This time next week I will finally be test riding a Kawasaki KLE500. The problem is, I don’t want one any more, at least for the10k tour.
It’s dropped off the toplist in the last few weeks for a number of reasons.
1 – It’s under-powered. I wrote about team alignment in a recent post and however good the KLE 500 might be, it’s not going to fit alongside a couple of big KTMs that are part of the line-up. If I was one my own it might be different, but i’m not.
2 – I’ve gone off it. The initial excitement has worn off and the reality of it being a rather simple offering is becoming more and more clear as I watch independent reviews coming in through YouTube.
3 – I saw something else.
Hello Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel. Where did you come from?
I’m considering this very carefully. If you’re a V85TT owner and you’ve got an opinion, ping me on BlueSky! I’ll put some thoughts together on it here soon.
In the meantime I’ve got a couple of test rides lined up for next week. The KLE 500 will be one of them. The VStrom 800 DE or RE probably the other test ride.
I’ll be heading to the UK on the VFR800 on Sunday 29th April. See you on BlueSky!