New KLX 400

[jeffw]

Found this in the KDX forum and thought you guys would be interested, sorry if this is old news...

http://www.eatmydirt.com.au/kawasaki/index.htm

 

[Milquetoast]

So that's just a green DRZ right?

 

[mkuder]

Looks exactly like my DRZ with some Kawasaki stickers, green paint, and plastic

 

[Milquetoast]

More power? Good!
More weight? Bad!
I'd rather buy the normal Kawasaki KLX and add a big bore kit for a couple of hundred bucks, instead of a Suzuki that has green plastics. Suzy-Q's (as my Mom calls them) are fine with me but I just don't see the reason to go to this extreme to rebadge a bike from another manufacturer. Honda sells a gazillion XR's, why can't Kawi make a new effort of making a 4 stroke trialbike?

 

[MCassle]

Kawasaki is not Honda...Kawasaki doesn't have the $$ to back the R&D needed for a new four stroke project, so they went the cheaper route by teaming up with the next smallest 'big four'. I'm extremly disappointed myself, but from a business stand point it makes alot of since. I for one won't buy one because it's a clone, if I want a DRZ then I'll buy a DRZ...but probably most of the people that are loyal to the Kawasaki brand & maybe only ride once in a great while would be ignorant to the whole DRZ rip-off, and would buy one without knowing the back ground of the bike. Just a guess, we'll see.

matt

 

[rmburnside]

My brother-in-law wants a DRZ400 like mine, we just like trail riding, but he likes the green color better than yellow, if so why not???

 

[Skid Jackson]

I have a drz, if i was going to get a new one it would be green, why??? Because the kawasaki deaker in my area is much better than the zook dealer. Dealer support is a good reaon to change colors.

 

[weekendtoy]

Looks like a street model is only available.It does have the Suzuki offroad spec motor though.

 

[luvmywheels]

If anyone reads the street mags, about 3 months ago there was talk of Suzuki and Kawasaki joining forces, looks like they just swapped colors!

 

[BUCKWHEAT]

Give em' both a year or two to iron out their plans. I think you will see some very cool stuff in the future painted green and yellow. That KLX400 will without a doubt give them more market share than if only a yellow one was offered.

 

[380EXCman]

Kawasaki is not Honda...Kawasaki doesn't have the $$ to back the R&D needed for a new four stroke project

No they are not Honda but Kawasaki is huge. Especially in the heavy/industrial stuff. But if KTM can do it any of the big 4 could no problem. I agree though they should have some better stuff soon. But right now they are way way behind the power curve......

 

[dave186]

I did a research paper on Kawasaki for my econ class. They have more than enough resources to make a little old dirt bike. A dirt bike is so small compared to some of the things that they make. I dont understand why they are doing this other than they are just lazy. I wouldnt buy one of these things, and I ride a Kawi right now. I am just glad they arent copying the RMs (yet). Maybe they are diverting all the R&D that it would take to build trail bikes into something that I would be interested in, like maybe a KX450F???

talk about some sentence fragments in that post :|

 

[Jasle]

Well they are not copying RM's yet but the new RM65 is a copy of the KX65 and the new KDX50 is just a green JR50. I'd much rather have the kdx50 than the jr. I like the color. But my dealer is s turd so I will probably buy another PW50 when time comes.