The adventure market is opening up to novice riders now that the learner-approved Kawasaki Versys-X 300 is available in the Australian market.
It will be available in candy lime green and metallic carbon grey or metallic graphite grey and flat ebony for $6399 (plus on-road costs).
The new breed of baby adventurers to hit the market also includes the BMW G 310 GS, 400cc Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda 190cc Night Hawk and Suzuki “Baby-Strom” DL250.
To some extent, you could also throw in the Ducati 400 Scrambler and small-bore scramblers from companies such as Husqvarna and Benelli.
The Himalayan is available at $5990 plus on-road costs and while there is still no release date or price yet for the G 310 GS, the R version will cost just $5790 – $5865.
There is also no word from Honda about its baby adventurer, while Suzuki Australia says no to the baby-Strom.
The Versys-X 300 uses the 300cc liquid-cooled parallel twin out of the ever-popular Ninja 300 but has a new and more rugged chassis.
Its adventure credentials are also verified by a 19-inch front wheel, dual-purpose IRC Trail Winner rubber, tall screen, wire spoked wheels and longer travel suspension.
Up front it’s got 41mm telescopic forks with a Uni-Trak gas-charged rear monoshock. Suspension travel figures are not supplied.
It’s no bush basher. After all, it has a small plastic bash plate. However, the 170kg bike should cope well with dirt and gravel roads.
Other features are ABS, an assist and slipper clutch, multi-function instruments with gear position indicator and a huge range of touring and accessories available.
Kawasaki Versys-X 300 KLE300CHF
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ENGINE |
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Type Displacement Bore and Stroke Compression ratio Valve system Ignition Starting Lubrication |
Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke Parallel Twin 296 cm3 DOHC, 8 valves |
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DRIVETRAIN |
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Transmission 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th Final reduction ratio Clutch |
6-speed, return |
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FRAME |
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Type rear Tyre: front rear Caster (rake) Trail |
Backbone, high-tensile steel 130 mm 24.3o 108 mm 40o / 40o |
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SUSPENSION |
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Front Rear |
ø41 mm telescopic fork Bottom-Link Uni-Trak, gas-charged shock and adjustable preload |
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BRAKES |
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Front: Type Caliper Rear: Type Caliper |
Single ø290 mm petal disc Single ø220 mm petal disc Dual-piston |
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DIMENSIONS |
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Overall length Overall width Overall height Wheelbase Ground clearance Seat height Curb mass Fuel capacity |
2,170 mm 860 mm 1,390 mm 1,450 mm 180 mm 815 mm 175 kg 17 litres
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PERFORMANCE |
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Maximum power Maximum torque |
29.3 kW {39 PS} / 11,500 rpm 26 N.m {2.7 kgf.m} / 10,000 rpm |