Kawasaki W230 2026 — Specifications

Treating yourself to a new machine with a purely retro look faces a small problem: the price. The most renowned, alias the Triumph Bonneville, demands more than 11 plates. At Kawa, it’s neck and neck with the W 800. So, how do you do it when the desire for a 1960s ersatz makes your hands itch with a rather dry budget?!?

The W 230 can answer this desire. A motorcycle of this displacement in our landscape is closer to a fleeting curiosity than a fashion story in gestation; from a local point of view. Because this type of displacement is very successful in emerging countries. And admit that strolling with this kind of little icon is much more stylish than a banal 2.5-liter utility vehicle designed to transport pizzas.

A true miniature W 800, it borrows its theme, silhouette and spirit. All this is brought into a reduced dimension of bucolicism. You ride the big one, you stroll with a flower in your teeth on the little one’s handlebars. It’s all a question of retro-seduction with this classic line, the spoked rims, the sausage-shaped exhaust, a relaxed seat just 84.5 cm from the ground, and an engine whose simplicity touches every piston stroke.

Powered by 233 cm3, the single claims only limited performance. Speed, stress or performance bounce off it and its fins. Air cools it, a single camshaft moves its two valves, its compression effort is so far from modern mechanics... Another time, and 18 horsepower available at 7,000 rpm. The torque is smooth, with 1.9 mkg at 5,800 rpm. Should we expect more? No, because it corresponds to the size of this little motorcycle. Would you dive into the crowd and bellow in a discreet café-theatre with Cabrel and a selection of guests? Would you savor herbal tea on a sofa during a Linkin Park concert?

The engine's pretensions are simple; the cycle part is just as much. A 265 mm disc at the front and another 220 mm at the rear to brake this 143-kilo beast. The steel double cradle frame holds a 37 mm fork and two rear shock absorbers. Thin tires, a rather long wheelbase for its size, 6 gears to chain together in a country air... The W 230 exudes calm topped with the charm of an old suburb.

When looking at the W 230, you will quickly discover its twin sister Meguro S1. Same design, same chassis, same engine. It’s all a matter of spirit. The S1 recalls Meguro’s distant past, a small Japanese manufacturer whose destiny crossed with Kawa in the 1960s. As for the W (230 and 800), they base their reputation on the 650 W1 of 1966. On the ground, a few differences are to be noted: the counter backgrounds, the saddle – covered with a different trim and 5 mm higher on the Kawa -, chrome on the Meguro’s tank, and each their ideological emblem.

The Kawasaki W 230 will however meet serious opponents on its ground: the Royal-Enfield 350 Classic or Bullet, as well as the Honda GB 350 S. Just a little more powerful but with more torque thanks to a displacement of another level. The price will be another stumbling block, limiting the desire for enthusiasts.

M.B - Photos manufacturer