Kawasaki W650 2000 Retro Bevel Drive Side

The Kawasaki W650 is a

retro Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

marketed by Kawasaki for model years 1999–2007 and superseded by the Kawasaki W800. The "W" in "W650" refers to Kawasaki's W1, W2 and W3 models, manufactured between 1967 and 1975. The "650" refers to the engine displacement. In 1999, superseding the Zephyr series, Kawasaki introduced the W650, resembling British motorcycles of the early 1960s, notably the

Triumph Bonneville The Triumph Bonneville is a Types of motorcycles#Standard, standard motorcycle featuring a Straight-twin engine, parallel-twin four-stroke engine and manufactured in three generations over three separate production runs. The first two generation ...

. The engines of the British motorcycles used

pushrod A valvetrain or valve train is a mechanical system that controls the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine. The intake valves control the flow of air/fuel mixture (or air alone for direct-injected engines) ...

s, but the W650 has an

overhead camshaft An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...

, driven by

bevel gear Bevel gears are gears where the axes of the two shafts intersect and the tooth-bearing faces of the gears themselves are conically shaped. Bevel gears are most often mounted on shafts that are 90 degrees apart, but can be designed to work at othe ...

s, in the same way as 1970s Ducati

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

and V-twins. The W650 had no connection to Triumphs. They directly descended, with modifications, from the BSA 650. The W650 has a

long-stroke engine In a reciprocating piston engine, the stroke ratio, defined by either bore/stroke ratio or stroke/bore ratio, is a term to describe the ratio between cylinder bore diameter and piston stroke length. This can be used for either an internal co ...

of 72 mm bore x 80 mm stroke with an anti-vibration balance shaft and modern electronics. In 2006 Kawasaki added a short-stroke W400 model, in Japan. Kawasaki simply combined the same 72 mm bore with a short-throw crankshaft to give a 49 mm stroke and

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics * Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

. In the United States and Canada, the W650 was imported for model years 2000-2001. With weak US and Canadian sales and the introduction of the competing "retro" Bonneville by Triumph, Kawasaki concentrated sales in Europe and Japan. Production of the W400 and W650, unable to meet new emissions standards, ended in 2008. In 2010, the W650 was succeeded by the W800, which had a displacement increase to and fuel injection. Kawasaki W650 (1)

References

External links

*
Motorcycle Online: First Ride

Motorcyclist Online: Kawasaki W650 and Triumph Bonneville

Motorcycle Cruiser (October, 2000)
{{Modern Kawasaki motorcycles W650 Standard motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 1999