Unadulterated Dirt Bike

It is easy to describe this motorcycle: it is a dirt bike with lights and lots of fun

- Joshua Varghese

TO PROPERLY EXPERIENCE riding off road, one must ride a motocross or enduro motorcycle. Those bikes are engineered for the sole purpose of going fast and having fun in the dirt. After a ride on one of those, riding an ADV or dual-sport motorcycle in the same setting feels lacklustre. The only reason why most of us are not zipping around on motocross bikes is cost. The machine itself is extremely expensive and given that they are usually not road-legal, one also needs a track, a farm or at least a pick-up truck to make the most of it.

When we think of dual-sport motorcycles today, the Hero Impulse, Hero Xpulse 200, and even the KTM 390 Enduro R spring to mind, but trust me when I aver that the Kawasaki KLX 230 is a dual-sport that is unlike anything we have ridden so far. There is no other motorcycle like this one in our market today.

While a traditional dual-sport tries to offer a good balance of road and off-road performance, the KLX's priorities are clear. This one comes alive when it sees dirt and, so far as it is concerned, paved roads are only a means of connecting one trail to another. That purity of purpose is evident even at standstill. Its KX-inspired design is a dead giveaway and the presence of a headlight, tail-light, and turn indicators shows that it is ready to don number-plates and perform the mundane commutes when needed. Even before I swung a leg over this compact motorcycle, I was already excited by the promising wheel set-up. This one uses a 21-inch rim at the front and an 18-inch one at the rear and in proper enduro fashion, it runs tubes within its tyres.