Kawasaki’s KLX300 lineup has a new variant for 2027, the XPL, which is billed as an Explorer. It takes the standard KLX300 dual-sport and adds a tall windshield, handguards, a round LED headlight, a rear carrier with tie-down hooks, and its own graphics. The engine, chassis, and 2.0-gallon fuel tank are unchanged. Kawasaki now offers four street-legal KLX300 models, plus the KLX300R dirt bike. The XPL is priced at $6499 and arrives at dealers in early January 2027.
A tall, clear windshield is intended to reduce fatigue at higher speeds and over long distances. Although you can’t get more miles between fill-ups, the 2027 Kawasaki KLX300 XPL is set up to put more miles on the bike in a day on the highway. Handguards are also standard and cut the wind. A rear carrier with built-in tie-down hooks makes it easier to carry gear on a weekend trip.
A round LED headlight replaces the slim unit built into the standard model’s front cowl. The 5.1-inch unit has separate low- and high-beam chambers, and each has position lamps that light up the entire lens to resemble a traditional bulb headlight. A thick, grooved ring surrounds it, and the beam is designed to spread in a wide arc across the road and trail.
The added equipment brings a 9-pound weight gain compared to the standard KLX300. Curb weight is 313 pounds.
The XPL shares the updates every 2027 KLX300 receives. The 292cc single has a revised bottom end, and Kawasaki claims a peak of 27 horsepower at 8000 rpm, up from 25 horsepower last year. The instrument panel is a new, compact LCD, and the dash now connects to a smartphone through Rideology The App Motorcycle. Front-wheel ABS debuts on the KLX300, and a switch on the left side of the handlebar turns it off for off-road riding; it comes back on whenever the bike is restarted.
Chassis numbers match the standard KLX300. Seat height is 35.2 inches, and ground clearance is 11.0 inches. Front wheel travel is an even 10 inches, and the rear axle swings 9.1 inches. The wheelbase is 56.7 inches, and the 21-/18-inch dual-sport wheelset rolls on Dunlop rubber.
The XPL costs $500 more than the standard KLX300, which starts at $5999. Ebony is the only color. The XPL wears brush-pattern graphics inspired by Kawasaki’s KX motocross bikes of the 1980s and 1990s, along with blacked-out parts.
2027 Kawasaki KLX300 XPL Specifications
ENGINE
Type: Single-cylinder
Displacement: 292cc
Bore x stroke: 78.0 x 61.2mm
Compression ratio: 10.9:1
Maximum power: 27 hp @ 8000 rpm
Maximum torque: 18 lb-ft @ 6800 rpm
Fueling: DFI w/ 34mm Keihin throttle body
Valvetrain: DOHC; 4 valves
Ignition: CDI
Cooling: Liquid
Transmission: 6-speed
Clutch: Wet multiplate
Final drive: Chain
CHASSIS
Frame: Perimeter semi-double cradle
Front suspension; travel: Compression-damping adjustable inverted 43mm fork; 10.0 inches
Hello and welcome again to the Motos and Friends Podcast. This episode is brought to you by Leod Escapes.
* * * * *
Aprilia is bringing a scooter to North America, and it’s one designed to appeal to adventure motorcyclists. The SR GT 400 is a mid-size scooter built around a steel motorcycle-style frame, a 399cc single, and off-road-ready hardware. It reaches US dealers as soon as this month. Don Williams and Kelly Callan spent some time riding the Aprilia and were surprised by what they discovered. Is this a real motorcycle or just a good-looking urban scooter?
* * * * *
Cat McLeod is founder and owner of Leod Escapes, the ultimate tour company for sport-minded motorcycle riders. Cat talks to us this segment about some of his amazing European experiences and tours that include of course, riding some amazing MotoGP tracks on new BMW S1000RRs. If you like what you hear, now is the time to book your trip of a lifetime, so visit LeodEscapes.com to find out more.
* * * * *
Our guest this episode is Terry Vance, the multiple Motorcycle and Motorsports Hall-of-Famer. Terry is of course the former professional motorcycle drag racer, team owner, and co-founder of the high-performance parts company Vance & Hines. Teejay Adams chats with Terry about his incredible career that includes being the first rider to hit 200 mph in the standing quarter-mile.
Having won this year’s MotoAmerica Mission King of the Baggers championship with Hayden Gillim riding the Vance & Hines factory Indian Challenger, and with Harley-Davidson’s recent withdrawal, Terry gives us his thoughts on where the series might go from here.
* * * * *
Here’s quick reminder to check out our monthly digital magazine. It’s filled with everything you want to read on motorcycling, including some things you’ve probably not seen elsewhere. It’s absolutely free and you will find it on the Apple App Store and of course on Google Play as well.
Don’t forget to leave us your comments on our social media—we’re on all the usual platforms at Ultimate Motorcycling. We love hearing your feedback… so good or bad, please let us know what you think. If there’s something you’d like us to cover, we’d love to hear those ideas too!
We use cookies and browser activity on this website
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Advertising helps us keep our content available for free, so adjusting your ad blocking settings will help us.
We appreciate your support!
i
How to Allow Ads on This Site
Depending on your setup, ads may be blocked by a browser extension, VPN, antivirus software, or other application. Here are some common ways to allow ads:
Browser Extensions (e.g., Adblock, uBlock, etc.)
Click the extension icon in your browser toolbar.
Look for an option like "Don't run on pages on this site" or "Pause on this site".
Save the change and refresh the page.
VPNs with Ad Blocking (e.g., NordVPN, Proton VPN, etc.)
Open your VPN app.
Go to settings or features.
Disable any ad blocking or tracking protection features.
Refresh the page.
Antivirus Software or Other Privacy Tools
Check for web protection, ad filtering, or browser privacy settings.
Click the power button to disable it for this site.
Refresh the page.
Not sure what's blocking ads? Look for tools with privacy or filtering features, or check your browser extensions. We only use respectful, non-intrusive advertising.
