Moto blog
Old Dog, New Tricks: Tackling The LA-Barstow To Vegas Dual-Sport Ride
Mon, 05 Dec 2022Joining the 39th running of the famed event on a Ducati DesertX and a Kawasaki KLX300 Credit: Photos by Cait Maher, Evans Brasfield, Grumpy, and Ryan Adams Let’s be honest, dual-sport motorcycles aren’t really designed for touring, despite my best efforts ( here and here). The bikes are merely street-legal dirt bikes without much accommodation for creature comfort. So, spending 220-ish miles flat in the saddle from Las Vegas, NV to Palmdale, CA, mostly on Interstate 15, is a platform for cataloging discomforts, and after riding approximately 360 miles, mostly off road over the two previous days, my aches-and-pains were legion.
Kawasaki Reveals Electric, Hybrid and Hydrogen-Powered Prototypes
Tue, 08 Nov 2022Electrics coming in 2023, hybrid Ninja to follow in 2024 After presenting an electric prototype last month at Intermot, Kawasaki revealed a range of electric, hybrid, and hydrogen-powered prototypes at EICMA. The alternative energy models are part of Kawasaki’s efforts to reach carbon neutrality, with production models expected to launch in the next two to three years. Most of the prototypes used Kawasaki’s new Go with Green Power logo which will be used on its carbon neutrality efforts.
Showdown: Kawasaki Ninja 1000 SX Vs Suzuki GSX-S1000GT+
Fri, 04 Nov 2022A clash between two sport-touring heavyweights Credit: Photos by Evans Brasfield It seems like all the splash lately has been about the ADV category and all the wonderful things they can do and destinations they can reach. We’re not going to deny adventure bikes their time in the sun, either. They’re definitely fun and capable bikes worthy of all the bandwagoning.
2022 Kawasaki KLX140 R L Review
Wed, 12 Oct 2022A great intermediate step to a full-sized dirt bike for growing or novice riders Credit: Photos by Evans Brasfield The universal truth about children is that you feed them, and they grow. So, after an extended time with the Honda CRF125F, my daughter started to look like a giant on the bike and needed to move up. A year prior, she’d tried the Kawasaki KLX140R L and found it intimidating because she couldn’t easily touch the ground when astride it.
2023 Kawasaki Ninja 650 And Z650 - First Look
Tue, 04 Oct 2022Now with traction control. Kawasaki is bringing back both the Ninja 650 and Z650 for 2023 with one significant update – traction control. Formerly a rider aid only for the most powerful sportbikes on the planet, the safety benefits of traction control reach far beyond trying to go quickly around a racetrack.
Kawasaki EV Prototype Revealed at Intermot
Tue, 04 Oct 2022Electric naked Z prototype to form basis for production model Kawasaki presented an electric prototype at Intermot, providing a glimpse of what an eventual production model may look like. The EV prototype was part of a wide-ranging speech from Masaya Tsuruno, managing director of Kawasaki Motors Europe, discussing the company’s approach to reaching carbon neutrality. Tsuruno did not provide much technical information about the EV prototype, though he did stress that the prototype will form the basis of a production machine.
2023 Kawasaki KX450SR Special Racer - First Look
Tue, 04 Oct 2022Showa me the money I was all Pavlov dogging when I read that the KX450SR “features elite-level racing components, special tuning and design elements inspired by the Monster Energy Kawasaki race team,” only to suffer slight cotton mouth when I learned that consists of nothing more than new SHOWA suspension components front and rear. I mean, obviously great suspension is critical to motorcycles that leap 40 feet into the air, but I felt like I was led to believe there’d be more. In fact, the rest of the 2022 package was already so blinged out, there wasn’t much more Kawasaki could add.
2023 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4R Confirmed in VIN Submissions
Tue, 02 Aug 2022399cc Inline-Four sportbike coming to the US A new Vehicle Identification Number decoder released by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirms that Kawasaki will be introducing a 399cc Inline-Four Ninja ZX-4R model for 2023. While the VIN decoder does not provide any clue to what the ZX-4R will look like, we expect it will be styled similar to the 249cc Ninja ZX-25R (pictured above) currently offered in Japan and other Asian markets.
Two Electric Kawasaki Streetbikes Coming for 2023
Tue, 02 Aug 2022Two models revealed in VIN decoder Earlier this year, Kawasaki revealed its first electric two-wheeler, but a lot of people were disappointed when they realized it was a kids’ balance bike called the Elektrode. Those hoping for an electric streetbike from Kawasaki won’t have to wait too much longer, as we can confirm two new models will be coming to the U.S. for the 2023 model year.
MO Touring: Building A Lightweight Adventure Bike
Mon, 18 Jul 2022Adventure touring in a small package? Witness the Kawasaki KLX300 ADV. Maybe I’ve been hanging out with Managing Editor Ryan Adams too much.