Kawasaki KLE500 2026 Review in Spain

"Life’s a Rally. Ride it!" is boldly emblazoned across a large banner featuring a spectacularly drifting KLE kicking up dust. I’ve just arrived at the launch of the new Kawasaki KLE500 in Almeria, Spain, and am immediately greeted with "Hello Adventurer." From the very first moment, it is clear Kawasaki portrays this motorcycle as an adventure device. The southeastern Spanish landscape, dusty trails, and winding mountain roads set the perfect stage. But the critical question is: Is the KLE truly a serious off-road adventure bike or more of an A2 machine with a definite street focus and a healthy dose of marketing romance? That’s what we’ll find out over the next two days.

At the heart of the KLE500 beats the 451cc parallel-twin engine, familiar from its naked bike and supersport siblings, in nearly unchanged form. It delivers 45.4 hp at 9,000 rpm and 42.6 Nm of torque at 6,000 rpm. However, Kawasaki has tweaked the engine management and given the KLE its own gearing to better suit its intended purpose. The onboard electronics remain straightforward. ABS is included and can be switched off, but traction control, as with Kawasaki’s other 500cc models, is absent.

Two variants are offered: a standard and an SE version. The SE features a more robust engine guard, reinforced handguards, a taller windshield, LED lighting, and a TFT display instead of an LCD. Both versions offer connectivity, with the TFT enhancing functions through the upgraded Rideology app with voice control. For instance, you can query remaining kilometers to your destination via voice command. During this initial presentation, we rode exclusively on KLE500 SE machines, some equipped with original accessories like the Akrapovic exhaust.

The seat of the KLE is positioned at a height of 870 millimeters. At 1.85 meters tall, I can easily plant both feet on the ground, and even shorter riders should find the KLE manageable thanks to its narrow waist. If that's not enough, there’s also a seat option that’s 30 millimeters lower, available for both rider and pillion. Combining a high rider seat with a lower pillion seat creates a visually continuous rally seat with a straight contour. The step-over height on the KLE is low, the knee angle is relaxed, and there is plenty of room in the saddle to slide forward or backward. The wide, relatively high handlebars ensure an upright, typical adventure tourer posture that offers ample space even for taller riders over 1.90 meters.

In city traffic, the KLE shows its forgiving nature. The engine responds cleanly, and while load change reactions occur occasionally, they remain at a tolerable level. Power delivery is predictable, and throttle modulation is precise. This is aided by a very light assist clutch, which newcomers will appreciate. The crisp-shifting six-speed gearbox even allows for clutchless shifts. You can comfortably cruise in sixth gear at 50 km/h. This ability to confidently chug along is an important trait, particularly uncommon in the A2 segment. Many competitor bikes tend to stall or run unevenly at low revs, but the KLE excels here.

For those who want to ride sportily, you'll need to head towards the red end of the rev counter. At the same time, the engine doesn't feel lacking in power at lower revs, providing enough confidence for relaxed cruising. At 120 km/h, you're at around 7,000 rpm, and at our highway speeds, you might be pushing towards 8,000 rpm. High-frequency vibrations are noticeable in the upper rev range and may catch the attention of sensitive riders, but they didn't detract from the riding pleasure for me.

That doesn't necessarily apply to the wind protection on the KLE. Even with the taller SE windshield, it's rather modest. At my height, the wind hits at nose level on the helmet, with loud air turbulence at the sides. The windshield is adjustable in three positions, but only via four rather hard-to-reach Allen screws, which isn't very convenient. On the plus side, the suspension is tuned for comfort, with 210 millimeters of travel at the front and 196 millimeters at the rear. It isn't adjustable, except for preload at the rear, but it performs steadily and absorbs bumps effectively. Despite the soft setup, it doesn't wallow, tracks cleanly through the line, and inspires confidence in fast corners. The KLE leans into corners willingly, requiring little input and allowing fluid surfing through combinations of curves. Admittedly, during spirited cornering, the suspension squats a bit, and lean angle clearance quickly ends with pronounced footpeg scraping. But with stock three-centimeter-long feeler pegs, that's not surprising. Still, it doesn't significantly detract from the riding enjoyment. This also applies to the softly tuned brakes, which are well-modulated and predictable. For strong deceleration, it's recommended to use both the front and rear brakes in tandem.

Off-road, the standing position feels more touring-oriented. The handlebars are high, allowing for an upright and relaxed stance, which makes longer flat stretches comfortable. During active uphill riding, the handlebars could be positioned further forward or lower to allow more forward movement. However, the narrow waist does provide good freedom of movement. Maneuvering the bike with your hips and through weight shifts is easily manageable.

The center of gravity is pleasantly low, with the engine positioned deep in the frame, which alleviates the intimidating tippiness found in other tall adventure tourers. The ride remains confident even at low speeds. The finely-tuned clutch aids in slow-speed maneuvers in more technical terrain. For drifts and other throttle play, you need to be in the right gear and rev range; otherwise, aggressive wrist movements won't get you far. Additionally, you shouldn't push too hard, as the fork reaches its limits and bottoms out on deeper bumps at high speeds.

Overall, the KLE can be confidently hustled over the light to medium gravel and dirt tracks of southern Spain. Minor areas for improvement include the slick, slippery plastic surfaces of the side panels and the relatively narrow stock footpegs. However, the biggest drawback is the lack of a hybrid ABS mode that allows only the rear wheel to lock. Most enduros on the market offer such a feature, providing beginners with the significant advantage of rear-end freedom and front-end safety. On the KLE, ABS can only be completely deactivated.

With 185 millimeters of ground clearance, the KLE stands below many off-road-oriented adventure bikes. The exhaust header running under the engine costs it several centimeters. Since the first images of the new KLE circulated online, this aspect has been hotly debated and criticized. Why was the KLE designed this way? As is often the case, it comes down to cost. According to the Japanese developers, they wanted to alter the drivetrain as little as possible compared to other 500 models. A different exhaust routing would have entailed a cascade of work, including new homologation and engine tuning, making the attractive price of the KLE unfeasible.

But rest assured: In the light to medium terrain around Almeria, ground clearance wasn't a major issue. It might be different in rough terrain with protruding obstacles, but in the medium-light terrain where the KLE's target audience is likely to ride, it's not so critical. The rear wheel size carries much more weight here.

The simplest and quickest way to make a motorcycle more off-road capable is by fitting knobby tires. However, 140/70-17 is an unusual size for a rear wheel. Sizes like 140/80 or 150/70 are widely used and standard for adventure bikes, but finding suitable knobby tires for 140/70 is challenging. There are soft knobbies with a 90% on-road focus, like the Metzeler Karroo Street, available in that size, but not the more aggressive treads. Sure, you could try fitting wider or taller tires, but then you run into legal issues. Plus, the speedometer and ABS won't cope with an "incorrect" wheel circumference. What’s particularly frustrating about the rear wheel issue is that, unlike ground clearance, a different, more common wheel size could have been implemented both technically and economically without much hassle. Kawasaki points to tests with various sizes and allegedly best results with the 140/70-17 rear wheel. This response did little to alleviate my skepticism.

In the highly competitive A2 adventure segment, there are various approaches. Due to similar engine configurations, the closest competitors to the KLE500 are the CFMoto 450 MT and the Honda NX500. The KLE positions itself neatly in the middle of these bikes. It is less uncompromising in off-road capability than the CFMoto but offers more suspension travel and reserves than the road-oriented Honda NX500, hitting the segment's sweet spot. It's suitable for beginners or returnees who want to occasionally venture onto gravel but mostly ride on asphalt. There are various accessory packages available to optimize the bike for different uses, including touring and rally variants. The optional Akrapovic exhaust is stylishly elevated, providing a visual, albeit not much of an acoustic, upgrade. However, due to its pleasing shape and position, it is not compatible with the original side cases, so caution is advised when choosing the exhaust or luggage system.

In summary, Kawasaki's marketing department may have exaggerated a bit with the KLE500, as it's not a relentless rally machine and doesn't aspire to be one. Instead, Kawasaki's first adventure tourer in nearly 20 years is a well-executed, well-rounded package with plenty of everyday practicality, a few minor flaws, and a decent, but not over-the-top, dose of adventure spirit.