Bike News
Updated Kawasaki KLX450R Launched in India at Rs 8.99 Lakh – Rs 50,000 more expensive than before
Kawasaki has updated its entry-level middleweight off-roader motorcycle, the KLX450R in the Indian market. Exclusively available as a CBU model which is intended to use only within closed off-road circuits and not on open roads, the Kawasaki KLX450R is the Japanese brand’s most powerful dirt bike sold in India. The deliveries of the motorcycle will start from January 2022, with the motorcycle now open for bookings at all dealer outlets of Kawasaki.
Price and Variants
The new updated Kawasaki KLX450R has been launched at Rs 8.99 lakh (ex-showroom, India). The new price point makes it Rs 50,000 more expensive than the previous version of the motorcycle, which was priced at Rs 8.49 lakh. The high asking price of the KLX450R is due to the taxes it attracts for being a complete import in India.
Design and Features
Like a majority of the dirt bikes, the new Kawasaki KKLX450R is a bare-bones motorcycle, which comes standard in Kawasaki’s trademark shade of lime green. The KLX450R gets a simple halogen headlamp within a white coloured front cowl, with a large curved front fender attached just below it. The slim looking side body panels cover the small and high-mounted 8-litre fuel tank, with the motorcycle getting a long single-piece seat good enough to accommodate a single person.
The body panels below the seat extend to the rear of the motorcycle, which also integrates the rear fender. There is a white-coloured shroud for the high mounted exhaust pipe, while the motorcycle also gets a small LED tail lamp at the back, which is used only for safety purposes. Like a traditional off-road motorcycle, the Kawasaki KLX450R gets a tall seat height and high ground clearance and misses out on a proper instrument console, rearview mirrors and turn indicators, making it unfit for legal street use.
Engine and Transmission
The Kawasaki KLX450R is powered by a high-revving four-stroke, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 449cc engine, which has been updated to offer more response at lower RPMs. However, the power and torque figures of this engine are kept under wraps. The transmission unit employed is a 5-speed unit.
Chassis
The KLX450R gets a rigid perimeter frame made of aluminium and a dual-cradle sub-frame, which gives it a much-needed sturdy appeal. While the motorcycle gets 48mm upside-down telescopic forks with adjustable compression and rebound at the front, there is a uni-trak with adjustable compression and rebound damping and adjustable spring preload at the rear. The motorcycle rides on 80/100-21 off-road tyre at the front and 120/90-18 off-road tyre at the rear, which are wrapped over aluminium spoke wheels. For braking, the motorcycle has been equipped with petal disc brakes at both ends. The KLX has a high ground clearance of 315mm and a kerb weight of 126 kg.
Competition
The Kawasaki KLX450R is the only off-road dirt bike available officially in the Indian market, thus making it a super exclusive, one-of-a-kind motorcycle.
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