Kawasaki KLX230 vs Yamaha Lander 250: Which One Makes More Sense?

The Kawasaki KLX230 stands out as one of the most capable dual-sports currently available in the market. But now, Yamaha is planning on bringing the Lander 250 to the Indian market soon. With this new competition on  the horizon, does the Kawasaki KLX230 still make sense as the go-to dual sport for every trail? We will be answering this question today.

Kawasaki KLX230

The Kawasaki KLX230 is a proper offroader which the Japanese manufacturer has made road legal. It looks like a dirtbike with its design and styling. The raised fender, overall slim profile and the long travel suspension really makes the bike look like it means business. 

Powering the KLX230 is a 233cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder motor which outputs 18.1PS and 18.3Nm. The bike gets a telescopic fork and monoshock, with 240mm travel at the front and the 250mm travel at the rear. The bike has a ground clearance of 265mm and a seat height of 880mm. In terms of tank capacity the bike has a 7.6-litre fuel tank. It is also quite light as well, coming in at 139kg kerb.

It rolls on a 21-inch front and a 18-inch rear spoke wheel setup. Braking duties are handled by a 265mm front and a 220mm rear disc setup.

The bike gets essential features like switchable-ABS, which will allow for controlled slides. Overall, with the good ground clearance and light weight. The KLX230 will be a really good beginner bike, that would also be a lot more forgiving.

Yamaha Lander 250

The Yamaha Lander 250 is a dual-sport motorcycle which has been sold in the international market for quite a while now. The bike features a lot of similarities with the now-discontinued Yamaha FZ25. 

Now, talking about the design the bike has that dual-sport look and feel with the raised front fender and overall slim profile. But when you look closer, you’ll see the headlight and tail light are the same as the ones used on the FZ-25. When it comes to power and performance, the bike gets a 249.5cc, air-cooled, single cylinder engine which outputs 20.7PS and 20.49Nm. This makes the bike a lot more powerful than the Kawasaki KLX230.

Moving on to the bike’s underpinnings, the Lander 250 gets a telescopic fork and monoshock. It has a ground clearance of 275mm and a seat height of 875mm. The bike has a tank capacity of 11 litres and a kerb weight of 143kg. The bike rolls on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear spoke wheel setup, with braking duties handled by a 245mm front and a 203mm rear disc setup.

Which One Makes More Sense?

The Lander 250, on paper, offers a lot more performance and also slightly better underpinnings. But the KLX230 manages to stand out with the lower kerb weight and better brakes. Now, which bike makes more sense depends on what you are looking for.

The Yamaha Lander 250 makes more sense if you’re someone who is looking for simple dual-sport, which you can take out into the trails. The bike will likely be more affordable than the KLX230, both in terms of price and cost of ownership. Yamaha has a much larger and more widespread service network across India, and the availability of spares also won’t be an issue. 

The Kawasaki KLX230, on the other hand, is an expensive bike both in terms of outright cost and cost of ownership. Getting the KLX230 today only makes sense if you’re looking for a dual-sport on which you can start learning off-road riding. It is a model that is geared towards more hard-core offroad enthusiasts than the Lander 250.