RETRO PARTY

Two mass-market motorcycles nearly six decades apart, but sharing a certain unhurried charm

-  Keshav Teiva Poumai

Ever since Kawasaki launched the retro-styled W175 in India around September last year, I have been wanting to put it alongside the Rajdoot 175. Somehow the two motorcycles seem to be on the same wavelengths depending on what perspective one looks at them from. The Rajdoot has made a name for itself in the past while staying memorable to date, while the W175 seems to be trying to follow a similar path.

The W175 is Kawasaki’s current mass-market offering, with the idea of giving the consumers a slightly more affordable retro option bearing the Kawasaki branding, the alternative being the more expensive W800. Essentially trying to open up the consumer portfolio to include not only premium buyers, but allowing for everyone to partake in the retro experience without having to really break the bank.

If one thinks about it, in its time the Rajdoot 175 would have fit a similar description, not to mention that somehow everyone had an uncle who owned one at a certain point. The motorcycle of the common man — sturdy, reliable and up for anything thrown its way. By the way, this has been tested by yours truly at the Pune Off-road Expedition, close to a year ago, when it blazed through the course with zeal.