Dual-purpose Kawasaki heads to SA
Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 8:11 am
Dual-purpose Kawasaki heads to SA
Wednesday, October 25, 2006 - By JD van Zyl - Wheels 24. - wheels24.co.za
Kawasaki's KLE 650, in some countries it is known as the Versys, uses the compact 649cc parallel twin engine from the ER-6n. Only this time with torque where a machine of this nature is mostly likely to need it - in the low to mid range.
The engine's performance peaks with 47 kW of power at 8 000 r/min, and 61 Nm of torque at 6 800 r/min.
As with the ER-6n and its fully-faired sibling, ER-6f, Kawasaki says the team designed the motorcycle around the rider, meaning that it's "superbly comfortable, very user-friendly, and capable of flattering even the novice rider with its handling."
Rest assured that as soon as we can get our hands on this model after it arrives in November, we will be sure to tell share our thoughts with you on that subject.
The curvaceous aluminium gull-shape swing arm, offset rear shock absorber, under-engine exhaust muffler, stacked dual-headlights all make the new Kawasaki middleweight stand out from the crowd. But whether it is in a good way, we are still to decide.
The parallel-twin format was chosen because the bike needed to be short and narrow to deliver the type of handling the designers intended - a V-twin would have been too long, and an in-line four cylinder unit simply too wide.
The engine used in the KLE 650 is physically the smallest in its class, allowing the bike to have a wheelbase of just 1 415mm. Because it's so narrow, the bike could be given healthy ground clearance without riders battling to reach the ground.
Parallel-twins of yore were frequently cursed with extreme vibration, but the Kawasaki claims that its counter-rotating balance-shaft eliminates the irritating vibes while leaving a "charismatic low-frequency pulse to let the rider know he''s riding a twin".
Although the KLE 650 is not a dirt bike, the company says that it's very capable of handling gravel-roads. Both the front and rear suspension combine long travel for rough-road use with stiff springs to provide taut on-road handling.
The 41mm upside-down front forks are adjustable for both preload and damping, and fork height can be adjusted through a range of 8mm.
The lightweight swing-arm does away with the usual complex linkages to offer very direct feedback from the rear wheel, and the Showa shock absorber makes use of a free piston and two-stage damping valves to produce smooth action at the initial stage of the compression stroke and firmer damping near full compression.
The shock is also adjustable, with rebound damping and preload offering 13 and 7 settings respectively.
Braking consists of twin semi-floating 300mm petal discs up front clamped by dual-piston callipers, and a single 220mm petal disc at the rear.
Pricing of the KLE 650 is not as yet finalised, but we do know that it will come with the usual Kawasaki two year / unlimited distance warranty. The first bikes are expected to arrive late November 2007.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006 - By JD van Zyl - Wheels 24. - wheels24.co.za
Kawasaki's KLE 650, in some countries it is known as the Versys, uses the compact 649cc parallel twin engine from the ER-6n. Only this time with torque where a machine of this nature is mostly likely to need it - in the low to mid range.
The engine's performance peaks with 47 kW of power at 8 000 r/min, and 61 Nm of torque at 6 800 r/min.
As with the ER-6n and its fully-faired sibling, ER-6f, Kawasaki says the team designed the motorcycle around the rider, meaning that it's "superbly comfortable, very user-friendly, and capable of flattering even the novice rider with its handling."
Rest assured that as soon as we can get our hands on this model after it arrives in November, we will be sure to tell share our thoughts with you on that subject.
The curvaceous aluminium gull-shape swing arm, offset rear shock absorber, under-engine exhaust muffler, stacked dual-headlights all make the new Kawasaki middleweight stand out from the crowd. But whether it is in a good way, we are still to decide.
The parallel-twin format was chosen because the bike needed to be short and narrow to deliver the type of handling the designers intended - a V-twin would have been too long, and an in-line four cylinder unit simply too wide.
The engine used in the KLE 650 is physically the smallest in its class, allowing the bike to have a wheelbase of just 1 415mm. Because it's so narrow, the bike could be given healthy ground clearance without riders battling to reach the ground.
Parallel-twins of yore were frequently cursed with extreme vibration, but the Kawasaki claims that its counter-rotating balance-shaft eliminates the irritating vibes while leaving a "charismatic low-frequency pulse to let the rider know he''s riding a twin".
Although the KLE 650 is not a dirt bike, the company says that it's very capable of handling gravel-roads. Both the front and rear suspension combine long travel for rough-road use with stiff springs to provide taut on-road handling.
The 41mm upside-down front forks are adjustable for both preload and damping, and fork height can be adjusted through a range of 8mm.
The lightweight swing-arm does away with the usual complex linkages to offer very direct feedback from the rear wheel, and the Showa shock absorber makes use of a free piston and two-stage damping valves to produce smooth action at the initial stage of the compression stroke and firmer damping near full compression.
The shock is also adjustable, with rebound damping and preload offering 13 and 7 settings respectively.
Braking consists of twin semi-floating 300mm petal discs up front clamped by dual-piston callipers, and a single 220mm petal disc at the rear.
Pricing of the KLE 650 is not as yet finalised, but we do know that it will come with the usual Kawasaki two year / unlimited distance warranty. The first bikes are expected to arrive late November 2007.