mileage days much easier on the
back and body.
Ground clearance is night and
day between the two. The KTM
has 10.7 inches, and the Kawa-
saki has a paltry 7.3. You think
about this a lot on the Kawasaki
on rough dirt roads and in the
rocks, and not at all on the KTM.
The KTM and Kawasaki also
use different wheel combina-
tions: 21-inch front/18-inch rear
for the KTM and 21-inch/17-inch
for the Kawasaki. Those new to
adventure riding might not notice
much difference on the road or
dirt, but they might notice fewer
off-road tire choices for the Ka-
wasaki's 17-inch rear wheel than
the KTM's more popular 18-inch
rear wheel. Generally, a 17-inch
rear favors road-oriented adven-
ture riding, while an 18-inch rear
offers more options for serious
off-road use.
The Kawasaki comes with
IRC GP-410 tires, while the KTM
wears more aggressive Mitas
Enduro Trail E07+ tires. Both do a
good job splitting the difference
between paved and dirt roads.
Overall, both bikes have com-
fortable ergonomics and feel
good whether sitting or stand-
ing. The KTM feels more natural
when standing, but the KLE is
more comfortable on the pegs
than you might expect. Overall,
moving around while standing is
easy and unrestrictive on both
bikes.
Both have the same reason-
able 34.3-inch seat height,
but with the Kawasaki's softer
suspension and slightly cushier
seat, it feels lower than the KTM.
The Kawasaki also feels a little
bigger overall, which may be due
to its longer wheelbase: 61.2
inches versus the KTM's 58.3.
This also helps explain why the
The KLE500 performs well on the dirt—up to a point.
P102
RIDE COMPARISON I 2026 KTM 390 ADVENTURE R VS. KAWASAKI KLE500 SE ABS
