KLV 1000 review
As big trailies go, the KLV is on a par with the Honda Varadero, not quite as good as Aprilia's Caponord and no where near as good as the BMW R1200GS
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Kawasaki has taken Suzuki's V-Strom, painted the frame and swingarm black, stuck on a slightly different front fairing with an adjustable screen, changed the mirrors and clocks and painted it orange. That's it, not a sausage more.
This makes it feel very similar to the V-Strom, but ironically for Suzuki, it actually improves the bike. The big V-twin engine is the same TL1000 derived motor as the V-Strom and is the bike's best feature. It thumps out a decent amount of stomp, which makes the KLV surprisingly fast. Low in the rev range it gets lumpy and can feel a bit rough, but get it up and spinning and it's got loads of power. And usefully enough the top gear is very tall, making it a good overdrive.
The riding position is typical big trailie. It's comfortable with high bars and a wide seat that actually feels more padded than the V-Strom's, although my arse may have become more padded since I last rode one. The new Kawasaki clocks are better than the V-Stroms, clearer and with a larger Kawasaki has taken Suzuki's V-Strom, painted the frame and swingarm black, stuck on a slightly different front fairing with an adjustable screen, changed the mirrors and clocks and painted it orange. That's it, not a sausage more.
This makes it feel very similar to the V-Strom, but ironically for Suzuki, it actually improves the bike. The big V-twin engine is the same TL1000 derived motor as the V-Strom and is the bike's best feature. It thumps out a decent amount of stomp, which makes the KLV surprisingly fast. Low in the rev range it gets lumpy and can feel a bit rough, but get it up and spinning and it's got loads of power. And usefully enough the top gear is very tall, making it a good overdrive.
The riding position is typical big trailie. It's comfortable with high bars and a wide seat that actually feels more padded than the V-Strom's, although my arse may have become more padded since I last rode one. The new Kawasaki clocks are better than the V-Stroms, clearer and with a larger
| Length (mm) | 2295 |
| Width (mm) | 910 |
| Height (mm) | 1395 |
| Dryweight (kg) | 208 |
| Seats | 0 |
| Seat Height (mm) | 840 |
| Suspension Front | 43 mm cartridge fork, fully adjustable spring preload |
| Suspension Rear | Bottom-Link, stepless rebound damping, fully adjustable spring reload |
| Tyres Front | 110/80R19 M/C (59H) |
| Tyres Rear | 150/70R17 M/C (69H) |
| Brakes Front | Dual floating 310 mm discs, dual twin-piston caliper |
| Brakes Rear | Single 260 mm disc, single-piston caliper |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1535 |
| Chassis | Twin-spar, aluminium |
| Cubic Capacity (cc) | 996 |
| Bore (mm) | 98 |
| Stroke (mm) | 66 |
| Compression Ratio | 11.3 |
| Ignition | Electronic |
| Cooling | Liquid Cooled |
| Fuel Delivery | EFI |
| Stroke Type | Four Stroke |
| Drive | Chain |
