When Vege at Kiwi Rider offered me the opportunity to spend a week on Kawasaki’ s new KLE 500 SE, I was keen to see how this all-new lightweight adventure bike would perform in the real world. Over several days I covered around 500 kilometres on a variety of roads, including highways, winding back roads, gravel and a few rougher off-road sections. By the end of the week I came away genuinely impressed. Although it’ s powered by a modern 450cc engine, don’ t be fooled into thinking it’ s underpowered— it is more than capable of losing your licence on the open road if you’ re not paying attention.
RIDING Pretty much from the moment I climbed aboard, the bike felt comfortable and unintimidating. The riding position is natural, the controls are light and easy to use, and the overall ergonomics make it a bike you can happily spend all day on. Whether riding through town, cruising the open highway or exploring New Zealand’ s back roads, it always felt easy to manage and inspired confidence.
KIWI RIDER 51