2021 Kawasaki KLX300 and KLX300SM First Look

[Hugh Janus]

The 2021 Kawasaki KLX300SM. (Kawasaki/)

As far as product announcements go, a small-displacement dual sport and supermoto are never going to be as eye-catching as, say, a new supercharged superbike or racy supersport, but in real life, an inexpensive built-for-fun bike may actually get your adrenaline going more than anything with 200 hp.

OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration—horsepower does seem to have a direct relationship to immediate adrenaline production. But you can have a heck of a lot of fun on a lightweight, inexpensive motorcycle you’re not afraid to crash when you’re hitting jumps in your backyard or doing burnouts in the driveway. Heaven knows that’s what saved my summer (more on that in a bit).

The 2021 Kawasaki KLX300. Can the motorcycle world have too many lightweight dual sport options? Probably not. (Kawasaki /)

Kawasaki is well aware of the human need to burn off some steam, which is why for 2021, in a stroke of genius foresight, it’s introducing two motorcycles that will likely be perfect pandemic partners in crime: the Kawasaki KLX300 dual sport and KLX300SM supermoto.

The KLX features a 292cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine that has a 6mm-larger bore than previous KLX250s. With fuel injection and an electric start, there’s little standing in your way of taking a spin. The dual sport version has 21-inch front/18-inch rear wheels; 43mm inverted fork (adjustable for compression) with 10 inches of travel; and a monoshock (adjustable for compression and rebound) with 9.1 inches of travel. The 9.8 inches of ground clearance and a claimed 302-pound curb weight will encourage you to drain the contents of its 2-gallon tank in search of off-road fun. While it’s 35.2-inch seat height may sound kind of tall on paper, the suspension will compress with your weight on board, so it’ll be pretty reasonable. If you’re inseam-challenged, go sit on one before you write it off. MSRP is $5,599 for Lime Green and $5,799 for Fragment Camo Gray.

The engine features a gear-driven balancer for smoother power delivery. (Kawasaki /)

The KLX300SM is the supermoto version, featuring 17-inch wheels, shorter-travel suspension, a larger 300mm front disc brake (up from 250mm on the dual-sport), a narrower handlebar, and reconfigured footpeg position. Kawasaki claims the SM has a curb weight of 304 pounds. The SM is available in Lime Green/Ebony and Oriental Blue/Ebony colorways for an MSRP of $5,999.

Not too exciting, right? Well, it depends on your perspective. This year, all of our lives have looked pretty different. I became a full-time stay-at-home dad when the pandemic hit. My son is two, so he can’t even accurately aim a spoon at his mouth, let alone stay home by himself, which meant I had very little time to ride motorcycles. Fortunately, my friend gave me a 2001 XR200R that was sitting unused in his dad’s barn—not exactly a holy grail barn find, but close enough for my purposes, as it turns out.

The KLX300 features a basic LCD dash. (Kawasaki/)

After mowing a circuit through my 9-acre yard, I couldn’t help but rip around on it everyday while my son slept. The Nap-time TT, as I called it, kept me sane. It was probably the most fun thing I did on two wheels all year. It also got me thinking.

The XR (or its modern equivalent), though not a direct competitor with the KLX300 by any means, is about 255 pounds dry—not too much lighter than the street-legal KLX300. Since falling in love with the little XR, I’ve imagined how awesome it would be if I could legally ride it through the back roads and fire roads by my house. Lightweight motorcycles make everything easier. They flatter your riding skills. On a big ADV bike, momentum can be your enemy, but on a little piddler, it’s your best friend. Squishy suspension and not-quite full-size ergos just make everything’s so unserious. Which makes them seriously fun.

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon, eh? (Kawasaki/)

So, I look at these KLXs and think Kawasaki’s on to something: a bit more power than the KLX230, a heck of a lot more tech (liquid-cooling, electric start, fuel injection) than my old XR, and a lot less power and weight than anything too serious. And street-legal.

Are they as exciting as a Kawasaki Ninja H2? I can’t believe I’m saying this, but in their own way, yeah (geez, will I even recognize myself after this pandemic?). The thing is, the best bike for you is often the one that best fits the time, place, and circumstance in which you find yourself.

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[boboneleg]

That dual-sport looks interesting