Kawasaki Teases a New KLE Model
Finally, a replacement for the Versys-X 300?
Kawasaki has had a busy fall so far, steadily releasing news of a new Versys 1100, Ninja 1100SX, and Z900, all in the two months leading into EICMA. But that doesn’t mean Kawasaki didn’t have one more surprise in store in Milan, quietly featuring a display teasing a brand new adventure bike.
The bike in question, according to the signage, is a new KLE model, with the slogan “Life’s a Rally. Ride it”. Below the KLE name: “est. 1991”, in reference to the Kawasaki KLE500 introduced that year. In production from 1991 to 2007, when it was replaced by the Versys 650 (a.k.a. the KLE650), the original 498cc KLE was a road-focused model capable of light off-road riding.
The new KLE might be a little more capable of escaping paved roads, if the slogan is to be believed. Bursting out of the display is the new KLE’s front end, with a 21-inch wire-spoke wheel, an inverted fork, a single Nissin front caliper, and some rally-inspired bodywork
A radiator, and part of the engine are also visible, but the most telling clues are the two header pipes. Beyond confirming a Twin, the two pipes have a distinct kink to them. Kawasaki currently has two liquid-cooled Parallel-Twins in its lineup, a 650 and a 500. The exhaust on the Versys, Ninja and Z650 curves towards the right as it leaves the engine, but the pipes in the display go the other way, following a similar route as the 451cc engine used on the Eliminator, Ninja 500, Z500, and Kawasaki’s Hybrids.
That leaves us to believe the new KLE will have the same name as the original, and be a 451cc KLE500. And if it is as capable an off-roader as the “rally” slogan suggests, then the new KLE500 could be the replacement for the Versys-X 300 that many have been calling for, since Kawasaki bumped the engine up to a 400 and now a 500.
Officially, Kawasaki hasn’t said anything publicly about a new KLE, with the only hint being a passing mention of “an intriguing ‘teaser’ display of a possible new machine in the future” in a press release sent out last Friday.
We expect to hear more about the new KLE500 in the near future, perhaps as soon as the Intermot Show in December.
Become a Motorcycle.com insider. Get the latest motorcycle news first by subscribing to our newsletter here.
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
More by Dennis Chung
Comments
Join the conversation
Versys-X 300 sure did milk that old 300 twin for everything it was worth. I think it's likely this is the 451cc twin and a new chassis. If so, I'd say it's about time.