The Torture Test - 2009 Kawasaki KLX140L Big Bore Project Bike

Dirt Rider Post Torture Evaluation:

The best all-around bike because:
This little machine was in no way the best all-around bike at the Torture Test. However, it just may have been the most fun!

Not the best all-around bike because:
This Kawasaki is little, under-suspended and slow...yet still fairly loveable.

Dirt Rider Says:

We're not too sure where this bike came from. Yes, it obviously came from Kawasaki, but as to how the little machine ended up in our Torture Test we're not really sure. You see, each of the bikes in our test goes through a rigorous selection process and has to be approved, double-checked and super verified with the powers that be at Dirt Rider. Not so with the KLX160. This bike just kind of showed up at our Test, and since it was there we went ahead and ran it through the paces. It turns out that the bike didn't fare half bad, although we're not sure if Kawasaki meant for this bike to vie for the "Ultimate Do-All" title or if it was simply a pit bike that accidentally slipped into our test. Either way, we gave the little machine a good testing-after all, that's what we do-and came up with a strong conclusion on the little beast.

So, what's the verdict on Kawasaki's KLX140L Big Bore Project Bike? Fun, that's what! Seeing as Ryan Orr, Alexander Smith, Jerry Bernardo, Steve Hengeveld and I were testing this bike alongside three 450cc machines and a 250F, it was hard for us to take the little Kawasaki seriously. As a result, any trail time earned on the KLX as part of our necessary rotation was essentially "recess time" from testing. In the process, we found that the motor is much stronger than stock, although it retains the same basic characteristic of a smooth spread and strong roll-on. The meat in the mid was plenty useable, and the low-end hit was surprisingly proficient at getting even our heaviest testers moving out of slow corners and up steep sections of trail. The bike would sign off fairly quickly when you revved the guts out of it, but hey.... it's only a mini, right?

Due to the larger KX100 suspension and wheels, this machine rode more like an 85cc two-stroke than a middleweight thumper. Of course, the suspension wasn't enough to handle the high-speed rigors of our fastest test riders, but nevertheless it provided a smooth enough ride on the trail. However, the telltale sound of the front wheel making contact with something (either the front fender or the pipe/ frame, we couldn't really figure it out) when the bike was bottomed became a joke among all of our test riders; this loud noise was something of an audible warning that you were pushing the KLX past its safe limits. Due to the low seat height (and center of gravity), the Kawasaki 160 cornered well and could actually turn fairly competitively with some of the big bikes, although the wide little motor and footpegs would stick in the deepest of ruts on the course. Still, this bike provided a smile per minute when you rode it.

From the handguards to the suspension, the off-road style of this miniature bike is pretty cool. Sure, this wouldn't be the ideal machine for a serious trail rider to build, but it certainly has its place as a girlfriend bike, play bike or trail maintenance machine. Obviously, this Kawasaki project bike didn't have a snowman's chance in the desert of winning the Torture Test-it technically wasn't even supposed to have been there-but in the end, that may be why we liked it so much. -Chris Denison

Four words: Super small, really fun! -Steve Hengeveld/ 5'7"/ 155 lb. / Pro

I weigh 195, which means that this bike has less ccs than I do pounds. It'd be cool to piddle around if you were working the fence lines on a farm, and I think it would be a great bike to teach someone to ride on. It was also fun to use to get from A to B. But still, it's a little bike. I have to say, though, that if I were a Smurf I'd rock it! -Jerry Bernardo/ 5'8"/ 195 lbs./ Expert

I had a blast on this thing! It has good mid-range power right where you ride it. The seat height was low and it settled well, didn't push, and was easy to control. The brakes were still pretty weak, though. -Alexander Smith/ 6'1"/ 155/ Expert

As a connoisseur of 100-150cc mini-bikes I can really see where a bike like the KLX160 fits into the mix of putting fat old guys on minis or for an aspiring kid to look at this bike as a target, or a dream machine of sorts. And for the most part the KLX does that job OK. I run with a bunch of clowns who all have CRF100s and TT-R125s that we have set up similarly to this bike, just a lot less bling on the outside and a little less go on the inside. And they all accomplish the same thing. Minis, even for adults, are just plain fun. The problem is that for each step you make the bike better, and on bikes like this usually every step makes a big difference, like on this KLX, it makes it almost impossible to take a step backwards in performance. You can't ever ride them stock again. Mainly they are addictive. So for something that grew out of a KLX140, this bike was just that, addictively fun. -Jimmy Lewis