etc. It has a 360 degree crank just like the Bonneville. The biggest issue I could see with switching mufflers is the fact that they are welded solidly to the header pipes. I think if one were to 'cut' them off, some sort of washer would have to be welded into the rear of the pipes to keep the inner and outer pipes apart (double wall).

I was pleasantly surprised that the stock W650 doesn't have a bad exhaust sound, nice enough so I never swapped the stockers for aftermarket. However, I do like the tone of the T100 with TORs better than the W650 stock sound.

Bob
 
#24 ·
"The biggest issue I could see with switching mufflers is the fact that they are welded solidly to the header pipes. I think if one were to 'cut' them off, some sort of washer would have to be welded into the rear of the pipes to keep the inner and outer pipes apart (double wall)."
Actually I had to saw off the back end of the exhaust due to cancerous rust. I ended up using a bent section of pipe that is intended to be used on new Bonnies (to use any generic slip on muffler) for a spacer between the inner and outer pipe. Works well.
As far as the W goes, I love mine. Lower bars and real tires reduce the wobble to about nothing because the W is REAL sensitive to weight being too far back (thus lower bars help), and the retro stock tires just suck IMO. As for sound, I'm running supertrapps on mine and like the sound well enough, although sweatmachines pipes did cause me to have a little envy. You can't get cool custom parts here in the States very easily, but it is reliable as an anvil, and was comfortable enough to roll 840 miles in a day at about 80 mph average ( was running the ton for large chunks of the trip). And I love my center stand and really love the kicker.
But as was previously stated, this is a Bonnie forum, so bye-bye for now.
p.s. Buy one if you get the chance, they are only getting more rare.
 
#25 ·
My riding buddy rode a W650. These are great bikes, good looking and well made. Regardless of what vintage bike it may resemble, it is unlike anything else on the market today which makes it unique. Kawasaki is still making them but not selling there here in the states. Too bad - with the popularity of Triumph's Modern Classics the W650s would probably sell better than before. Especially considering the Thailand issue, but that's another topic.
 
#26 ·
On 2007-02-01 08:13, ohiorider wrote:
On 2007-01-31 23:14, mecscc wrote:
Bob (ohiorider) has a beautiful one and loves it. In case he is shy when he posts let me know and I'll upload a pic of it I took last summer.

Monte :cool:
Monte knows how modest I am when it comes to talking about my W650. Purchased in August 2000, the bike now has 52,000 miles (trouble free) on the odometer. The only engine tweaking done was to drill out the plugs on the carbs and richen up the pilot jets a bit. Bolt-on's added to the bike are
- Kawasaki low handlebar kit (weird bars 1" dia necked down to 3/4"
- National Cycle flyscreen
- Corbin Gunfighter solo saddle
- Five Star Mounts and Givi E21 hard bags
- Five Star rack (like RennTech) only installed when traveling.

If anyone wants, I have written a couple of longer comparisons between the W and my T100, which I'd be happy to post. Just ask.

Here's some photos of the bike Monte and I took early last summer.

W650 Photos on PhotoBucket

Bob

Bob, tried to pm you about your comparison but I havent posted more than 10 times so im being told I have to post more. Anyways drop me a line here or better yet pm me.
Cheers.
Glen
 
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