#motocross #adventure #sports
Dirt Bike Magazine takes the Kawasaki KLX300 and the CRF300L on the trail for a Dual Sport comparison. We returned to our roots. It was all about riding small-bore dual-sport bikes. We have the Honda CRF300L and the Kawasaki KLX300. The main appeal to both bikes is price; they each sell for around $5500. Both are made in Thailand and both are more about simple transportation than going fast off-road. Both bikes are taller than you might expect. With unladen suspension, the lowest part of the Kawasaki’s seat is 36.5 inches. The Honda’s is 37.2. That changes as soon as the bikes settle under their own weight. They’re soft–very soft. The Kawasaki settles more than the Honda, making it a little easier for the short-inseam crowd to touch the ground. Conversely, the Honda has more ground clearance. Both bikes come with very street-oriented tires. In order to go on an off-road ride of any substance, you need to replace them with full knobbies. We installed Dunlop’s new Geosport EN91 tries, which are knobbies with DOT approval.Up front, you gotta understand what these bikes are. They were made for street transportation and mild trail riding. One on one, though, they’re great trail companions. Their performance is so similar that you can’t help but have fun riding them together–just don’t invite those guys on 300 two-strokes. The Honda and Kawasaki both make around 23 horsepower and rev out around 9500 rpm. That’s enough power to go respectably fast on level, hard-packed trail. When you get into sandy hills, they struggle. You have to shift like a madman. If you try to stretch a gear by abusing the clutch, both bikes fall flat. If you really pay attention, you discover that the Honda has slightly more low end power. It’s also geared lower in first and second gear. Both bikes could use lower final gearing and be happier on the trail. In the big picture, though, the motor performance on these two bikes is so similar it’s almost eerie.
The seat height is much more relevant. Not only is the Honda a little taller, but it has a wider seat. That means short riders will struggle just to get a leg over it. Riders who are taller and those who are more experienced, on the other hand, will like the Honda’s extra ground clearance. It isn’t just about clearing rocks and stumps, it’s about how close your feet are to the ground. On the Kawasaki you’re nervous about wiping your feet clean off its narrow little footpegs.In the suspension department, neither bike is set-up for real off-road riding. They’re made to be cushy and comfortable around the campsite; nothing more. The ride that feels so comfy and plush on the road turns into a pitchy, divey affair in even the mildest off-road terrain. In the case of the Kawasaki, you at least have the option of subtle fine-tuning. You can increase preload on the rear shock and increase both compression and rebound damping. That gives you a little more security, but the range of adjustability is limited. The Honda, on the other hand, has no adjustability and desperately needs more damping at both ends. You can improve both bikes by spending money, but all the money in the world won’t make them into race bikes.


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