Any one had KLE 500, ANY GOOD?

[Tink]

Thinking about buying 2005 - 2007 kawasaki kle 500,
Just wondered what there like?

[desertraider]

ive had 1 for over 2 years , bullet proof motor thats been around for years , seats abit hhmm , cheap to buy cheap to run , the last one i had , i did afair bit of work on it full lazer pro duro exhaust system , k&n , dynojet kit and gpz 500 cams and that put the power up to around 60 odd bhp and was miles better than standard , i went all over the uk and europe on it, and it never let me down ever

[Tink]

Was it comfy apart from the seat?

Seems like there good value for money?

[Throttled]

I have had mine for 10 months, an 05 with 6000miles and I have now doubled that to 12000.

Extras added are mirror extenders so I can see behind me, a fenda extenda which helps to keep muck off the engine, a 52l top box which does not look silly on a bike this size and a gel seat pad which works very well indeed. I did have a touring screen, but it made my neck hurt and I am better off with the standard screen.

GOOD

Breakdowns nil. I have had a puncture, the speedo cable went and a problem with the choke caused by a faulty repair after an accident.

Finnish is good as it lives outside and is used in all weathers and rust is minimal and easily treated with Kurust and paint.

You sit very high up and command the road and it rides well over the bumps.

Insurance group 9 and lots of spares on eBay.

MEDIUM

I get 40mpg round town and up to 60mpg on the road. It is fun bombing along B roads and not bad off road, but I have not tried it through serious mud and dirt.

BAD

Cluncky gear change means it is hard to ride smoothly.

It is a bit gut less, but will still keep up with all but the faster driver cars. It sits happily 50-60mph, OK 60-70mph and over 70mph you start to feel it with the buffeting and lack of power.

UNSURE

I dont ride that fast or am looking to get the knee down, so I cannot say much abut grip and handling.


The motorbike press do not like it, but I think most miss the point. It was the cheapest big dual purpose bike you could buy with excellent reliablity, tough and not much to go wrong.

[desertraider]

yep i am 6ft and their was plenty of room to move about , the petrol tanks not huge but theirs petrol stations every five mins down the road , i had an early one many years ago red with a green seat and did 10,000 plus miles on it as a hack to work and back 50 miles aday and it never failed once , 4 or 5 years ago i had some spare cash and found a silver and black one with next to no miles on it so i had it a put some bits and bobs on it , all in all a good all round tool

[Filmick]

Hiya

I've had 2 KLE500s both bought from new as they were very cheap at the time. My first was back in 1993, L reg, second year of manufacture after the awful paintjobs of the first ones. The second one was a 55 plate, again bought new in 2005. The bike press didn't review them very favourably but I always found them reliable as I commute into London everyday come rain, shine or snow and need reliability.

I was never very confident with the handling though and after many and varied tyre combinations managed to get to a point when I could get a bit of feedback but still not enough for knee down scratching type confidence. Off road on gravel/mud it was ok, being quite light for a 500 it was comfortable "out the box" standing up on the pegs for resonable lengths of time.

The main problem I had with both bikes was with the exhaust rusting. (This was long before I discovered ACF-50). On the L-reg bike, the header pipes rusted through and luckily I found an OEM system on flea-bay and got my local garage to fit it (I'm not a DIY mechanic) so it lasted a few more years. After 12 years I found that Kawasaki had reintroduced that model but with a CAT, again really cheap (£3000 new in 2005) so I got another one, this time in grey/charcoal. It had a softer seat as the original was fitted with a plank! Everything else was the same, small tank size - 125 miles range including the flaky build quality. Then last year, low and behold, the exhaust rusts through again and being a one piece unit, the garage said that they couldn't weld/join a new pipe on. So after only six years, it had to go.

I traded it up for a 10-plate Honda Transalp and WOW what a difference! It's only when you try something else that you realise what a dog you've been putting up with. The handling on the Transalp is superb compared to the KLE and I've rediscovered the joys of weekend trips away rather than just commuting.

So, do I miss the KLE at all? Not one bit, but there is a very, very small place in my heart for the bike that I had for so many years that was very economical to own and run, but the Transalp makes me smile everytime I ride it.

[lonepilgrim]

Thanks for the reviews guy's - two of us looking for KLE reviews in a couple of days haha

[Devonboy]

I've had an 06/07 KLE for 12 mths can't really fault it, Iam Kwaker biased and Iam sure there are better and more comfortable bike's about but it does me. Did 800 mile's around Brittany last July and have a 2up trip to the dordogne planned for this year.

[Tink]

They seem good value for money, going to have a look tomorow at some
Cheers

[lonepilgrim]

Let me know how you get on as will save me looking at the rubbish ones and concentrate on good ones you've left ... Not looking at the unique one in Warwickshire I hope!