Kawasaki doubled down on its dual-sport lineup for 2020 with the all-new KLX230 and KLX230 ABS. Set up primarily as an off-road machine complete with knobby tires and long-stroke suspension, it also carries all of the requisite equipment to qualify as a street-legal machine that'll go just about anywhere, trail or tarmac.

Kawasaki KLX230 Design

A tripleclamp-mount fender on the KLX230 rides between front fork gaiters that set the tone. The gaiters protect the swept area of the long-stroke front forks, and by extension, the front fork seals as well.

A rally-style headlight housing protects the new, larger cyclops halogen headlight with stubby standoff turn signals and a set of mirrors to complete the front-end street-legal gear. In profile, the flyline carries the merest suggestion of a fuel-tank hump, and the seat comes forward almost all the way to the steering stem to extend the usable seat area and unlock some extreme fore-and-aft weight shifts for technical work.

Sideplates just below the seat bring the suggestion of MX-style numberplates – just without the actual numbers – and out back it sports a combo mudguard/plateholder with the rearward lighting up top tucked under the tip of the tail. Bodywork is kept to a minimum, mainly just a set of cheek fairings that funnel air across the cooling fins, so the innards leave little to the imagination.

Kawasaki KLX230 Chassis

A new lightweight, high-tensile tubular-steel perimeter frame provides the main structure on the KLX230. It's built with a narrow waist that is easy to grip with your legs under way and confidence-inspiring at stops. This is something the bike needs given its lofty but relatively low 34.8-inch seat height that accommodates the 8.7-inch and 8.8-inch suspension travel on the front and rear, respectively. While a full-on MX bike may have 12-inches of travel or more, the nearly nine-inch travel on the KLX230 is enough to tackle some pretty serious terrain without jacking the seat up to the nosebleed section.

The box-section perimeter frame's steering head sets a rake angle of 27.5 degrees with 4.6 inches of trail over a 54.3-inch wheelbase to fall towards the nimble end of the spectrum. All-around disc brakes provide the stopping power with a dual-piston caliper and 265 mm petal-cut disc up front opposite a single-pot anchor and 220 mm petal disc.

Laced wheels round out the rolling chassis with an 18-inch rim out back and a terrain-busting 21-inch wheel up front.

Kawasaki KLX230 Drivetrain

The factory wanted a relatively simple, air-cooled engine that was easy to use and maintain for the KLX230, so it built the 233 cc thumper that serves as the beating heart. A single over-head cam times the twin-poppet valvetrain and helps keep the top-end light and uncomplicated. Induction control falls to the 32 mm Keihin throttle body with DFI fuel delivery, but that's the extent of the electronics. There is nothing in the way of ride-quality or safety electronics available beyond the optional ABS feature.

Kawasaki KLX230 Price

The 2021 pricetag is $4,599 for the non-ABS model and $4,899 for the ABS model. Kawi's Lime Green livery is the only color combo so far for this machine.

Kawasaki KLX230 Competitors

It wasn't hard to find a competitor for the Kawi. Domestic competitor and fellow Big Four member Suzuki had just the thing with its DR200S that carries directly over from 2019 with the same split personality and dual-surface purpose.

Suzuki DR200S

Suzuki toes the design line with a high, tripletree-mount front fender and headlight housing on the DR200S that cuts a very similar figure to that of the KLX230. Mirrors and front turn signals join a taillight and rear blinkers to meet the street-legal requirements, so much like the KLX, you can ride the DR to your favorite jumping off point for your off-road shenanigans.

The main aesthetic difference between the two is found in the profile. Suzuki has a much more pronounced fuel-tank hump. The seat climbs up the backside of the tank to deliver roughly the same seat length, but the front end of the DR saddle may not be quite as useful as the nearly straight-back KLX.

Laced wheels are a constant across the board, as are the street-knobby hoops and 21-18 rim diameter. Suzuki falls behind a bit in the engine department with a smaller, Laced wheels against the Kawi's 233 cc displacement and six-speed gearbox. The DR takes another hit in the brakes as it has 199 cc thumper and 5-speed transmission, and even runs a drum brake out back out back}}. Really guys?

With all that in mind, the DR200S rolls for $4,649, which is a tad higher than the non-ABS KTX230 with inferior brakes and smaller engine, and I expect that to cut into its marketability relative to the Kawi.

Read our full review of the Suzuki DR200S.

He Said

“Yeah, it's cool and all, I guess I just don't see the purpose, especially with the KLX250 so close in displacement and already established. Perhaps the factory is learning from its 250 experience and looking to retire same? Maybe so, but if not, I reckon the 230 is going to take a lot of wind out of the 250's sails.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “If the group you ride with has 450s or bigger, you're going to have a sad time. If you ride alone or ride with friends on comparably-sized bikes, you are gonna have a blast. The bike is small, lightweight, user-friendly, and reliable. Oh! And it's too much fun to ride. You'll be giggling the whole time you're tearing up the trails. Power is manageable and it's surprisingly comfortable considering you can use the whole seat. There are pillion pegs, but you'll be cramped going two-up. If you don't know your passenger when you start the ride, you'll definitely be better acquainted when you reach your destination.”

Kawasaki KLX230Specifications

Further Reading

Kawasaki

Read more Kawasaki news.