Is the Kawasaki KLX300R the ultimate trail bike? Let me know! 👇 🏍 GEAR I USE AND RECOMMEND - bit.ly/ea-links 👕 STICKERS, SHIRTS & MERCH - bit.ly/ea-merch 🙌 HELP SUPPORT THE CHANNEL - bit.ly/ea-patreon
I’ve had the KLX300R since April 21. I’ve added the Pro Circuit T6, IMS foot pegs, Power Comander V tuner, KDX snorkel, Twin Air Filter, Richichet Skid Plate, Pair Valve delete, 13T front sprocket and the bike rips pretty good now. I raced my first Hare Scramble in September and had a blast.
That's awesome to hear! It seems like it would be a great bike for Hare Scrambles or even endurance races. A bike with relatively low maintenance but with decent power and suspension... win-win all the way around!
Your welcome! Jeff here, my quick ride on your Beta 390 was great, thx. This KLX is the '21 and it was stock at that time. The IMS footpegs help quite a bit and the Power Commander V I've only riden a few times with it and seems to run even better and the exhaust is not as hot. I am running the suspension a bit softer now 😂
Hahah! I had a feeling that you might stumble across my channel at some point. Thanks again for letting me ride the KLX! Definitely a fun bike that I hope Kawasaki keeps around for a long time. Ride safe! 🍻
I am picking up my 2022 KLX 300R tomorrow! This review helped a ton as i was also considering the CRF 250F. I am 38 and have not ridden since i was a kid. Super stoked to get back on some trails without so much risk of whiskey throttle lol. I test road a KX 250F and that had way too much power for me to just jump into. The 300R should be perfect for what i need.
Update… the 2022 KLX300R is awesome! Tons of power and very smooth. I would buy it 10 times over no question. Having something brand new and knowing everything about “how it’s been treated” was my main reason for buying new. Tag price was $5,699.00 in Washington State but after all the Fees and Tax it came to $7800.00 so be ready for sticker shock lol. Just the freight charge alone was $900.00 and then $500.00 for assembly and $500.00 for Tax then Licensing Fees. It sounds super quiet on all these videos but it is a beast in real life. I will throw a Pro Circuit exhaust on there once the Warranty is up in 6 months. I have seen a lot of reviews about the foot pegs being too small but they seem fine and i wear size 12. I don’t care for the White side panels and Front plate but i just ordered some gloss black vinyl wrap and will try that out. Got an Hour Meter and a Kawasaki handle bar pad for now along with riding gear. Overall this bike is exactly what i needed so if you are thinking about getting one i say go for it! Ride height was a little tall at first (i am 5’10 215lbs) but it softened up pretty nicely with no factory adjustments. I adjusted the break and clutch height to 46.5 inches from the ground on center. Hope that info helps
@@richiepickett9416 I’m considering getting a 300R aswell. I have a CRF150RB already so I have some experience with riding but want more power and a bigger sized bike as I am growing out of my 150 pretty fast
@@richiepickett9416 You made a wise decision.. it's a terrific bike especially if you take care of it. It's a shame that cycle dealers are charging "set up" fees! That's a $ grab period. They are obligated to set up all bikes before selling. *Here in Ohio quite a few dealers try that. A few don't! I figure right now you must pay MSRP but I'm NOT payin a set up fee. Didn't on my '21 Yamaha Raptor 700R-SE ($11,500 OTD) & won't on a new '23 dirtbike* .
@@darksid356 You won't be sorry dude. Sadly we all gotta pay MSRP right now..but REFUSE to pay a "set up" fee! They must set up any new bike or quad before you buy it. Just advise to help out fellow off roaders. -Ohio
I just picked up a Klx300r and I am more than pleased with this bike, it is an absolute BEAST in the woods!! Suspension is amazing for a factory stock bike, torque is fantastic, bike feels nimble once you are on it riding. I can move through the woods much faster and more effortless than I ever could on my yz250f
Wow! That's awesome man, it seems like such a fantastic all around bike. It's definitely not the lightest or most powerful, but it seems like it's really got the fun factor part which to me is the most important. Thanks for watching and thanks for sharing!
I have the dual-sport version. Sometimes I wish I had just bought the "R" model, put on a Baja kit, and had it plated. But the dual-sport came with tags out the door and was available. I recently rode a friend's KLX230R and it amazes me how much easier it is to ride that bike with the weight savings you get by taking all the road-going gear off a bike. I could see myself adding the "R" model KLX300 to my stable beside my dual-sport model.
If I didn't live in California and was looking for a bike, that is probably the route I would go also. The dual sport model does look great though. It's definitely good for an all-around bike!
Hmmmm… The KLX230 does feel more stable. Even with its shorter wheelbase. It must be the rake and/or trail. I’ve put some off road tires on my KLX300 and have much more confidence in the front end than I had with the stock tires. The stock tires are real stinkers.
I'm in the same boat..had my dual sport for 2 months. I'm a total newbie..like never even been on a motorcycle but I bought it for primarily offroad and an occasional ride down the road a few miles into the National Forest next to my cabin. But, considering that I don't really need to ride on the road, I've wondered if I should have just got the R model. Probably would have been a little more difficult to 'learn' on (ha..I'm still learning daily and will be for likely years to come) than the dual sport so there is that. But wonder how this R model compares to the KTMs, Betas and Huskies, etc.
If you live in a cabin right by forest trails, the KLX300R might have been better than the dual sport, particularly if you don’t intend to ride on the street. I was riding my dual sport almost exclusively off road so I ended up trading for a dirt bike. I tried a couple KTMs, the 300 XCW and the 500 XCF. I liked the weight and suspension of them but I thought they both had a harsh feeling; I honestly didn’t really care for either. I also had buddies with the KLX230R and the CRF250F, both of which I found much easier to ride off road than the KLX300 dual sport. I sort of made up my mind that the KLX300R would be perfect for my use; lighter than the dual sport with better suspension and gearing for trail riding, but with the same easygoing usable power of the KLX300. But whenever I got to the dealership to do the trade, the KLX300R was gone. But they had a CRF250RX, so I took that. That was a massive jump in performance over the KLX300, more than I was really ready for. But I stuck with it and have no regrets. I was able to get it plated so I could connect trails, so it’s a street legal dirt bike now. I also added a CRF450L but that’s another story. I think the KLX300R would have been perfect for my use, but the Honda bikes I got have probably made me a better rider because they sort of require it from me.
I really enjoyed my short time with it. I really enjoy reliable, low maintenance bikes, and this one seems like a good compromise between a smaller trail bike and a more performance oriented machine. Thanks for watching!
It seems like an awesome bike and it's exactly what I imaged it would be from my short time with it. I hope it is one of those bikes that stays in the Kawasaki lineup for a long, long time.
Most of the trails out here are 2 way trails… just have to some caution especially in the wider sections where the bigger vehicles ride. On the narrower trails it’s not usually much of an issue… but still need to play it safe.
@@EachAdventure mhm no problem but funny thing is the charcoal box delete and muffeler silence delete is a a simple home brew just take them both out. Of course plug the breather tube holes for the charcoal box but other than that it is just take the parts out.
I have a old 30000mi wr250r with a 290big bore and its the best bike i ever owned period, so i feel this 300r is very similar, plus i been studying for a cheap plated option like old ttr, crf230 klx250, $2500 range to ship to Colorado, moab and then to Cali, it seems on the used market 300r gets no respect i can pick one up from 4000 to 4500 put lights a plate on it and its probably makes the best dual sport period,
I think a WR250R with the big bore would be the perfect bike for me. I don't need a ton of power, I just want something ultra reliable with decent power and decent suspension. 30K miles is impressive!
What Beta do you have? I’m tempted to pick up the 300R because it seems like a good enough bike that’s low maintenance. I really want a 300xc-w but for my price range if $4500 all the KTM’s are super high hours and clapped out. Are there any other 4 stroke bikes that are similar to the 300R in terms of maintenance? I don’t want to have to do a 4 stroke top end every 100-150 hours. If there was a more performance but equally low maintenance 4 stroke I’d be down to go that way. Or I just wait until I can find/afford a nice XC-W but it will be a whiiile.
The Beta is a 2018 390 RR-S that I bought used in 2020. If it were me, I would get the cheapest thing you can afford now and then upgrade later if you want. The Kawasaki 300R is plenty capable, and even though I love the Beta I would honestly prefer something lower maintenance. Thanks for watching! 🙏
I'd go with whatever is available at this point. Both Honda and Kawasaki make great motorcycles, and both should last a lifetime if maintained property. This KLX300 is really in a class of it's own though, so if you're looking for a trail bike that has good power and decent suspension, this is the one to get. Good luck!
The suspension is better on the '23 model . In 2024 Kawasaki changes the suspension on the 300R to the same suspension as the KLX300. It loses about an inch of travel.
Probably cost savings to share as many components as possible. It’s interesting that they would shorten the R though rather than increase the suspension to the dual sport… but shorter bikes seems to be the trend recently so it makes sense. Beginners are typically drawn to bikes with lower seat heights.
At 5’10 you would fit the 300r just fine and have some room to grow into it. It also has more power and better suspension than the other two. I’m 5’11 and it fit me really good, whereas the 230 frames are a bit smaller. If it were me, I’d go with the 300.
It’s hard to say because I only had a few minutes with it, but it definitely seemed snappier off the bottom end and the suspension is much better. It’s also a bit bigger so the ergos felt a lot better as well. I’m sure a few performance mods would go a long way on the 300. Power was predictable just like the 230, but you could tell there was more of it… if that makes sense.
@@EachAdventure sounds amazing! Just want a little bit more power out of a bike to screw around on and something I can take off-road and ride hard if I want to
I only got a few minutes with it so I can't really say... but I did see a video of a guy riding one at a track and it seems like it did pretty well. Definitely not performance oriented like the KX250F, but that's not necessarily a bad thing depending on what kind of riding you want to do.
It's hard to say exactly since I only had a few minutes with it, but overall it definitely has a bit more power, the suspension is much better, and it's also full size with a taller seat height. I really love the TTR230 because of how low the seat height is, and it's just so easy to flick around because it's smaller... but the stock suspension is aweful and there aren't really any options for aftermarket. I've never had an issue with the power on the 230 except for steep sandy hill climbs, so the extra power on the 300R would likely help with that. If I was going to buy one dirt bike today, it would probably be the 300R... but the 230 is still plenty capable.
Although the engine is the same, there are quite a few differences when it comes to weight, suspension, wheelbase, ground clearance, etc. For more aggressive riding that doesn't involve the street legal aspect, the R is probably a better choice. That said, you can't really beat the versatility of a dual sport. Theres a pretty good thread over on ADV rider that has a lot of the differences listed out: www.advrider.com/f/threads/2021-klx-300r-vs-2021-klx-300-comparo-how-similar-are-they.1478386/
That doesn't surprise me. Dual sport versions of regular dirt bikes tend to be de-tuned for longevity, MPG, maintenance, emissions, etc. Gearing is usually different too.
