Kawasaki Quietly Drops a Ridiculously Affordable and Approachable Retro-Styled Dream Bike

Is America really ready for an old-school, pint-sized, city-ripping dynamo? Seems we are about to find out.

Black Kawasaki motorcycle with silver accents parked in front of a brick wall.

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By Steve Mazzucchi

Published June 3, 2026

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Updated June 4, 2026

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Over the past couple of years, I’ve covered a veritable garage-full of gorgeous, affordable, sub-400cc motorcycles that are practically perfect except for one little thing.

You can’t actually buy them in the US.

Black Kawasaki W175 LTD motorcycle parked on a brick pavement against a brick wall. — Power aside, good luck finding a legit motorcycle that looks this good for less than $3,000.

Naturally, I am thrilled to see a Kawasaki moto that squarely hits all those descriptors actually become available stateside.

If nothing else, it will be fascinating to see how a country so beholden to the “bigger = better” ethos responds to the ultra-affordable new W175 LTD, which is very much the opposite of “big.”

Small thunder

A variant of two bikes long available in India (the W175 and W175 Street), the W175 LTD launched in Mexico several months ago, with signs pointing to an eventual US release.

Now that day has finally come, and we can take a closer look at this small-displacement superstar, which starts at just $2,999.

Black Kawasaki W175 LTD motorcycle parked on a street with chrome accents and round mirrors. — While many of the retro features feel familiar, the stepped seat with grab handle is a less common throwback touch.

Like the W230 and W800 before it, this model is based on the W-class bikes Kawasaki made in the 1960s, which were themselves inspired by BSA clones made by a Japanese brand called Meguro, which Kawi acquired in 1963.

While the history is a bit convoluted, there’s nothing complicated about the aesthetic appeal, as these bikes enjoy eye-popping retro elements such as big round headlights, instrument clusters and mirrors, teardrop tanks, dual rear suspension set-ups and peashooter pipes.

Person wearing a black hoodie, jeans, gloves, and a helmet sitting on a black Kawasaki motorcycle on a street. — I would rather see spoked wheels than these cast ones, but at W175 LTD’s price, nothing is a deal breaker.

The W175 LTD scores additional brownie points with its immaculate Ebony and Candy Emerald Green paint schemes, plus extra attitude in the form of a throwback one-piece stepped seat with a passenger grab handle and raised handlebars.

I have to assume the W230’s 233cc power plant has been a hit in the US, giving the brand the confidence to roll out a bike with an even smaller and less powerful beating heart.

Shifted via a five-speed manual gearbox, the W175’s 177cc air-cooled SOHC two-valve single-cylinder engine makes 13 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and peak torque of 9.6 lb-ft. at 6,000 rpm.

Black Kawasaki W175 LTD motorcycle parked on asphalt near a concrete curb. — As this shot proves, the pitch-perfect teardrop tank shines from pretty much every angle.

While that’s not exactly great for the highway, it should be super easy and fun to zip around the city and even tackle two-lane country roads, pinning it without fearing for your life at every turn.

After all, with a curb weight below 300 pounds, the bike is pretty dang approachable, even with a seat height just under 31 inches.

For stopping power, the bike has a single two-piston caliper squeezing a 245mm disc up front (complete with slide-preventing ABS) while the rear features a classic 110mm mechanical drum brake.

Person wearing black riding gear and helmet riding a black Kawasaki motorcycle on a street at sunset. — There’s no law against highway riding, but urban streets to seem like the happy place for this particular set of wheels.

Rounding things out, the telescopic fork and twin rear shocks offer just enough suspension to ride out the bumps on matching 17-inch wheels.

Bottom line: If you’ve been toying with the idea of getting a motorcycle, you can consider this the universe’s sign it’s time to finally saddle up … especially once you see the price tag.

Availability and pricing

The 2026 Kawasaki W175 is available now in Ebony (shown above) and Candy Emerald Green (below), starting at $2,999.

Green Kawasaki W175 LTD motorcycle with black seat, black exhaust, and round headlight on a white background.

2026 Kawasaki W175 LTD

Starts at $2,999

About the Author:

Now managing editor, Steve has served in a variety of roles with GP since 2019. Having previously written and edited for such publications as Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Esquire and ESPN, he enjoys covering a range of topics — but mostly those pertaining to cycling, snow sports, pocket knives and motos — and dreams of a utopian world in which everyone’s bike seat is at the proper height.

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