Kawasaki W175 Street vs Yamaha FZ-X: Image Comparison

Kawasaki just added alloy-wheels to the W175 and launched the W175 Street variant. Let’s take a look at how it fares against one of its primary rivals, the Yamaha FZ-X:

Design

The Kawasaki W175 Street’s overall design aesthetic screams retro from the moment you lay your eyes on the bike. The alloy wheels and the new paint schemes (Candy Emerald Green and Metallic Moondust Grey) do add a modern touch to it. Kawasaki has even chosen to keep the headlight halogen, adding to the retro appeal. The footpegs are high set, which might make the seating posture a bit uncomfortable for taller riders during long commutes. 

The Yamaha FZ-X is the retro sibling to the FZ Fi Version 3.0 and it comes with a distinctly different, neo-retro design. The fuel tank profile is boxier, and so are the side panels. It also gets fork gaiters, a different grab rail that gives it a retro feel. The tall handlebar and the mid-set footpegs should translate to a riding posture that’s fit for commuting. While the headlight housing is round, it’s a more modern LED one.

Overall, the Kawasaki W175 Street looks like a retro bike with some modern touches to it while the Yamaha FZ-X looks like a modern bike with some retro touches. 

Engine

The Kawasaki W175 Street gets a 175cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine producing 13PS at 7,500rpm and 13.2Nm at 6,000rpm and comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox. While the Yamaha FZ-X gets a 149cc, single-cylinder, air-cooled engine producing 12.4PS at 7,250rpm and 13.3Nm at 5,500rpm and comes mated to a 5-speed gearbox. 

As you can see, even though the W175 Street gets a bigger engine, it makes similar power and torque figures as the 149cc engine in the FZ-X.

Underpinnings

The Kawasaki W175 Street gets a 30mm telescopic fork and dual shock absorbers suspension setup and braking duties are taken care of by a 245mm front disc brake and a drum brake at the rear with single-channel ABS. 

The Yamaha FZ-X gets a fatter 41mm telescopic fork that goes well with the bike’s overall looks, and a modern monoshock suspension setup. The brake setup consists of a 282mm front disc brake and a 220mm rear disc brake with single-channel ABS.

Here’s how the two neo-retro bikes differ in their dimensions and tyre setup:

Instrumentation

The Kawasaki W175 Street gets a round semi-digital instrument console that looks perfectly retro with its asymmetric design. It shows readings like odometer, trip meter, clock and more. It does not get Bluetooth connectivity. While the Yamaha FZ-X gets an LCD instrument console with Bluetooth connectivity via the Yamaha Y-Connect app that shows notifications on the console like call alerts, SMS and email alerts, phone battery level status and more. While the latter is much more functional, it takes away from the retro feel.

Apart from the headlight, the Yamaha FZ-X also gets LED taillight and turn indicators whereas the Kawasaki W175 Street gets halogen units. Also, the neo-retro bike from Yamaha gets a USB charging port and traction control. 

Verdict

The Kawasaki W175 Street has nailed the retro charm when it comes to aesthetics and the addition of alloy wheels does make it seem more modern and practical. But despite having a bigger engine, it produces similar power and torque figures like its 150cc rival (which itself is underpowered) and also misses out on key hardware and features like a rear disc brake and Bluetooth connectivity to name a few. And for just Rs 1,200 more, the Yamaha FZ-X gives you a better package of modern performance and features along with retro-ish styling, even though its styling may not exactly be everyone’s cup of tea. But if it works for you, then the neo-retro bike from Yamaha seems like a good bet.