Photo: Kawasaki
Kawasaki announces that the prices of the Z800 naked roadster will drop in India with 50,000 rupees, which is the equivalent of $800 (€670). If you think that Kawasaki’s marketing department is at play, with a winter deal, you’re wrong. The reason is one we only rarely can speak about, in a world where each new generation of anything comes at a higher price than the previous one. The house of Akashi said that the production costs at the manufacturing facility in Thailand have dropped, so the Z800 will be offered for a lower price.
The Z800 is manufactured in Thailand, whereas the rest of the big-bore machines are crafted in Japan. The price cut will have the Z800 reaching Indian dealerships with a price tag reading 735,000 rupees, which stands for the equivalent of €9,960 ($11,730). If you raise an eyebrow reading the price, we remind you that the Indian motorcycle market is a highly protectionist one, especially because India has a huge bike industry.
Motorcycles above 700cc which arrive on Indian soil as completely built units (CBU) are facing huge import taxes which in certain cases can double the price they are being sold at in their native markets. The Z800 is obviously falling under these regulations, so that’s why its price differs so much from what riders in Europe or other western markets are accustomed to.
At the same time, it will be interesting to see if the Z800 prices will be slashed in other markets beside the Indian one. Or maybe if you fancy a new Z800, you could talk your local Kawasaki dealer into a neat discount, now that you know that Akashi is producing these bikes cheaper…
Anyway, the important thing is that at least some of the guys in this world will have to pay less for this 113 horsepower, 83 Nm (51.6 lb-ft) naked machine. The European Kawasaki website doesn’t list any new Z800, so you’re forking out money on a bike which is unchanged since 2014, but it’s okay, this is not by far the only machine in this situation.
With the Z800 being a rival to the Street Triple and Triumph plannig a revamp of the model, it looks like things are also on the move at Akashi.
Motorcycles above 700cc which arrive on Indian soil as completely built units (CBU) are facing huge import taxes which in certain cases can double the price they are being sold at in their native markets. The Z800 is obviously falling under these regulations, so that’s why its price differs so much from what riders in Europe or other western markets are accustomed to.
Will this price cut be effective in other markets as well?
Autocar India says that the Kawasaki Z800 will be available for a lower price through the end of March 2015. Why is this price reduction only maintained only several months is beyond the power of our understanding. Is the Kawasaki plant in Thailand planning to de-optimize production costs for the bike, or what?At the same time, it will be interesting to see if the Z800 prices will be slashed in other markets beside the Indian one. Or maybe if you fancy a new Z800, you could talk your local Kawasaki dealer into a neat discount, now that you know that Akashi is producing these bikes cheaper…
Anyway, the important thing is that at least some of the guys in this world will have to pay less for this 113 horsepower, 83 Nm (51.6 lb-ft) naked machine. The European Kawasaki website doesn’t list any new Z800, so you’re forking out money on a bike which is unchanged since 2014, but it’s okay, this is not by far the only machine in this situation.
With the Z800 being a rival to the Street Triple and Triumph plannig a revamp of the model, it looks like things are also on the move at Akashi.
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