Kawasaki W650 2000 Retro Bevel Drive Side

The Kawasaki W650 is a retro standard motorcycle marketed by

Kawasaki Kawasaki ( ja, 川崎, Kawasaki, river peninsula, links=no) may refer to: Places *Kawasaki, Kanagawa, a Japanese city **Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, a ward in Kawasaki, Kanagawa **Kawasaki City Todoroki Arena **Kawasaki Stadium, a multi-sport stadium *K ...

for model years 1999–2007 and superseded by the

Kawasaki W800 The Kawasaki W800 is a parallel twin motorcycle produced by Kawasaki from 2011 to 2016, and then since 2019. The W800 is a retro style model that emulates the Kawasaki W series, three models that were produced from 1967 to 1975, and which in turn ...

. 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 In European tradition, a zephyr is a light wind or a west wind, named after Zephyrus, the Greek god or personification of the west wind. Zephyr may also refer to: Arts and media Fiction Fiction media * ''Zephyr'' (film), a 2010 Turki ...

series, Kawasaki introduced the W650, resembling British motorcycles of the early 1960s, notably the Triumph Bonneville. The engines of the British motorcycles used pushrods, but the W650 has an overhead camshaft, driven by bevel gears, in the same way as 1970s

Ducati Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. () is the motorcycle-manufacturing division of Italian company Ducati, headquartered in Bologna, Italy. The company is directly owned by Italian automotive manufacturer Lamborghini, whose German parent company is Au ...

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 of 72 mm

bore Bore or Bores often refer to: *Boredom * Drill Relating to holes * Boring (manufacturing), a machining process that enlarges a hole ** Bore (engine), the diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine or a steam locomotive ** Bore (wind instruments), ...

x 80 mm

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

with an anti-vibration

balance shaft Balance shafts are used in piston engines to reduce vibration by cancelling out unbalanced dynamic forces. The counter balance shafts have eccentric weights and rotate in opposite direction to each other, which generates a net vertical force. Th ...

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 A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating shaft containing one or more crankpins, that are driven by the pistons via the connecting ...

to give a 49 mm stroke and displacement. 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 Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of an injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines. All comp ...

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