Last November, during the 6th Ilocos Sur Invitational Ride held in Vigan, we were indulged by one of our industry friends from Kawasaki Motors Philippines Corp. (KMPC) as we talked about their upcoming models for 2020. Besides the highly-anticipated Z H2, Mr. Henry Raquedan also revealed that KMPC will also be bringing in their newest dual sport bike – the all-new KLX 230.
For those who are looking for an alternative to the aging CRF 250L and Serow 250, Wheeltek Kawasaki Cavite will be unveiling the new KLX 230 “real soon.” Though we understood their word "real soon" like they were meaning to say "will be available on March", it was in fact, "this January" and by that, the KLX 230 motorcycles are now available at their showroom in Cavite.
As of this writing, we haven't seen the bike in the flesh inside Kawasaki Cavite's showroom but here are a few quick facts about the KLX 230: For starters, the new KLX 230 is powered by a 233 cc air-cooled four-stroke, EFI SOHC thumper that has 19 Ps and 19 Nm power and torque output mated to a 6-speed wet, multi-plate gearbox. Fuel tank capacity is 7.4 liters which is almost identical to the CRF 250L. The bike's frame is a semi-double cradle while the suspension is a typical telescopic for the front and mono shock for the rear. What's interesting on this new KLX 230 is the availability of an Anti-lock Braking System or ABS. However, to keep the pricing competitive, the Philippine-spec models are all non-ABS variants.
Wheels are standard 21-inch for the front and 18-inch for the rear. The new KLX 230 tips the scales at 134 kg with a claimed 33.4 kilometers per liter fuel consumption (WMTC mode value class 2-1, when a single person is riding).
The current SRP for the KLX 230 non-ABS is PHP190,000, which is more affordable than the CRF 250L and Serow 250.
