Kawasaki W650 – Japanese new Izh for Vietnam

Izh motorcycles did not stop being produced in the 90s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The plant did not give up, although things were getting worse for the enterprise every year. The Planet model lasted the longest on the assembly line. The last motorcycles were released in 2008. The more complex Jupiter was discontinued a little earlier. Many are sure that if Izhevsk designers had a new four-stroke engine, the plant would still be churning out bikes in large quantities.


But it only seems so. Fans of Soviet motorcycles do not take into account the fact that two-wheeled vehicles with engines in the USSR were chosen as an alternative to cars. As soon as cars became available, bikes fell out of favor. And no four-stroke engine would solve the problem. First, new models must be included with it. Secondly, the market in Russia is specific. Most of our sales are from used items.

Now neoclassicism would most likely have “gone in”. The buyer today is able to save up 200-250 thousand rubles and purchase a new Izh. Only it is not there and is not expected. But the Japanese make similar models. Take the Kawasaki W650 for example. These motorcycles are sold in third world countries like Vietnam. There, these bikes look epic among Chinese mopeds and scooters. By the way, the Kawasaki W650 is that “real and iron” motorcycle. No plastic, simple design, easy to repair. And the author of the channel “#WONDERFUL TECHNOLOGIES with Georgy Belov” will tell you about the model.