Kawasaki KX65

With a focused intent of making a functional off-road sports bike, Kawasaki made the KX65 a pure motocross bike which looks as focused as the rest of the other such bikes from the brand. Despite its compact, small-scaled size, the Kawasaki KX65 hasn’t missed the design ethos of a traditional motocross bike, which makes it such a desirable machine.

Like all the other motocross bikes from Kawasaki, the KX65 also misses out on a traditional headlamp and comes with a green-coloured panel in place of it. This panel here has an almost flat design with tapered lower edges, which along with the large and curved front fender, makes the front look completely off-road ready. 

The Kawasaki KX65 has large-sized body panels on the sides, which cover much of the aluminium frame and upper part of the engine. The compact-sized fuel tank of the Kawasaki KX65 has large and angular body panels on either side, which have decent room for knee recesses that shouldn’t be a problem for children for whom this motorcycle has been designed. The Kawasaki KX65 also has a slim panel beneath its long seat, which flows towards the rear with a pointy end at the back. There is an additional shield over the high-mounted exhaust, which completely covers the exhaust pipe from the top. 

While the engine of the Kawasaki KX65 is finished in a theme of silver, the spoke wheels of the motorcycle are painted in black. With a high ground clearance and off-road-spec tyres, the purpose of the Kawasaki KX65 looks even clearer. Like all the other Kawasaki motocross motorcycles, the Kawasaki KX65 also misses out on a headlamp, tail lamp and an instrument console, and comes with a very basic-looking handlebar, front brake and clutch levers to keep the overall weight low. 

The Kawasaki KX65 might be missing out on features, but the motorcycle exhibits its true element in its suspension setup. The motorcycle comes with conventional telescopic front forks with 210mm travel at the front and a uni-trak swing-arm with mono-shock having 240mm travel at the rear. The long-travel suspension of the Kawasaki KX65 allows it to absorb the toughest of the off-road surfaces, trails, rocks and slush with absolute ease.

The Kawasaki KX65 comes with a 14-inch front wheel and a 12-inch rear wheel, which are provided with a 60/100-14 tyre at the front and an 80/100-12 tyre at the rear. With a 60 kg kerb weight, the Kawasaki KX65 is also the lightest motorcycle from the brand. Adding more purposeful essence to the Kawasaki KX65 is its high ground clearance of 305mm and a tall seat height of 760 kg. For braking, this motorcycle has a 155mm disc brake at the front and a 146mm disc brake at the rear.

Powering the Kawasaki KX65 is a two-stroke, single-cylinder, liquid-cooled, 64cc engine, which is the smallest motorcycle engine produced by Kawasaki. This engine, which is paired with a 5-speed transmission, churns out a maximum power output of 16.5 PS and a maximum torque output of 9.7 Nm. For a motorcycle of its size and dimensions, the power and torque figures are pretty impressive. 

The Kawasaki KX65 is an entry-level, bare-basic motorcycle designed purely for a single-minded purpose, and to keep weight and costs in check, the motocross bike doesn’t get a single safety feature in place. 

The Kawasaki KX65 is proof that an entry-level motocross bike doesn’t need to be a compromise when it comes to performance and the sheer abilities of the chassis. Despite its positioning as a motorcycle for beginner kids, the Kawasaki KX65 impresses with its peak performance and effortlessness on off-road trails with supremely capable suspension and brakes.