2025 Kawasaki KLX230R / KLX230R S Review

Designed to inspire addiction

Kawasaki would like to think it knows its customer possibly better than they know themselves, and anyone invested in bringing new riders into the sport understands the importance of setting them up for success. A new rider’s first steed should be approachable, forgiving, playful, price-conscious, and cool. Kawasaki has set out to offer the perfect bike on all fronts, and in my opinion, they have succeeded.

2025 Kawasaki KLX230R / KLX230R S

Nothing kills that new-rider enthusiasm faster than fear and intimidation, but a perfect first bike should also be fun and enabling, with enough guts to stay relevant as rider skill grows. Striking this balance means producing a bike that is easy to learn on without being something that riders are anxious to upgrade from. The 2025 KLX230R and S aim to be the bikes that everyone is itching to ride, regardless of whether they’re just starting out, or they’ve got three other bikes in the garage and decades of experience under their belt. Purely based on the grins on everyone’s faces during our test ride, Kawasaki reached that balance point, pulling a literal and metaphorical 12 o'clock wheelie on the new KLX230R/S models.

Kawasaki argues that the cool-factor matters just as much as a bike’s components. Many new dirt riders are inspired to hop on two by their heroes, such as the face of the KLX campaign and freestyle motocross competitor, Axell ‘Slay’ Hodges. That’s why Kawasaki designed the KLX230R and RS to look equally at home doing backflips on a freestyle ramp as the competition-level KX models Axell usually rides. The 2025 models now feature full-sized black wheels and aggressive bodywork so you can look the part… at least while you’re parked. Meanwhile, hand the keys to Hodges himself and you’ll see just what this little bike is capable of.

It ain’t easy being green, unless you’re riding a KLX230R

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t have much off-road riding experience, so the idea of reviewing a dedicated dirt bike at an official press launch was daunting, to say the least. In the last nine years, I have focused my discipline on street and track riding, with a strong preference for smooth asphalt. Only recently, due to a compulsively curious love of all things moto, have I ventured into the world of dirt. I quickly realized that off-road riding is a wholly different challenge than I expected and the learning process has proved to be both humbling and invigorating. I’ve always envied riders who learned on dirt bikes as kids because they possess an undeniable set of instincts and confidence on pavement, and now I understand why. Dirt is hard, and arguably the best way to build skills and good habits regardless of what kind of riding you prefer. I’m kicking myself for not hopping on a dirt bike sooner.

You may be wondering why a novice dirt rider like myself got the opportunity to attend a press launch for the new 2025 Kawasaki KLX230R… and I initially wondered the same thing. But, who better to test Kawasaki’s full-size entry-level dirt bike than the target consumer? Evidently, this was a sentiment shared by a few other media outlets, as about half the press in attendance were new to knobbies. Relieved to discover many of us were wet behind the ears, we enthusiastically put the new green machine, and ourselves, through a series of tests at Hollister Hills SVRA in Northern California. This offroad playground features single-track, fast and flowy two-track, an MX track, a TT course, and an obstacle course, all-in-all: the perfect testing ground for a well-rounded trail bike. By the end of the day, each of us off-road newbies were riding with more confidence and skill than we started with, thanks to the KLX230R.

Ergonomics and Seat Height

As a 5’7” adult woman with a 30” inseam, I felt right at home on the standard-height KLX230R. The rider triangle is appropriately adult-sized without being as tall as a typical dirt bike with 35.6 inches of seat height - to be discussed shortly. Standing on the pegs, my arms had a natural reach to the handlebars. My back wasn’t sore or tired after a full day of riding or even a couple days later, when the reality of how out of shape I am usually solidifies in my 30-year-old body. I could also reach the clutch and brake levers with ease, wrapping my pinky and ring fingers around the bars while resting my middle and pointer fingers over the levers, at the ready.

Getting my relatively small hands in this position is a challenge on most other bikes I’ve ridden and I’ve often swapped my levers for aftermarket options with more bend, so I was pleased that the stock KLX230 levers needed no modification or adjustment to be accessible for folks who wear small sized gloves. Though I’ve never ridden the previous model year KLX230’s, I was told that the handlebar has been moved half an inch (13mm) up and an inch (25mm) forward, and the footpegs a third of an inch (9mm) back, aiding a roomier fit for average to slightly taller riders. The footpegs themselves had great grip and surface area under my boots, but the shifter is positioned parallel to the footpeg with no adjustability. I would have preferred the shifter to be moved up slightly to allow for more room for a chunky boot to fit underneath in a standing position.

The new “KX-inspired” seamless bodywork and flat seat-to-tank design is both functional and visually appealing. The unobtrusive plastics and frame offer a lot of smooth surface area to grip onto, with no exposed edges to snag your gear. Moving around on the bike felt easy and natural. Shooting adoring glances at the hot new styling felt shameless.

Seat height accessibility was a major priority in the development of the 2025 KLX230R and S. The new standard R model is reportedly the same height as the 2024 S (short) model at 35.6 inches. The new S model is about an inch shorter than standard at 34.4 inches. The shorter seat height on both new R and S models inspire confidence on the showroom floor as well as on the trail, where I found myself waddling out of off-camber predicaments in soft or uneven terrain. Being accustomed to tip-toeing on street bikes, I rolled my eyes when the Kawi PR team assigned me the S model to start the day. Later, when I was scrambling halfway off the trail, recovering from a near-fall on a loose hillside with very little traction under my boots, I thought, oh, I see why they said the S model was a preference even for taller riders on their team… It’s good to feel the earth under your feet when you’re in over your head.

Vertically-challenged riders have become accustomed to accepting compromises in seat comfort and suspension performance, but I was pleased to learn that Kawasaki found an alternative way to lower the seat height while adding 6mm thickness to the seat itself. That’s right: the seat is thicker and more comfortable, while sitting lower. These improvements are thanks to a new rear subframe which lowers the seat without impacting the front or rear suspension travel. It’s the best of both worlds for short riders. Comparing the KLX230R to its competitors; the Honda CRF250F with a 34.8” seat, and the Yamaha TT-R230 with a 34.3” seat, it isn’t the shortest option in its class, but it’s plenty comfy. It’s also important to note that the bike’s weight felt evenly dispersed, even with its two-gallon fuel tank, the bike doesn’t feel top-heavy.

If you want to go even lower, Kawasaki offers an accessory ERGO-FIT Reduced Reach Seat which shaves off 1.4 inches (35mm) of cushion, or, if your legs need more space, they also offer an ERGO-FIT Extended Reach Seat for an additional 1.4 inches (35mm) of height.

Seat Height Comparison

In all honesty, the difference in the seat height felt negligible to me. I couldn’t flat-foot either with both feet on the ground, but I could get one flat foot down at a time on the standard height model. On the shorter S model, my heels were only slightly closer to the ground. Perhaps the inch of difference would feel like a gamechanger to a rider with a shorter inseam, I’d opt for more suspension travel with the standard-height version. Which brings us to our next topic…

Suspension

On a mission to define the KLX230’s suspension limits, I rudely surveyed my colleagues for their weight. We then compared our own specs (the lightest rider being 115 lbs, the heaviest being roughy 195 lbs) with our experience tackling whoops, step-downs, and kickers throughout the testing day. The R model offers 9.8 inches of travel in both the front and rear suspension, while the S offers 8.6 inches of travel in the front and 8.5 inches in the rear. We estimated that riders weighing under about 165 lbs should not be able to bottom out the KLX230R/S suspension in typical trail riding scenarios. It won’t come as a surprise that the suspension bottomed out landing jumps, regardless of weight, but nobody was tossed from their seat by the rebound after the travel clunked to its end. Heavier riders will likely notice suspension shortcomings during faster or more aggressive trail riding.

Without a point of reference to compare the KLX’s suspension to its competitors, I focused on how the bikes felt in action facing a variety of terrain and obstacles. When we tackled rocky, cracked surfaces at faster speeds – the sort of terrain I expected to rattle my brain – the bike carried me with a gentle, unbothered grace. When we plunked down rocky single-track at slow speeds, reminiscent of a staircase, I felt balanced and in control. In almost all circumstances, the suspension felt good to me at my skill level, especially considering this bike’s position in the market as an inexpensive and entry-level option.

When studying reviews of the older generations of KLX230, I noticed a common complaint that the shock was oversprung for the forks, which made the suspension feel unbalanced front to back unless the preload on the shock was softened. For the new 2025 models, both the front and rear suspension have been stiffened to provide more balanced support. If riders still need to tweak the shock, the 2025 models have a new stepless preload adjustment to make it easy.

Comparing the R to the S model, I did notice a big difference in the front suspension, though this did not necessarily mean one model’s suspension was conclusively better than the other. The S model loses about an inch of suspension travel and has a more aggressive rake than the R model (25.4° on the R versus 24.6° on the S). The R was more confidence-inspiring in corners because it felt more stable. The S had a quicker turn-in, which sometimes felt unsettled by ruts and made me slightly nervous when my mojo was waning. More experienced riders on the test who felt comfortable taking corners at higher speeds actually preferred the S for its quick turning capabilities under load, though both versions of the KLX230 handled cornering with ease and obeyed rider inputs dutifully.

Two words: Tractor Factor!

As a fan of torquey engines, I am quite picky about low- to mid-range power delivery and engine braking. I thought the KLX230R’s engine provided an ideal amount of smooth engine braking to lend to excellent speed modulation without twitchy or choppy throttle response. Kawasaki made a couple updates to the 2025 engine to improve mid-range torque, including a new narrower intake port and smaller intake valve as well as an updated ECU tune. Though I can’t speak to improvements over the previous model year, the engine made a good first impression. In first-through-third gears, where I mostly stayed throughout the day, the engine provided consistent and linear power delivery throughout the RPM range. The engine felt much like a tractor, confidently charging up steep hill-climbs in first, second, or even third gear. I think the bike’s tractor factor is the main reason why it feels so approachable to new riders - the power delivery is accommodating and consistent, you could “set it and forget it” in second or third gear for the whole ride without a complaint from the bike. The relatively low 13/46 gearing allows the bike to power through most anything at a moderate speed, and you won’t find yourself losing momentum in high RPM’s in third gear, even if you underestimated the incline a bit.

I only had brief opportunities to test the higher gears, as I didn’t feel comfortable going faster on most of the trails. At first, I thought the bike liked to be revved out and didn’t respond well to short-shifting. This proved true, but fourth, fifth, and sixth gear also just felt increasingly more vague and gutless. Unless I counted shifts, it was difficult for me to tell the difference between fifth and sixth gear. I am a little disappointed that the grunt dies off in higher gears, but it is a 233cc engine, after all. If you want to go fast, this is not your bike.

After feeling immediately impressed by the light clutch, I bullied the transmission to see if I could intentionally stall the engine by lugging it. Happily, as long as there was some tension or momentum on the engine, it never stalled. While clutch control is an extremely important skill to learn, new riders won’t have to work to keep the engine chugging along in slow, technical terrain while their attention is focused on not dying.

My only real complaint about the transmission is that I wish shifting felt more definitive – the shifter lacked a reassuring click through my stiff MX boots. This could have been made worse by the less-than-ideal position of the lever.

Once I got comfortable picking up some speed in corners, I discovered the KLX230R’s playful side. Applying a blip of throttle with lean angle gently kicked the rear wheel out to initiate a controlled slide through corners. The ease of which I could start to mess around with breaking traction gave me a boost of courage and excitement. Despite being approachable, the KLX230R is still peppy and devious when you want it to be.

Kawasaki also added a new single-axis primary balancer to reduce vibrations from the engine. I can confirm that I didn’t feel any bothersome vibration in the handlebars or footpegs. This is a huge improvement over other small-displacement dual sport motorcycles I’ve ridden.

Brakes and Wheels

Kawasaki equipped the KLX230R/S with a 240mm petal front brake and twin-piston Nissin brake caliper. This shockingly capable little brake was my best friend in “oh, shit” moments when I cautiously crept down narrow, silty trails bordered by trees and drop-offs, and I was intensely grateful for the control I was able to gain with light inputs to the brake lever. The rear brake was less awesome and a lot more difficult to finesse. I concede this probably has a lot to do with my own clumsy rear brake application, but the whole idea was to make this bike easy to operate, right? The rear brake was either on or off, so I opted for off, most of the time.

It sounds nerdy to get stoked on wheel-size, but as a former tire saleswoman, trust me when I say that having standard-sized wheels is a major plus. The KLX230R has a 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheel opening up almost unlimited tire options and availability. Additionally, the wheels feature a bead stopper, allowing you to run lower pressures.

Equipment, or lack there-of