Custom-Built Kawasaki W800 Cafe Racer Is Mind-Blowing on So Many Levels

2 weeks ago - 1 April 2025, autoevolution

If you’re after that stylish Bonneville charm but don’t quite have the budget for a Triumph, then Kawasaki’s equally gorgeous W800 is perhaps your second-best bet. But what is one to do when looking to make their sweet Kawi a little sportier and more suitable for spirited riding? Well, the owner of this rad custom specimen knew the perfect answer – to hand things over to the talented Tommy Thoring at Schlachtwerk.

He wanted his 2011-model Kawasaki W800 transformed into a nifty cafe racer with no shortage of performance upgrades. Tommy was more than happy to oblige, so the motorcycle was brought to his shop along with a beefy pair of Ohlins forks and things quickly got underway. The first port of call had to do with installing these top-shelf front suspension goodies.

Custom billet aluminum triple clamps were used to couple these inverted 46 mm (1.8-inch) forks with the W800’s frame, and the rear suspension has also undergone a complete makeover. Gone are the original shock absorbers, making room for Wilbers alternatives with piggyback reservoirs and progressive springs. Oh, and our protagonist also went to town when it came time to address the brakes.

At the front, he fitted radial Beringer calipers and floating wave-style rotors, ensuring more stopping power than the Kawasaki could’ve ever hoped for in stock form. The rear end carries a Brembo caliper and a premium aftermarket disc, then you’ve got those snazzy spoked hoops replacing the stock items fore and aft. Hailing from Kineo, these bad boys measure 19 inches in diameter at the front and 18 inches at the back.

Their rims are shod in ContiClassicAttack rubber supplied by Continental. Now, the engine-related mods are nowhere near as wild, but they still bring about a nice bit of extra grunt for a total of 60 hp. High-grade air filters are present on the intake side of things, while the exhaust gases run through bespoke stainless-steel pipework. A Dynojet Power Commander module was also added to get the fuel mapping just right.

Schlachtwerk’s caffeinated W800 is utterly sublime from a cosmetic standpoint, as well, thanks in no small part to all its handmade bodywork. Whereas the fuel tank is stock, the side covers, tail section, and front fender were all crafted in-house by Tommy. Other bits worth mentioning here include the CNC-machined foot pegs, a black leather saddle, and full LED lighting all-round.

A digital Motogadget dash and LSL clip-ons occupy the cockpit, with the handlebars wearing things like adjustable levers, a Magura brake master cylinder, and bar-end blinkers. We see a neat tail tidy with integrated Kellermann turn signals at the bike’s southernmost tip, sitting right below a frame-mounted taillight. In terms of paint, the bodywork combines a white base with graphics done in red and two shades of blue.