Why Does the Kawasaki KLX 230 Even Exist?

On this ride, we discuss why the KLX 230 exists along side the KLX 300 in the same markets, rather than only in separate markets and smash some awesome trails along the way!

[@axehandle5144]

I bought it vs the other larger models because i wanted a bike as maintenance free as i could get and so i went with the bike with the air cooled engine.🤷‍♂️

[@dementedspirit1359]

Crf 250f is a good choice as well, personally I’d rather have that over this 230. It is basically a modernized xr 250 lol

[@scotteger6271]

​@@dementedspirit1359 if you're towing the bike to the trails sure...but the beauty of the KLX 230 and Yamaha XT 250 is, they are dual sports and are street legal.

[@G-Man01]

What an astonishing landscape to ride through. You Americans are so lucky to have all that natural wide open space. As for the KLX230 - I am so keen on the SuperMoto variant! Looks a lot of fun. I guess, you could probably have also mentioned the difference in fuel capacity, since that may matter to some. Nice vid.

[@harlo1622]

For us smaller riders it’s perfect and needs to exist, I wish they would make a 450s

[@moistoregon]

I'm glad to see the trails looked as nuts/fun as they did when I was doing them on theTW. I was surprised to see the 360 last as long as it did! I was watching it nearly clip trees and thought for sure it was going to be a total loss. Great vid and review!

[@matts7975]

As much as i crashed as a noob, i would have despised picking up a heavier bike or having to repair a more expensive one

[@ZeroXSEED]

It was designed in Indonesia where vast majority of the riders ride 110cc bikes, either automatic or semi automatic. 230cc for us is already considered luxury. Even more hilariously, KLX230 was designed as less hardcore option to Kawasaki KLX150 and KLX250 which are more dirt focused and have liquid cooled engines.

[@joseadavila7445]

i got the ABS version thats way i got it . been waiting for klx 300 to have ABS . not yet ? why not . i can only ride it during winter here i S.O.A.Z. near tucson .AZ. becouse of aircooled heat in summer . the 300 water cooled dont have ABS deal breaker for me . make sure always check the hamdle bars brackets by pulling up and down before every ride . mine lost one while riding becouse of vibration off road . almoust had the handle bar come off . lucky it came off in town slow ridding . angels ridding with me that day . i checked every day now .

[@scotteger6271]

Why not add some blue loctite to the bolts? Will still break free if you need it to, but won't under normal vibration

[@ronwest7930]

I prefer the simplicity of air cooled bikes. With typical maintenance, this bike will last a long time with little cost. That bike's front end looks really soft, some spacers(old tech) on the top of the springs and slightly thicker oil would help a lot. If you don't bottom once in a while you essentially have less suspension travel. a very scenic ride, where is this? PNW?

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

Definitely, I love dead simple tech like this. These days, suspension really isn't too bad in terms of cost. I'm having another bike re-sprung front and rear with new oil and some valve work on the front by a professional for about $700. Doing that on this bike would really take it to the next level. Also, yes, this is out in the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon, at one of the many OHV parks over here.

[@Astrothunderkat]

i run 1.5" PVC pipe spacers and ATF in the forks of my 85 atc 250r, helps immensely

[@flattenedfrog]

Awseome trails and nice video! I've read some riders find the high idle speed (1800 RPM) annoying when going downhill. Did not seem to be a problem for you. Have you fixed not, or not found it to be an issue? Also, the brake lines seem to block the dashboard - is that what you've found?

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

Thanks! Personally, I find the high idle odd, especially bc it doesn't always do it. But it has never really impacted my riding anywhere, even downhill. As for the brake line, not really, I can generally see the dash just fine at my height. But if a rider were a 3 or 4 inches shorter than me (I'm 5'9") then it might obscure their view, but I cannot say for sure.

[@Frip36]

Did you know that tree was going to be there, or didn't know and just dodged it with quickness. 24:04

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

It was my first time on that trail, there's a wider berth than it looks like though, the actions cams have a weird effect on the picture like that.

[@jordanfrangquist1474]

21 and 18 are about as common as you can get for dual sport tires

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

It's the factory tire width that's odd, not the wheel diameter (in the context of street legal dual sport tires). The stock front tire is tire is 80/100-21 on a 2.75x21 rim which is a bit of an off size compared to the wider swath of available options for something like a 90/90-21 on a 3.0x21 rim which is what bikes like the KLX300 run. The rear is a 100/100-18 as opposed to the more common 110 or 120/100-18 on a 4.60x18 rim, which also has more readily available options. There are not as many options for a 100/100-18 in a street legal tire, so I ended up with a 110/100-18 on that narrow 4.10 rim. That gives the tires a really round profile when installed.

[@scotteger6271]

​@@FreeTimeAdventures hmm...makes me think and wonder...I was considering this bike but tires are super important and if there aren't good choices I might not go this route.

[@Simon-RucknRideAUD]

People get very confused regarding Adventure riding in general, and to be honest, spending a ton of money on a big BMW 1300 GS is prob not a good move if you have not got the skills, and you haven't been ring in say 15 years. The other thing is simple cost effective entry, ease of use, ease to fix and run and replace parts, upgrade or whatever. Some people might just be happy to learn on this first and never get anything bigger than the CRF300 Rally.

[@jacob50384]

I actually bought one of these, the non street version, and have been going to Browns Camp each weekend getting accustomed. Great area!

[@waynewilliams839]

I purchased mine 10 months ago. It fits my needs perfectly. Thank s for your work !! 😊

[@scotteger6271]

Thanks for taking the time to make such really well done videos and reviews. Its important to show what some of these smaller, less expensive and more simplistic machines can do. I had two Yamaha XT250's, years apart, and they were both great bikes. I miss having a light and simple dual sport, which lead me here. I'm in the market but the tire thing about this bike has me on the fence...maybe a third XT in my future instead. I'm going to research it more and see whats available... I'm not planning on anything crazy so maybe I could make an available option work for my needs. Thanks again...also, should have way more subscribers than you do, seriously excellent channel!

[@Astrothunderkat]

XTs are 2500 more than this bike and worse at everything overall. Yamaha is insane, I know the 225/230/250 platform inside and out. They haven't changed much at all since 1983, and the price should reflect that. Yamaha builds these machines for less than a grand, charging 5500 for a XT or TW is robbery and greed

[@rs232killer]

Because they had it before the 300 and haven't run out of parts yet?

[@flattenedfrog]

Was just in the local Kawi shop in January 2024, and they told me KLX230's are not being shipped yet, or maybe never? They are getting 300's. The Kawi website still shows the 230 and 230SM models tho.

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

Oh dang, that's wild! I could see them only selling it in other markets though, depending on what sales were like in the US between their launch in 2020 through 2023...

[@Frip36]

How do you video from in front of the bike looking back at the bike by like 6 feet? Are you with someone else?

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

I'm just using a 360 cam on a roughly 3ft pole. It's on the bike for about the first third of the video before I busted the mount and pulled it off. It works, but it's a pain trying to ride without catching it on stuff along the trail side.

[@Frip36]

@@FreeTimeAdventures I just discovered the camera can make the pole appear to be invisible. That was my issue. Invisibility.

[@goodoleme747]

Regarding the ABS, pull the fuse when going off road. Off road with abs is horrible lol

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

I honestly just forget to do that before I start riding every time! If I still owned the bike, I would just pull it and leave it out, lol.

[@goodoleme747]

@@FreeTimeAdventures it’s easy to forget lol enjoyed the video!

[@jt3366]

I love my KLX230. I’ve never ridden the 300, even though that’s what I originally wanted but it wasn’t available at the time. After about a year and 1700 miles of mostly dirt and gravel I have no envy of the 300’s or any strong desire to try one. Regarding tires, most of Kenda’s dirt bike tires are street legal (front only) so I went with Trakmaster rear and Washougal front. Works awesome. I did lower the gearing a bit to compensate for the more aggressive slightly larger tires.

[@salsorrentino100]

Could you explain the cameras and positioning you utilized on this ride? They give a good perspective. Did you sync their output--if so, how?

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

Sure, I was running two DJI Osmo Action 3's and an insta 360 x3. One is of course a chin mounted helmet cam, for the front wheel I mounted the camera on the left side frame rail and used extensions to get it down next to the engine pointing forward towards the front wheel. The 360 cam is mounted to the frame downtube directly in front of the engine with an additional support mount using clamps on each end to hold up the 360. I clap synch everything. So I start the cameras before turning the bike on and clap really loudly. In post then, I stack up the videos and align them by the one big clap and then trim the ends so they all start and end in exactly the same place. This makes it easy to switch between cameras seamlessly.

[@salsorrentino100]

It really looks nice. Great footage. Thanks for the reply.

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

Thank you!

[@xTinBenderX]

24:42 Holi?

[@dementedspirit1359]

Those trails look awesome, seems like a GREAT place to ride, dirt bikes and or atvs

[@josephthornton8560]

I think these Japanese manufacturers know something about upcoming EPA crackdowns all over the world. You have lots of E-motorcycles making advancements and even E-MountainBikes comparing VERY competitively with dual sports. Also the Japanese companies already sell similar versions of these bikes all over the world, so I guess they might as well sell some more units before the changes take root. (I am 270lbs, I own a 2021 KLX 300 DS and a 2022 KLX 300 SM)

[@Astrothunderkat]

fuck the EPA

[@lukewarmwater5320]

For the same reason brainless youtubers walk around under the delusion that people give a shit what they think...it just is what it is.

[@Driftocalypse]

What trail is this?

[@ken503]

The riding looked fun and all, but that bar setup is wicked cool!

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

Danke! I'm glad the bar is being received well as I legit have nowhere else to film indoors, lol

[@toastopia1]

Looks like a great mountain bike trail!

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

This same OHV park also has hiking, biking, and horse trails, so there's something for everyone. It's a cool place for sure!

[@davecummings3335]

Those trails look incredible!

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

West Oregon's forest trails are the best I've ever been on. Highly recommended if you ever are in the state.

[@squee222]

Reminds me of my old KL250 supersherpa. Great little bike. 6 gears, so it can get up to highway speeds, and it's just simple and does the job. I had to make some comfort improvements like handlebar risers, and stiffer springs, but nothing else besides basic maintenance and I've driven it across the country a few times. Little bikes like this will serve you well if you can handle giving up a few horsepower or creature comforts.

[@FreeTimeAdventures]

That's awesome that you've ridden the Supersherpa across the country! Makes me want to road trip the KLX230!

[@scotteger6271]

It's funny I was just looking at a couple of Super Sherpa's the other day. I'm in the market for another dual sport...sold my last one a few years ago but miss doing it so want something decent and easy to maintain. My only negative about the Sherpa is dealing with a carburetor...fuel injection has definitely spoiled me in the past decade or more. I had a Yamaha XT250 last and considered another, or maybe this KLX230...but if I can get one of those Sherpa's for a good enough price, maybe... anything I should look out for on them?