This Perfect City Commuter Will Cost You Just $3,000. Yes, It's A Motorcycle

You know what I see parked on city streets in Chicago? More small-displacement machines than you'd think, like this Kawasaki W175 LTD.

Photo by: Kawasaki

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

Jun 4, at 8:21am ET

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Depending on where you work, play, go to school, and just live in the world, your feelings on small-displacement motorcycles will vary. Me, I love them; not just because I'm a short rider, but because they tend to attract riders who don't feel like they need to prove anything. A chiller subset of riders, if you will; those who are out to both have two-wheeled fun and also express themselves, more than anything else.

How practical a given small-displacement motorcycle will be, such as this 2026 Kawasaki W175 LTD, depends entirely on where and how you plan to ride. If you want to munch a bazillion miles and do a lot of highway riding, this clearly isn't the bike for you. But if you're only planning to ride in a congested urban area, or perhaps on a sprawling college campus, then the W175 LTD can open up a literal world of possibilities for your personal transportation needs.

For those who haven't read my work before, I grew up in the city of Chicago. Friends of the family drove, but my family didn't. We took the CTA or walked (or later, I sometimes rode a bicycle) everywhere. Every once in a while, there may have been a cab or two.

During that entire time, the only time I really left the city was to take a long train ride to visit some relatives downstate. Highways; what were those?

If that's the kind of life you're living, but you'd like a little more flexibility than a spotty public transit system affords you, then the 2026 Kawasaki W175 LTD may be just what you're looking for. And while US $2,999 isn't as cheap as a year of public transit, it'll be up to you whether the feelings of personal autonomy combined with the fact that you can ride it for years if you choose make up for the up-front buy-in cost.

Photo by: Kawasaki

If you're looking for old-school charm without the problems of genuinely old motorcycles, that's another point in the charming, air-cooled W175 LTD's favor. Simple little counterbalanced single-cylinder engine, peashooter exhaust, fuel-sipping charm (especially cromulent these days, amirite?), but with a new bike warranty and parts availability when you need replacement bits later on during the course of ownership.

Undoubtedly, this will be marketed toward new riders, and that's not wrong. If you've just taken the MSF Basic RiderCourse on a comparable small-displacement machine, it's a lot easier to get on a 175 like this and get some experience under your belt than it is to bump up to something bigger. For riders who are reading this outside the US, chances are excellent that your tiered licensing system where you live probably requires you to do that, then take additional tests to rise up through the riding ranks and conquer larger-displacement machines.

Gallery: 2026 Kawasaki W175 LTD

Source: Kawasaki

But does that mean a bike like this is only for new riders? Absolutely not; or, at least, it shouldn't be.

Part of why we ride motorcycles is because we think they're cool, of course. But if you're really honest with yourself, and you sit down and think about how you're going to ride every single day, there's absolutely a place for a bike like this for certain riders. This is an everyday-cool kind of bike; low stress, no muss, no fuss, just solid and reliable style and fun in a diminutive package.

What do you think?

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Especially when the MSRP is just $2,999, brand new, and the money you'll save on fuel costs will absolutely add up.

Available colors for 2026 in the US include Candy Emerald Green or Ebony, and each comes with cast 17-inch wheels, fuel injection, electric start, and ABS on the front brake. If you're reading this and it's 2026, you can probably walk into your local Kawasaki dealer and buy one right now. What are you waiting for?