As an avid cyclist, I made a rather delightful discovery a few years back, which is that thanks to a rugged frame, beefy tires and responsive disc brakes, a good gravel bike can make an awesome urban bike.
This sort of epiphany is somewhat common for GP writers, as we’ve also learned, for example, that approach shoes can be perfect for travel and a fly fishing bag can crush as an EDC pack.
Brands themselves even lean into and adapt their products to these happy accidents, sometimes in response to fans, as in the case of the Honda Gold Wing, and sometimes proactively.
Just look at Kawasaki, which has, with a few smart tweaks, converted a frisky small-displacement dual-sport into a spirited street machine. Meet the new KLX230SM ABS.
Fertile framework
The basis for this scrappy little street demon, the KLX230 S, is a champ in its own right, as you might expect.
Let’s start with the power plant, a 233cc fuel-injected, air-cooled, 4-stroke engine making a claimed 17 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and max torque of 13 lb-ft at 6,400 rpm.
