First light offroad with the 2026
150km on the new bike, I went for a short ride in the atv club trails. Snow was not all tawed so the trail were very muddy, lots of ruts, many puddles and some icy sections.
Coming from big thumper dual sport and enduro, here's my thoughs.
-low low rpm torque compared to 1 cyl dirt bike. Still in break in period so I kept the rpm low. The few times I rev'd up it was ok. I guess I'll have to learn to keep rpm high.
-stock tire are gravel oriented, not mud or soft sand. Will replace them with 25/75% knobby later this summer.
-Top heavy, center of gravity seems high compared to dirt bike, almost dropped it twice in soft sand and mud. I take the blame on this as I'm rusty. Been 14years since I had a bike, went atv after an accident.
-standing driving position is good, I'm 179cm (5'11") and it's comfortable.
-wind protection is great. On the way back I got on the road. It was chilly and windy, but I felt protected. My main complain for my past dual sport was the lack of windshield and plastics. With the KLE I will be more willing to ride a couple hours to reach some remote trails.
-Some vibration at 5-6000rpm. The gauge screen was buzzing. Maybe a few screws to tighten.
-the seat, I think I'd prefer a long one piece seat. On the road, I like to take a cruiser like driving position and my butt is rubbing against the passenger seat. Offroad, more on the tank, it was not a problem.1
-muffler is low and huge, while reversing, it always in the way of my right leg. Might replace with a smaller one but I'm not sure. Police here are very anti aftermarket exhaust.
Over all, after only a few days of ownership, I'm pleased with the 2026 kle500. Great commuter, good enough offroad performances for me. I know I could have a better overall bike but it's the price that sold me on the kle. With a 5months(6 in snowmobile gear) riding season here, I didn't want to pay 15-20k for a KTM, BMW or an africa twin. At first I ordered an Ibex450 but changed to the Kawasaki the day ot was announced. I have more trust in japanese ingineering and the resale value will be higher on the kle.