The KLX230 is Kawasaki’s only road-legal dual-sport currently on sale and also the only Japanese dual-sport in our country. We had the opportunity to spend some extensive time with this motorcycle and put it through our usual fuel efficiency test. Here are the economy figures we saw at the end of our test.
Kawasaki KLX230 real-world fuel efficiency
We began our test by topping up the KLX230’s fuel tank and riding it for 60km on the highway. After which we once again topped it up to the brim and calculated its efficiency which came out to be an impressive 42.26kpl on the highway.
After which, we took the KLX230 to the jam packed streets of Mumbai and once again filled it up to the brim and rode for 50km in the city. Once our run was complete, we fueled up the KLX230 and managed to get a respectable figure of 39.71kpl.
Kawasaki KLX230 fuel-economy analysis
Thanks to its light weight and relatively low performance, the KLX230 is rather efficient on the highway and in the city. Its short gearing is well set up for the city and the presence of a 6th gear works well on the highway.
The 6th gear works well as overdrive and allows you to sustain higher speeds with ease. All of these factors come together to ensure you get great efficiency out of the KLX230. The only point to bear in mind is its small 7.6 litre fuel tank which will limit the overall range.
Autocar India’s fuel efficiency testing
Our fuel-efficiency testing routine starts by first brimming the tank and ensuring the bike is running the manufacturer’s recommended tyre pressures. The bike is then ridden on fixed city and highway routes, where we maintain pre-decided average speeds that best mimic real-world scenarios. The payload on the bikes is kept constant by balancing rider weights and ballast, ensuring consistency across different vehicles and riders. At the end of the test cycle, the fuel tank is once again filled to the brim, giving us an accurate figure of how much fuel has been consumed against the trip meter reading.
