I don't know anything about it. But initially seems like it could be a could be a good slot for this type of bike. Road and some light trail type riding. 500cc is a decent amount of power.
Thoughts?

I had a KLR for years. Solid and trouble free. 500cc seems like a good amount of power but might be lacking, depending on load and where (freeway or divided highway) you are putting. Shouldnt be too much difference in bike weight between 500 and 650.
I dress out around 250 with all the gear so I want the bigger motor.

The similar Versys 300 gets good reviews. Decent on pavement, but not quite enough machine for long distances to access off-road areas. Pretty darned good on the dirt.

This 500 looks to be a similar formula to the Versys 300, which is more dirt oriented than the larger Versys 650 (which I ride). 19" front tire and wire spoke wheels. Decent dirt oriented tires. The weight isn't bad for dirt, and better than the 300 for any highway riding.

The price point is pretty sweet.

I looked and sat on one at the local dealer yesterday, it's a good looking motorcycle and like how it feels. I will say its seat is fairly tall but most are on these type motorcycles.
It has traction control which you need to be able to turn off but according to the salesman to do so requires coming to a stop which would be annoying. I'm sure the power will be fine for most anyone that's shopping small adventure motorcycles, especially when riding solo, but it'll need to be revved. The bike comes with 21/17 wheels same as a KLR which work well on gravel and dirt but unfortunately the wheels require inner tubes so no simple plug the puncture, puff it up, and back on your way. Many are fine carrying along spare tubes and tools to remove wheels for flats but in this day and age I really don't want a road motorcycle that requires inner tubes.

I have a similar type motorcycle, Honda's CB500X (now named NX500) that's just a little lower and comes with cast 19/17 wheels running tubeless tires. The engine is a little torquier down low and runs at lower rpm which I like. 6,000 rpm on the KLE in 6th is 60 mph, on the Honda you're going 73 mph at 6,000 so a bit more relaxed.

The KLE will be fine on pavement and nicer in more off-road situations like single track trails with its 21" front and a bit more ground clearance. But I stay on actual roads with my CB500x be they paved, gravel, or dirt, and it's just fine for this. Adventure motorcycles have been my favorite type, I've been riding them since 1990 and currently have three.

I haven't ridden one, but Fortnine had a good review on their YT channel.

Spoiler Alert: People might give up on the video as he's very critical at the beginning but ends up enjoying it both onroad and offroad.

One of the guys that rides with me occasionally has a 500cc Kawasaki street bike and according to him it's under powered so he's looking for another bike with more hp/torque to keep up on the highway. If you plan to ride more street than trail I'd opt for a Kawasaki Versys 1000, Suzuki V-Strom, YamahaTenere, Honda African Twin or BMW 1250GS. If you plan to ride mostly trail maybe the KLE would be adequate but if possible test ride whatever bike you plan to buy before spending your cash.

The next step up from the 48-50hp KLE, NX500, etc, make a lot more power and torque. Bikes like the Transalp 750, Suzuki VStrom 800DE, etc. which are well over 80hp yet lighter and less expensive than the large ones like Africa Twins, 1000 Versys, GS 1250/1300, etc. If a person was to have one bike the 750-800 might be the sweet spot.

Watched the Fortnine review and generally trust his opinion. Things I like are that it's fuel injected and it's a parallel twin. If it had been available this time last year I would have given it consideration vs the 450 Royal Enfield Himalayan that I bought. Might have a touch more power than my Himalayan.
Things I think I like better with the Himalayan would be its excellent ergonomics and a good supply of reasonably priced aftermarket parts. The Himalayan is one of my favorite bikes ever. Just a joy to ride.
I had a 2003 KLR that ended up being my least favorite bike ever. Just left me totally uninspired. Sold it after very few miles. That experience may have kept me off a KLE 500 had it been available.
Bikes are a very subjective and personal choice. Try to get a ride on your various options before buying. I didn't with the KLR which ended up being a mistake.

quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:
Watched the Fortnine review and generally trust his opinion. Things I like are that it's fuel injected and it's a parallel twin. If it had been available this time last year I would have given it consideration vs the 450 Royal Enfield Himalayan that I bought. Might have a touch more power than my Himalayan.
Things I think I like better with the Himalayan would be its excellent ergonomics and a good supply of reasonably priced aftermarket parts. The Himalayan is one of my favorite bikes ever. Just a joy to ride.
I had a 2003 KLR that ended up being my least favorite bike ever. Just left me totally uninspired. Sold it after very few miles. That experience may have kept me off a KLE 500 had it been available.
Bikes are a very subjective and personal choice. Try to get a ride on your various options before buying. I didn't with the KLR which ended up being a mistake.

ETA:I was also wanting to maximize my two up comfort for my wife. Again, I think the Himalayan does that as good as possible for that size of bike.

I'm intrigued by the Himalayan 450, really most of RE's motorcycles of late, and appreciate that it's available with tubeless wheels. In addition to the CB500X I also have an XT250 for trail riding and local roads, a Himmy 450 could replace both of them. Just wish there was a dealer closer than Pittsburgh.

Former dirt biker and street convert here.... part of my decision was how much weight do I want to throw or be thrown around off road vs how much power did I want on road. The KLR single is a proven, all round adv bike, as is the Honda Africa/T-alp models, BMW makes a nice midwgt F800 adv bike too. It's a balance between cost, weight, hp and your intent. I'd suggest visiting all of them, dealers will usually let you take a spin.

quote:

Originally posted by ridewv:
I'm intrigued by the Himalayan 450, really most of RE's motorcycles of late, and appreciate that it's available with tubeless wheels. In addition to the CB500X I also have an XT250 for trail riding and local roads, a Himmy 450 could replace both of them. Just wish there was a dealer closer than Pittsburgh.

Yeah, the dealer network is still a bit limited. I do think it will improve going forward as I believe RE wants to be a player in the US as well. They are a very interesting company and there are some good youtubes out there describing their evolution. I think they sell over a million bikes a year at this point though most are in India. The dealer network started up in the states about 5-6 years ago from what I can see.

The KLE and KLR models are heavy. I rode a KLR650 for several years.

Take a look at the Suzuki DR650S.

Really all the adventure bikes, even the smaller ones, are fairly heavy. And then once people buy them most start adding more weight in the form of skid plates, luggage, larger windshields, GPS and mount, auxiliary lights, crash bars, etc. But they're in their element on longer rides on all kinds of roads and some trails, carrying luggage, generally good wind protection, and large enough gas tank for decent range. The mid size and larger ones are pretty fast.

Dual sports like the DR650 you referenced, KTM 690, CRF 300, etc are lighter but still kinda heavy for a dirt bike. I had two DR 650's, one I made into somewhat of an adventure bike by adding luggage rack, soft panniers, 5 gallon gas tank, heavier springs, and Corbin seat. Being a single it had some vibration and it only had around 36 hp, but it made a nice light weight adventure bike that I rode over much of the country.

It’s underpowered, has no ground clearance, and it’s heavy. There is no “unicorn” adv bike, just a series of trade-offs.

I think there are better options for the same money. The KLE doesn’t do anything particularly well. It’s like the worst of all of the trade-offs.

And for a little more money there are much better options. Better suspension, more power, better rider aids.

In my opinion the KLE is a swing and a miss in a crowded market.

I teach the State Licensing classes. The guy who runs our program is looking for a bike in this class and knows I have the Himalayan 450 so he asked to come look at it closer and sit on it. (Offered him a ride repeatedly)
I had mentioned the KLE to him as another bike in the class and he stopped and looked at one.
His comment was that the bike was "huge". Tall, top heavy. Guy is 5' and 8" or so with probably a 30" inseam. He could flat foot the Himy. No way on the KLE.
Just another point of reference.
I'll be interested in what ORC zero's in on.

quote:

Originally posted by Powers77:

His comment was that the bike was "huge". Tall, top heavy. Guy is 5' and 8" or so with probably a 30" inseam. He could flat foot the Himy. No way on the KLE.

That's a common complaint about the 650 and other adventure bikes. I'm 5'10" and couldn't flat-foot it with both feet. The CG is pretty high, and with a full tank of gas it feels quite top heavy at a stop light. Mine now has a lowering kit on it which solves the issue. I don't recall if the Versys 300 has a similar high seat.

There's really no way to make a bike fill all missions really well. You're not going to comfortably both carry camping gear on the highway and also ride rough off-pavement to the campsite.

When I was 16 I bought a KLR650 and rode it for a few years. I really enjoyed it as you could go on and off road. I sold it because then I wanted crotch rocket.

I haven't ridden a bike in years. I had a KZ750 for a few years in my 20s, but never even got my endorsement, just kept renewing my permit every year. Kids happened, life got busy, the bike got sold. Yesterday, somebody gifted my 17 year-old a Goldwing. I told him he's not riding it until he takes a class, so I signed both of us up for the Indiana Abate safety class last night. We'll be taking it the end of May, and upon completion will be able to get our MC endorsement through the BMV. I wasn't really planning to get back into a bike any time soon, but this may cause that to happen.

I've always thought that if I ever get back into riding I'd like an adventure bike. Something I can throw a backpacking tent and sleeping bag on and go riding for a couple of weeks, camping and fishing and just enjoying outdoor stuff. I wouldn't necessarily be doing a lot of hard-core off-road stuff, but want something that can handle rough pavement and dirt roads without falling apart or dumping me off. My old KZ was scary on gravel.

I'm 6'5", so the high seat height of the KLR has always appealed to me. The downside is a one-cylinder engine sounds like it would be rough for long stretches of road riding if I take this thing from Indiana to the Rockies, or maybe eventually to Alaska. The KLE looks to retain that high ride height with a lower center of gravity, but will also likely be more enjoyable on-road, which is where it will spend 90% of its time.

At this point it's all theory and I haven't ridden either of them, but they're both on my radar and I'll probably try both at some point. If I'm honest, the KLR is probably more likely to actually happen as it's been out a long time and there's a good used market.

A Goldwing is a large, heavy, powerful, motorcycle for your son to learn on. Just my opinion.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

....I've always thought that if I ever get back into riding I'd like an adventure bike. Something I can throw a backpacking tent and sleeping bag on and go riding for a couple of weeks, camping and fishing and just enjoying outdoor stuff. I wouldn't necessarily be doing a lot of hard-core off-road stuff, but want something that can handle rough pavement and dirt roads without falling apart or dumping me off. My old KZ was scary on gravel.

I'm 6'5", so the high seat height of the KLR has always appealed to me. The downside is a one-cylinder engine sounds like it would be rough for long stretches of road riding if I take this thing from Indiana to the Rockies, or maybe eventually to Alaska. The KLE looks to retain that high ride height with a lower center of gravity, but will also likely be more enjoyable on-road, which is where it will spend 90% of its time.

Two affordable bikes prevalent in the used market are the KLR 650 and VStrom 650, the VStrom being the better for more and longer road riding. Just add a set of hard or soft panniers and head out.

Although a bit less common another one that's pretty affordable used is Guzzi's V85TT. It uses an old school 850cc air cooled 2V motor in a modern chassis with shaft drive, a large tank, cruise, LED lighting, luggage rack, and some models come with removable panniers already fitted. It may be the best all around motorcycle I own and were I to have one motorcycle it might be this.