All the Duels – Kawasaki W800 Vs Triumph Bonneville SE: the grannies are resisting – Two more or less retro motorcycles

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Kawasaki W800 Vs Triumph Bonneville SE: Grannies Are Resisting

All the Duels - Kawasaki W800 Vs Triumph Bonneville SE: the grannies are resisting - Two more or less retro motorcycles

Your ZXG-R cost you 6 license points? Madame no longer supports the passenger seat of your ugly roadster? You might be ripe for a neo-retro machine! Comparative test of two “ real fake ” old motorcycles well in their time !

Two more or less retro motorcycles

Aesthetically, the W800 is more reminiscent of old motorcycles than the Bonneville which took a serious facelift in 2009. With its small 17-inch front wheel, its "megaphone" pots and its rims with sticks, the Englishwoman gives herself a style a little sport-retro while the Kawa plays absolute classicism with its large 18 and 19-inch wheels, knee guards and "sausage" pots.

The analysis is required on both machines and it is very beneficial for the manufacturers: it is more retro and it costs less in equipment !

A very impractical Englishwoman

The Bonneville even pushes this stripping down to the most total destitution, to such an extent that it will be necessary to go through the department of accessories for everyday use. The tank cap, for example, is "self-service" and it is impossible to transport anything, starting with a lock.

The Neiman would also have deserved to be more practical: it is located on the steering column and is locked with a different key than the ignition key. Suffice to say that a lot of owners will ignore.

The W800 does better by offering a central stand in addition to the side, while its saddle is withdrawn to accommodate a very small U-lock. The passenger handles will also allow a bag to be easily hung..

The minimum union

As for equipment, it should not be too demanding, especially compared to most recent motorcycles. In particular, we will make a cross on the fuel gauge and we will have to be content on both machines with a changeover indicator in reserve..

The Bonneville offers two partial trips (instead of one for the W800) but the Kawa is forgiven thanks to its clock. On the English engine, there is a small injection accelerator – a sort of modern day starter! – to improve cold starts in winter.

Finally, both motorcycles are equipped with final chain transmission. Given their rather elitist prices, we could have imagined a belt or a gimbal – admittedly less retro – because it is always a little hard for the heart to line such pretty machines with projections of fat….

All public

Thanks to their intermediate displacement and their reasonable weight, they are aimed at the greatest number: from the beginner biker to the old man looking for a motorcycle with character..

They will also suit most sizes, including young ladies. This is particularly true for the Bonneville, which offers a very compact size and a very low seat height of 740 mm. Suddenly, those over 1.85 m may feel a little cramped on the Triumph. But the only real flaw of the English is that it is rather heavy during maneuvers with the engine off.

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