As a commuter it’s a brilliant bike that
will serve for thousands and thousands
of kilometres with little attention
KAWASAKI KLX250S
Kawi’s KLX250 is, just like the DR-Z250, a familiar
bike to Aussies. While the two bikes target a similar
rider, there are a few big differences: the green
machine runs a liquid-cooled engine, a speedo
designed this century, but a fuel tank that holds a
couple of litres less.
The six-speed gearbox and electric start (auto
decomp included) give the KLX commuter cred,
which is reinforced by a low seat height of 890mm.
Both bikes are a similar weight at around 132kg
which, when measured against the newest models,
is a heavy bike but on the trails it doesn’t feel too
bad at all.
The KLX is designed more for the commuter and
light trail rider than the DR-Z, which has a slight
edge in tougher bush conditions — except in corners,
where the KLX is a nice bike that can be ridden
aggressively. But as a commuter it’s a brilliantbike that will serve for thousands and thousands of
kilometres with little attention required. That is the
real beauty of these 250 trail bikes — the ability to
get you there but not demand much from the tools
for year after year.
The KLX had a makeover not too long ago and it
gave the bike a look that sits well in line with the rest
of Kawasaki’s offroad range, so it doesn’t look out of
place next to a KXF motocross machine.