By the end of the day, I was genuinely stunned by how well the Kawasaki had performed. It had shone on the gravel, revelled in the short, gloopy section and even acquitted itself surprisingly well on the damp asphalt. I can imagine it would have shone in the forestry sections too. Trying to think what might compare, I came up with the Honda CRF300 Rally. It would probably make a very nice machine for getting to and from an event, although I suspect its tallness and budget suspension might make it difficult to match the KLX on this sort of riding. Then I talked to a couple of blokes from Rotorua who had trailered their bikes up and ridden Yamaha WR450Fs. Hmm … I guess that’ s the thing, the CRF300 is probably nicer to ride to the event. The WR450 would probably perform even better once you got there. But the KLX300 sits somewhere in between— and that might be its greatest strength. At a little over $ 9000 new, including on roads, I found myself thinking what a bloody good commuter / adventure / trail bike the KLX300 is going to make. And after a day like that? I think my DR650 and KDX200 days might be numbered.
KIWI RIDER 51