Kawasaki Revives The Kle500 – And This Time, Us Riders Get A Shot

After astir a twelvemonth of teasing, Kawasaki has unveiled nan KLE500, a sanction that whitethorn sound acquainted to riders who person been astir nan way a fewer times. While nan original was not disposable successful nan U.S. and has been retired of accumulation since 2007, nan revived KLE500 is an all-new design, and will beryllium coming to nan States arsenic good arsenic nan remainder of nan world. The small escapade motorcycle will slot successful nicely betwixt nan much dirt-oriented KLX300 and nan heavyweight KLR650.

While we're still missing a fewer cardinal pieces of accusation astir nan KLE500, here's what we do know. The trellis framework weighs conscionable 41.8 pounds. It does not usage a abstracted subframe for nan rear rider and cargo area, a creation that has shown weakness connected nan KLR650. The creation offers a relaxed, upright riding position, pinch ergonomics inspired by Kawasaki's KX ungraded bikes.

The engine, nan aforesaid 451 cc parallel-twin arsenic nan Ninja 500 and Eliminator, is simply a stressed member, attaching some to nan framework and nan swingarm. It answers nan long-standing outcry of KLR650 owners for a sixth gear, pinch an assistance and slipper clutch to thief make shifts smooth. Among nan stats Kawaski has not yet released are this engine's horsepower and torque figures for nan KLE500. It should beryllium successful nan ballpark of the 51 horsepower and 31.7 pound-feet of torque of nan Ninja 500, but escapade bikes are often tuned to optimize torque alternatively than horsepower, truthful we'll person to hold for nonstop figures.

The KLE500 seeks to onslaught a bully equilibrium betwixt on-road capacity and ray ungraded duty. Its 21-inch beforehand instrumentality and 17-inch rear wheel, spoked alternatively than cast, are awesome sizes for nan dirt. The brakes, however, are well-sized for pavement duty, pinch a 300 mm disc up beforehand and a 230 mm disc successful back, each pinch dual-piston calipers. Anti-lock brakes are modular equipment, and some beforehand and rear ABS tin beryllium abnormal for ungraded riding if desired. ABS automatically reactivates erstwhile you move nan motorcycle disconnected and backmost connected again.

The 43mm cartridge-type inverted fork offers 8.26 inches of travel, while nan rear Uni-Trak suspension provides 7.87 inches of travel.  Its 6.8-inch crushed clearance is simply a small little than its competitors, but nan mean ADV rider is going to cruise pavement, ungraded roads, and easy trails alternatively than return nan motorcycle disconnected jumps for illustration successful Kawasaki's uncover video. It besides helps support nan spot tallness down to 33.8 inches. The bike's weight is different statistic that Kawasaki has not yet revealed. Similar bikes successful its class, for illustration nan Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 and nan KTM 390 Adventure R, measurement betwixt astir 390 and 430 pounds, truthful expect thing successful that range.

The KLE500 will beryllium disposable successful 2 flavors. The modular exemplary will costs $6,599, while nan SE version, which adds a larger bash plate, metal-reinforced manus guards, LED move signals, a taller 4.1-inch windshield, and a 4.3-inch TFT display, will costs $7,499. Neither of these prices includes destination charges, which person besides not yet been announced. That's somewhat much than nan $5,999 Himalayan, but acold little than nan $9,000 Suzuki DR-Z4S. It's besides successful nan aforesaid value scope arsenic nan larger, heavier KLR650, which has already been discontinued, past revived erstwhile successful its astir 40-year lifespan. The KLR's days whitethorn beryllium numbered erstwhile nan KLE500 goes connected waste successful early 2026.