Kawasaki’s middleweight ADV baton in India is carried by the Versys 650. The Versys 650 is an excellent ADV-tourer but when it comes to taking a serious beating, the Versys lags behind a little. Its arch-rival. The Suzuki V-Strom 650 XT offers better off-road credentials, all thanks to its spoked-rims. But Kawasaki has another dual-purpose motorcycle in its international portfolio – the KLR 650 and we believe that it will make an excellent choice for our market as well. Kawasaki has revived its iconic motorcycle and has been unveiled as a 2022 model.
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The KLR 650 enjoys huge popularity overseas, thanks to its dual-purpose nature and rugged styling.
The KLR 650 has a rather utilitarian styling which works in its favour. Take the case of the RE Himalayan. It might not be the most attractive motorcycle to start with but it looks very much functional and that, exactly, what makes the Himalayan special. To mark an update from its previous iterations, Kawasaki has redesigned the shrouds, side cover and tail cowl. The headlight is now LED, just like the turn and tail indicators. The KLR 650 utilizes the same semi-double-cradle frame but has received several updates – the rear frame is now integrated with the main frame, the swingarm is 30mm longer and also features a 2mm larger pivot shaft.
The bike rides on 41mm front forks with 200mm of suspension travel, while the rear monoshock offers 185mm of travel. The rear suspension can be adjusted for preload and rebound. The braking duties on this KLR 650 is taken care of by a larger 300mm disc at the front and a rear disc at the rear.
To take care of off-road needs, the KLR650 gets a 21-inch front and a 17-inch rear spoke wheels. The 652cc single-cylinder liquid-cooled motor gets fuel-injection and now offers better mid-range.
This bike will also be available as Adventure and Traveler variants. The former gets 21-litres panniers, engine guards and LED aux lights whereas the latter gets 42-litres top case and two power sockets. It also gets a new full digital instrument cluster which throws information like speedometer, odometer, dual trip meters, fuel gauge, clock, and indicator lamps.
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