You may have had the time to read our adventure supplement in last month’s paper, and as you’d expect, it was full of awesome stuff, including a six-pager where I took the Kawasaki KLE500 to Wales to try out a new off-road course dedicated to getting out of pickles on the trails.
Not knowing what to expect, I’d left the 50/50 tyres on, then squared them up good and proper on the four-hour journey to Wales (for the second time in two weeks). The first thing I noticed on our first long voyage was the arse ache.
I like to think I’m bike-fit and don’t tend to suffer from a sore posterior very often, but after a day of off-roading on top of the ride home, I had to stop despite having half a tank of fuel and not needing the loo – that hasn’t happened for a long time!
But what about the pickle course? Well, there was a lot less riding than I expected, but the whole premise was to study techniques to get you out of the proverbial when off-road . This meant, to my surprise, there was a lot of manual labour.
Surrounded by Honda CRF250L s and other smaller enduro bikes, the KLE was a big lump in comparison, thanks to its weight and sheer size. But what a way to learn how to use a big bike in the dirt… right?
After lowering the tyre pressures to ride on slippery dew-moistened grass, we worked on bike balance both on and off the bike and began with the ‘walk around the bike and keep it balanced while barely touching it’ exercise.
While I did this, I couldn’t help but feel like the back end was missing what a lot of adventure bikes have – grab handles and mounting points. But it’s not just the balancing where this is evident. Getting my weekend bag on the back took a bit of engineering.
I’m worried I’ve rubbed the white plastic too much as a result, but getting the seat off and wrapping ROK straps around that is its own headache and makes for a tedious time loading and unloading the lofty parallel twin.
Adding some proper luggage is something I have on the agenda, but I’m waiting for the stock to come into Kawasaki . I only hope it is here before my next planned trip.
But over the weekend, the biggest chance to prove the KLE is a capable partner off-road was after we gently laid it on its side. How was I going to pick it up? At 194kg, it’s not a small beast, and aside from the instructors’ KTM 890 Adventure R , it’s the heaviest bike in the group.
But with the right technique and a little assistance from a leverage strap, it was doable, and I think that the weight being low down in the bike probably helped me make this an achievable task.
Although I had issues with how hard the seat is, Kawasaki do supply another seat which lowers the seat height by 30mm along with a similar pillion seat. I’m not sure if this will make the ride any more comfortable for hours in the saddle, so I’ll keep an eye out for an aftermarket option.
MCN Reporter - Saffron's love for motorcycles began early, growing up surrounded by them and riding as soon as she turned 16. She pursued a BA in Creative Writing and Fine Art, followed by a Level 3 Diploma in Journalism from the NCTJ while gaining work experience at a local newspaper. Saffron's career includes various marketing roles in the automotive industry, but her passion for motorcycles led her to join MCN in April 2021. Since she joined, she has dabbled in off-road riding and track time, but touring remains her favourite hobby. Saffron, often seen traveling for features, rides a Harley-Davidson Heritag…