This is kind of surprising. Says all new but I am pretty sure the old one was 292cc. This baby is fuel injected though... Looks like it fills the niche between the 230cc trail turds and the fire breathing race bikes. https://dirtbikemagazine.com/first-look-kawasakis-new-off-road-bikes-for-2020/
Kawasaki what the hell are you doing? Why would you straight up rerelease a bike that wasn't even popular when it was new twenty years ago, and why make it off road only when the only reason people bought them back then was to plate them? Of course by all means put lights and turn signals on an air cooled 230 slug, I'm sure those will be plenty popular in the US.
Looks like the old KLX with new plastics, but that engine looks like the Loncin YF300 engine (that is aledgedly a KLX300 clone.
KAWASAKI KLX®300R Color: Lime Green MSRP: $5,499 Availability: Late Summer 2019 ERGONOMICS • ERGO-FIT® adjustable handle positions • KX-inspired ergonomics • Adjustable brake lever position Similar to the Kawasaki KX™450 and KX™250, the all-new KLX300R features bodywork designed to facilitate easy rider movement. The slim design of the frame and bodywork help the rider grip the bike for increased control, while the KX-inspired seat design offers great freedom of movement for off-road riding. All of this is complemented by the ERGO-FIT® four-way adjustable handlebar components, allowing for a personalized fit during relaxed riding or when pushing hard on the trails. Thanks to the compact design of the KLX300R, a seat height of 36.4” was achieved. The seat uses a slip-resistant top surface to facilitate grip when seated and smooth sides for easy mobility. Brake lever position is also adjustable, offering riders the ability to set the position to suit their hand size and preference.
Kawasaki has cycled enough generations of employees thru now they don't know they actually designed this lump!
The Jammer had one of those at our track in NY in around the 2000ish era... Dude was scary fast ON THAT even then!
Yeah, I remember you saying that. Kaw had several of those “factory 300s” back in the day. They MXed them, and off-roaded them. Wonder if Jimmy got his hands on one of those or if he built it.
I saw Ty Davis hangin with Mike Young and Lance Smail on big bores on one of those at the WB four stroke nats at Glen Helen back in the day.
They could have just not made the seemingly useless to their lineup klx230, saved that R&D money (admittedly only ~$500 probably from what I see), made a klx300 to replace the klx250 with all the same DS kit the 250 has and probably have a decently hot seller in the end.. How is that not obvious to them?
Because the only thing that moves the R&D needle in certain market segments is regional competition from Yamaha/Honda/Suzuki. The only reason i could imagine Kawasaki even making a 230 Dual-Sport is to up sell people away from a DR200 or target that "i'll buy the CHEAPEST dual-sport that i can finance on nickles" demographic. As for the KLX300 that's Kawasaki playing the Goldilocks strategy to capture an audience that would want something more then an air cooled 250 (AKA CRF250F) but doesn't want to tread into enduro bikes. Kawasaki has the weakest lineup on all fronts aside from their 400cc Twin find some way to stuff that into a ADV packaged that's under ~350 and you could catapult that Versys name into something special. But that speculation thread is nearly 20 months old... oh well