For years now, we’ve been talking about the Kawasaki W175 as the kind of bike that works pretty much everywhere except the US. It’s simple, small, and built around the idea that riding doesn’t need to be complicated to be fun. That’s why a recent CARB filing will make any small motorcycle enjoyer grin with excitement.
And that's because Kawasaki didn’t gatekeep this bike for the Asian market. It actually went out of its way to make it legal in California. And that’s saying a lot.
CARB certification means fuel injection, oxygen sensors, secondary air injection, and dual catalytic converters. It means paperwork, testing, and cost. Manufacturers don’t do that unless they expect real demand. Now, the W175 is as simple as it gets. At its heart is a 177cc air-cooled single with a five-speed manual gearbox and a retro-standard layout. No tricks. Just a motorcycle meant to be ridden often and without stress.
What makes this especially relevant is perspective. From my desk here in Manila, where small bikes and scooters rule the streets, this kind of bike has always made sense. I’ve had access to machines like the W175 and plenty of other cool small-displacement bikes here in the Philippines. Over here, small bikes aren’t training wheels. They’re daily transportation, weekend toys, and blank canvases for customization. You ride them because they’re fun, not because you’re working your way up to something bigger.
That’s exactly why my Editor’s Choice award went to the Yamaha PG-1. It’s a simple scrambler-style motorcycle built around the same idea as the W175. Make riding accessible. Keep it light, make it unintimidating, and let people focus on the ride instead of managing mass and horsepower. Bikes like the PG-1 and W175 aren't flashy. They just work, and they make you want to ride more.
What’s changed is that US riders are seeing this world more clearly now. Through global launches, social media, and hopefully, through our coverage here on RideApart, American riders are watching people in Asia and Europe ride 150cc and 200cc bikes hard, tour on them, commute on them, and build real connections with them.
You can see it in the comments on our stories again and again, where US based riders say the same thing. They want small bikes. They miss lightweight motorcycles. They’re tired of everything being expensive, heavy, and overpowered. These aren’t new riders talking either. Many of them have owned big bikes and are choosing to scale back.
The W175’s CARB filing certainly looks like manufacturers finally catching up to that conversation. This isn’t about killing big bikes or chasing trends. It’s about rounding out the landscape. Giving riders more ways in and more reasons to stay. And maybe the best part here is that the near future of the US motorcycle scene looks much more diverse. More bikes that value approachability over bragging rights. More machines that remind people why they started riding in the first place. And so, when the W175 does land stateside, it won’t feel radical. Rather, it’ll feel overdue.
Source: Kawasaki via CARB
