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Buy a used Kawasaki KLE 500
Used purchase, Kawasaki KLE 500
Kawasaki KLE 500
The fun bike is poured out happily again. Michael R. is certain: The KLE is a Spritti.
Klaus Herder
04/29/1996
Four liters are impossible, seven liters normal is normal. With a little effort, nine liters are feasible, with suitcases, pillion and full throttle, eleven liters is realistic. The Kawasaki KLE 500 is a »fun bike« and as such it should be fun – but also for the gas station attendant? It was certainly not originally intended that way; The English generic term comes from France, where pleasure-seeking enduro owners were the first to put their cleats on fat road rollers, refined them with high-quality brakes and chassis components and then hunted down superbikers.
The KLE, which was presented at IFMA 1990 and sold from 1991, also qualifies as a “fun bike”, but not because stoppers and spring elements are so elegant – on the contrary – but because the KLE looks like Enduro, but isn’t. Especially not when it comes to their engine. The two-cylinder with two overhead camshafts, four-valve technology, water cooling and balancer shaft, is anything but a typical half-liter enduro engine. No wonder, because the Twin celebrated its premiere in 1985 as a 450 in another Kawasaki model – in a chopper of all things, the Z 450 LTD.
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In 1987 the Kawasaki technicians noticed that the easy-revving drive train actually had sporty qualities and transplanted it into the GPZ 500 S with 500 cm³. The KLE also received this engine, but only 50 hp of the 60 GPZ horsepower remained. Less power, but a higher torque and a more harmonious power output – camshafts with modified timing make it possible. This means that the red area on the rev counter, which begins at 11,000 rpm, is unreachable. Propulsion is noticeable from 2500 rpm, from 6500 rpm things get down to business very quickly, and at 9000 rpm it’s the end of the day.
The last two gear stages of the six-speed gearbox only have an overdrive character – the Kawasaki is translated far too long. For the first two years, KLE owners were sometimes annoyed by clumsy shifting and jumping gears. Since the spring of 1993 this has been the end of it, the dealer information 4/1993 reports improved gear pairs. A typical Kawasaki ailment could only be cured with the second model maintenance measure: the susceptible timing chain tensioner. Until 7/1993, its activity was insufficient to keep the timing chain reliably under tension. A stronger spring preload only ensured calm in the shaft for a short time. The problem has only been finally resolved since 4/1994 – Kawasaki switched the timing chain tensioner from the “screw type” to the more reliable “ratchet type”.
In individual cases, the camshafts were attacked by pitting at an early stage. Kawasaki reacted on the guarantee or goodwill way. This also applied to the throttle valves of the first year of construction of the 27 hp version – they were exchanged for improved specimens in June 1991, as the original throttling had failed completely. Loosened manifold fastenings and / or torn stud bolts also occur occasionally – but that would also mean “typical” damage, otherwise the mechanical reliability is good to very good.
What is not good is the said high consumption. Some readers (known by name to the editors) make do with illegal self-initiative: They ensure that the Kawa-Twin gets more air to breathe. Tuning measures that are said to have a strong effect on fuel consumption are the removal of the intake silencer rubber and the introduction of additional openings in the air filter housing. Much more popular and probably more professional, but also hardly registrable, is the assembly of a Dynojet carburetor nozzle kit. With one exception, many readers report a resounding success of the carburetor modification. If you want to try it, you can get the kit for 189 marks and the required K & N-Filter for 98 marks at Moto Parts, phone 0 21 51/55 73 70. How it works was stated in MOTORRAD 10/1994. But it should be emphasized again: The kit has neither ABE nor sample certificate and may not be used on public roads without entry in the papers.
Some other KLE tags are less delicate. For example, the suspension is far too slack, the fork slips when you brake hard, the hard-to-adjust shock absorber is far too soft even in the top two stages. Progressive fork springs from Wirth or White Power (159/169 marks) and a harder White Power spring for the central spring strut (159 marks) bring a noticeable improvement. The cover of the front brake disc does more harm than good, because it keeps out the cooling air that the rather mediocre stopper urgently needs. So: down with the plastic part. If you want to be legally on the safe side, you can register the dismantling. At TuV-Nord, for example, this is a purely formality for 34.50 marks “inspection fee”. If you want to do something good for the brakes, install the Dunlopad sintered metal brake pads (50 marks) and a steel-flex brake line (120 marks). The completely exposed shock absorber is best protected from dirt with an Acerbis central shock absorber protection (15 marks). The most noticeable KLE improvement is the reworking of the too narrow and poorly padded bench. The accessories sender Gotz (phone 0 74 76/93 31 50) does this with harder foam and, if desired, a lower seat height for 178.90 marks. Changes to the original strut mount and / or other deflection levers ensure more ground clearance – the trusted Kawasaki dealer knows.
What remains with all the recommended changes is the almost unique character of the KLE, which has been sold around 7,000 times in Germany and traded used from 5500 marks. The fun bike is an extremely handy all-rounder, which, thanks to its agile motor, does justice to one essential task: to be fun. Why not also the representatives of the mineral oil industry?
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