ZigOpinion: Here’s Why The Kawasaki KLX150BF Doesn’t Excite Me Much

Amidst the glamour and clamour that prevailed at India Bike Week 2022, there were a few bikes (and restaurants) that did tickle my fancy. Obviously, the elusive large-capacity KTMs remain mere decorative items at the Austrian bikemaker’s stall. And the new BMW S 1000 RR, even though it is improved, didn’t have as many people going gaga over it. 

However, in the tightly packed Kawasaki area, there was one off-roader that garnered quite some attention. But attention never does always translate to sales. And that’s where the tragic story of the KLX150BF begins and ends for me. Allow me to elaborate on that a bit.

What Is It?

I am totally sold on adventure bikes. Having the Hero XPulse 200 for several long-term stints has well and truly brought out the best of my riding skills. And even though the bike is far from being perfect, the XPulse does something that no other bike is quite as capable of: go anywhere, literally. 

And this identity is exactly where trail bikes and enduro machines come in. Case in point, the KLX150BF. It is a pukka off-roader but one that you can ride on the road without the cops stopping you and handing you a hefty challan. Its got 21-/18-inch spoke wheels, long-travel high-spec suspension, knobbies and a kerb weight of just 118 kilos, which makes the XPulse look obese.

Why The Hesitance?

As good as it would be off-road, I can’t help but be a little pessimistic about it. Firstly, it is just a small 150cc bike. The 144cc air-cooled mill makes a little more than 11 horses and 11.3Nm and that is before this motor becomes BS6-compliant. The necessary emission updates will surely strangle the motor’s potential further and make the bike slightly heavier too.

Plus, it is too focused. Be it its true-blue off-roader looks, the minuscule 7-litre fuel tank or the rally bike-like seat height, the KLX150BF is not one for the beginner off-roader. I was recently reading a few Rally Kit-enabled XPulse owners’ posts on a popular forum and the response generally is that most of them didn’t fully need or knew how to adapt to the Rally Kit bits. Sure, it made the bike a whole lot more capable, but if you don’t have the skill-set, then even the most precise tool can be rendered useless.

And lastly…

Would You Really Pay That Much?

Kawasaki has no intention of manufacturing the KLX150BF locally. It should hopefully be a CKD import and even then, the asking price would be north of TWO LAKH RUPEES. Ex-showroom. That’s quite a lot for a starter off-roader.

Yes, it will find a few homes, and I am sure they will be happy with the purchase too. But if it were me, that same money would be better put into an XPulse which will allow you to do the same things that the KLX would do if not more.