Return of the 1990s dual-sport light-middleweight
Think that a lightweight, mid-powered soft trailie/crossover bike is a recent invention? Well think again. Kawasaki was selling truckloads of its take on the modern Honda CB500X thirty-five years ago, in the form of the original Kawasaki KLE500. That bike was based on the firm’s 500 twin cylinder package, which also featured in the GPZ500S sportsbike and ER-5 commuter.
Indeed, the engine traced its foundations back to the venerable 1984 GPZ900R design: the firm took half of that engine to make the LTD 454 custom for the US, before the water-cooled, eight-valve DOHC unit was expanded into a full 500 (or 498cc) capacity. It was as venerable as its ancestor: the engine powered Kawasaki’s mid-sector models for more than a decade before morphing into the 650 unit used on the Versys 650, Ninja 650 and ER-6 models.
That first generation KLE was a bit of a curio: it was low-down enough on performance to run under the radar, and would seldom feature on the cover of glamourous bike mags. It didn’t do anything particularly well: it had basic off-road abilities, based on the 21” front wheel and reasonably light weight, and it worked okay on the road, though limited by the dirt-style brakes wheels and tyres.
Long travel suspension helped in the dirt, but hindered on the road where its basic, squidgy nature defied precision. And the styling was pure 1980s: shell-suit graphics, bright plastic panels, and sharp lines.
Despite all this, it sold by the container-load. Punters loved the decent pricing (it cost £3,470 brand new in 1991), and it was a common sight on European roads, loaded up with luggage on summer tours and commuting through wintry cityscapes with equal aplomb.
The old KLE name disappeared here in 2007 when the more road-focused Versys 650 appeared (though it stayed on in some other markets). But Kawasaki clearly reckons the time is right to bring it back properly, and give the firm a slightly more off-road biased middleweight. Indeed, the big K has missed out almost totally on the hardcore adventure bike scene: both the Versys 650 and 1000/1100 are pure road machines, and it’s got nothing like the more aggressive Yamaha Ténéré, Triumph Tiger or BMW GS Adventure bikes.
Like the old bike, the new KLE has a 21” front wheel, allowing proper off-road rubber fitment should you fancy it (stock rubber is the IRC GP-410), and a tough steel trellis frame finished in green or silver. Suspension is by KYB, with a cartridge-type inverted front fork and new Uni-Trak rear monoshock, giving wheel travel of 210mm front and 200mm rear), and there’s a single front disc with twin-piston sliding caliper. Seat height is a slightly tall 860mm (though there’s an accessory low seat option), and fuel capacity is 16 litres – not lots, but probably enough to give decent range for the fuel-sipping twin cylinder motor here.
Equipment levels are basic: a monochrome LCD dash on the standard bike (the SE has colour), switchable offroad ABS, Bluetooth phone link, LED headlight and adjustable windscreen. Factory accessory options include hard luggage and rear carrier, heated grips, USB Type-C outlet, engine guard, LED fog lamps, centre stand, radiator screen and GPS bracket. And there’s also an Akrapovic titanium/carbon upswept silencer available for the European market.
That fuel-sipping engine is the current 500 fitment: a 451cc parallel twin, with DOHC eight-valve head, 70×58.6mm bore and stroke and six-speed transmission. Kawasaki’s not released the final specs yet, but we imagine it will make the same power as the Ninja and Z 500 models: around 45bhp. There’s no firm word on weight yet either: we imagine we’ll get full details on the new KLE500 from Kawasaki at the Milan and NEC shows, alongside pricing.
The bikes themselves – the basic model and an SE version with more colour options, LED indicators, TFT dash, larger windshield, hand guards and a large sump guard – will be on sale in March. More info: www.kawasaki.co.uk