We compare Kawasaki’s most affordable offering in India to its rivals on paper.
The recently-launched Kawasaki W175 is the entry point to team green’s two-wheeler lineup in India. By virtue of its output figures and features, the W175 rivals bikes that are much cheaper than it, for instance, the neo-retro commuter Yamaha FZ-X. On the flip side, however, its pricing puts it on par with much larger and feature packed bikes like the Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Retro and the TVS Ronin SS. We pit all these bikes together on paper to see what’s what.
Kawasaki W175 vs rivals: Engine & gearbox
| Engine and gearbox | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawasaki W175 | Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Retro | TVS Ronin SS | Yamaha FZ-X | |
| Engine | Air-cooled, 177cc single-cylinder engine | Air-cooled, 349cc single-cylinder engine | Air-and-oil-cooled, 225.9cc single-cylinder engine | Air-cooled, 149cc single-cylinder engine |
| Power | 13hp at 7,500rpm | 20.2hp at 6,100rpm | 20.1hp at 7,750rpm | 12.2hp at 7,250rpm |
| Torque | 13.2 Nm at 6,200rpm | 27 Nm at 4,000rpm | 19.93 Nm at 3,750rpm | 13.3 Nm at 5,500rpm |
| Gearbox | 5-speed | 5-speed | 5-speed | 5-speed |
The W175 has the second-smallest engine here, and is nearly half the size of the Royal Enfield Hunter’s engine (which makes more torque than the W175 and FZ X’s engines combined). In fact, it actually makes lesser peak torque than the smaller 149cc Yamaha FZ X, although peak power is marginally higher. Of all the bikes here, the Ronin is the only bike to have a slipper clutch and also has an oil-cooler.
Kawasaki W175 vs rivals: Suspension, tyres and brakes
| Suspension, tyres and brakes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawasaki W175 | Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Retro | TVS Ronin SS | Yamaha FZ-X | |
| Suspension (f) | 30mm Telescopic fork | 41mm Telescopic fork | 41mm USD fork | 41mm Telescopic fork |
| Suspension (r) | Twin shock absorbers, 5-step adjustable | Twin hydraulic shock absorbers, 6-step adjustable | Monoshock, 7-step adjustable preload | Monoshock, 7-step adjustable preload |
| Brakes (f) | 270mm disc | 310mm disc | 300mm disc | 282mm disc |
| Brakes (r) | Drum | Drum | 240mm disc | 220mm disc |
| Tyres (f) | 80/100-17 | 100/80-17 | 110/70-17 | 100/80-17 |
| Tyres (r) | 100/90-17 | 120/80-17 | 130/70-17 | 140/60-R17 |
The W175 has the smallest front brakes, slimmest front fork and thinnest tyre sizes in this company. The lower-spec Hunter Retro and the W175 are the only bikes here to feature drum brakes at the rear, compared to the discs on the other two. All bikes here are equipped with single-channel ABS. The Ronin is the only bike here to feature a USD fork compared to the more basic telescopic units on the others. What is surprising here is that the smallest bike here, the Yamaha FZ X, is equipped with the widest rear tyre and it is also a radial unit.
Kawasaki W175 vs rivals: features
Of all the bikes here, the W175 is the most basic machine, featuring a simple analogue speedometer with six tell tale lights and a small digital readout. The Hunter Retro too gets a similar, simple cluster but can be had with the optional Tripper Navigation pod. The Ronin SS and the FZ X both feature fully digital instrument clusters but only the FZ X has bluetooth connectivity here. The Ronin SS does have 2 ride modes and TVS’ GTT (Glide Through Technology) which makes it easier to ride in choc-a-bloc traffic.
Kawasaki W175 vs rivals: weight & dimensions
| Weight and dimensions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawasaki W175 | Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Retro | TVS Ronin SS | Yamaha FZ-X | |
| Kerb Weight | 135kg | 177kg | 159kg | 139kg |
| Seat height | 790mm | 790mm | 795mm | 810mm |
| Wheelbase | 1,320mm | 1,370mm | 1,357mm | 1,330mm |
| Fuel capacity | 12 litres | 13 litres | 14 litres | 10 litres |
| Ground clearance | 165mm | 150.5mm | 181mm | 165mm |
The W175 is the lightest motorcycle here and has the smallest wheelbase as well which should make it one of the more nimbler motorcycles here. Of all the bikes here, the Hunter 350 Retro is the heaviest here and has the longest wheelbase. All of these bikes feature accessible seat heights but among these the FZ X is the tallest at 810mm.
Kawasaki W175 vs rivals: Price
| Price | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawasaki W175 | Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Retro | TVS Ronin SS | Yamaha FZ-X | |
| Price (ex-showroom, Delhi) | Rs 1.47 lakh | Rs 1.49 lakh | Rs 1.49 lakh | Rs 1.33 lakh |
The Kawasaki W175 is available in two colour schemes, Ebony (Rs 1.47 lakh) and Candy Persimmon Red (Rs 1.49 lakh). For a similar price you can have the much more tech-laden TVS Ronin SS or the far larger Royal Enfield Hunter 350 Retro. On the flip side, the feature-rich Yamaha FZ X offers a similar level of performance as the smallest Kawasaki, with better after-sales support.
Would you pay the asking price for the W175 or go for one of its rivals? Let us know in the comments section below.