Kawasaki Z800 arrives January 2014
We asked you which Kawasaki you thought was coming to India in January, something India Kawasaki mentioned at the launch of the Z1000 and the Ninja 1000. Most of you got it right, it is indeed the Z800 that is expeced to go on sale very shortly.
Expected to be priced around Rs 8.5 lakh ex-showroom, it will mark the fifth CBU Kawasaki and seventh Kawasaki overall to go on sale in India. India Kawasaki has rapidly expanded their range in India once they began their CBU operation with the excellent Ninja ZX10-R and now, the big issue is distribution. Kawasaki has one dealership in Pune at the moment and the second one is expected to open in Delhi soon.
Back to the Z800 then. The Z700 was rumoured to be coming to India a while ago but in the interim, Kawasaki rolled out a comprehensive upgrade that saw the inline four cylinder engine grow to 806cc, which is conveniently just above the 800cc limit about which homologation is mostly about paperwork and relatively painless. The Z800 makes 113PS at 10,200rpm and peak torque is 93Nm at 8,000rpm, which makes the motorcycle powerful enough to be a visceral ride on our streets. Being a budget motorcycle abroad, the Z800 doesn't get the kind of fancy equipment or electronics like the ZX-10R but the international reviews say the steel backbone frame and adjustable suspention come together very effectively.
Visually, the Z800 is aggressive but is clearly the older face of naked aggression for Kawasaki â" the new Z1000 wears the meaner, sleeker new one. Minimal, sharp bodywork and stunning all-digital meters and all round out what should be a fast, comfortable motorcycle to ride on India streets. Kawasaki also says that the larger motor makes for a better highway machine, with a tall sixth gear allowing the use of lower revs at cruising speeds for economy, range as well as comfort.
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