Autocar Professional reports that India Kawasaki Motors (IKM) is currently evaluating the possibility of locally assembling its popular Z800 middleweight street fighter in India. The Kawasaki Z800 which was launched in January 2014 is currently being imported as a CBU from Thailand.
The Z800 received a price slash of INR 50,000 in January 2015, resulting in a significant bump in demand. The motorcycle currently has an on-road price of around INR 8.30 lakhs in Delhi. The publication reports that a CKD assembly at Bajaj’s Akurdi plant would result in a further downward revision of price at least by up to INR 1 lakhs.
A sharply styled and very powerful naked sportsbike with an on-road price of around INR 7.3 lakhs would be an irresistible proposition for a lot of motorcycle enthusiasts. The Z800 is powered by a 806 cc inline-four liquid-cooled engine which is mated to a 6-speed gearbox to turn out an impressive 113 bhp.
The Z800 is underpinned by a steel backbone chassis which is equipped with a USD front fork and a rear bottom-link Uni-trak horizontal mono shock suspension. The twin discs upfront and a single disc at the rear are governed by ABS.
The Kawasaki Z800 would become the sixth production to be locally assembled in India, after the Z250, Ninja 300, Ninja 650, ER-6n and Versys 650.
