There’s been plenty of gnashing of teeth about Kawasaki’s new KLE500 and KLE650, particularly from people who think the bikes aren’t capable enough off-road. While I’d personally like to see Kawasaki build a KLE650 more on par with the Yamaha Ténéré 700, I think there’s a bigger conversation here about where this bike fits in the market and what adventure riders actually want versus what they say they want.

For years, Kawasaki offered the Versys in 650 and 1000 versions. The recent move to a 900 instead of the 1000 makes sense to me: sport-touring buyers are becoming more limited, and motorcycles are getting more expensive. Meanwhile, adventure bikes with dual 17-inch wheels are a bit dated at this point. Best I can tell, modern buyers want 19/17 or 21/18 wheels, even when they don’t go off-road.

Yamaha has had tremendous success with the Ténéré 700. Honda has the Africa Twin, Transalp 750, and NX500. Kawasaki’s been left out of this segment for too long. The only real adventure bike in its lineup that you could put knobbies on has been the KLR650. Kawasaki was overdue to offer something the market has been asking for.

Simultaneously, the adventure market is also demanding more aggressive motorcycles than most riders will ever need. Everybody wants to look like a rally racer, but the truth is 99% of us aren’t competitive, and most of us are actually pretty terrible off-road. Yet everyone insists we need a bike built like Pol Tarrés’s T7. There’s a disconnect between what riders say they want and what they’re actually going to pay for. I’m watching the new KTM 690 Rally very closely; it’ll be interesting to see how many people get their wallets out after claiming a lighter, more aggressive middleweight is what’s needed.

I think Kawasaki understands its customer and the business decisions it has to make. The KLR650 is legendary in the dual-sport community, even if it’s frankly evolved into an overweight adventure bike. It’s a 650 single without enough horsepower to brag about, and it weighs nearly as much as a T7. Kawasaki could have done more, but much like the XR650L, people were still buying it. When manufacturing equipment was paid for long ago, continuing to sell an established motorcycle makes good business sense; there’s no way they’d build a direct competitor to the KLR this close to its refresh.

That doesn’t mean I don’t like the KLE. The styling turns my gears, and I actually prefer the 21/17 wheel combination. A 21-inch front benefits from the dirt-bike market, while a 17-inch rear gives you more affordable tire choices than current ADV 18-inch buns. I’d still prefer more aggressive suspension and ground clearance. Kawasaki has the capacity to build a middleweight KLR more on par with the Ténéré. The KLX300 is already competitive with the CRF300L, arguably even the discontinued WR250R. I love Yamaha’s CP2 engine, but the Versys 650 engine has been around a long time, and I’d absolutely consider a comparable Kawasaki if I hadn’t already bought my T7. If we’re lucky, Kawi may even put a  270-degree crank into an off-road spec KLE650 and park it next to the touring SE.

I respect Kawasaki’s decision to protect the KLR’s position. I want something better from them, and I think if we’re patient, we might get it.