Kawasaki KLX230 Sherpa…638,000 yen (released December 25, 2024)
It was originally scheduled to be released on November 27, 2025, the same day as the KLX230/S, but on November 25th it was announced that the release date had been “postponed due to various circumstances,” with the new release date now being December 25th. As of the time of writing this in late January 2025, a check of Kawasaki’s official websites in Indonesia, where the Sherpa is produced, as well as the United States, Europe, China, India, Thailand, the Philippines, and other countries has revealed no countries where the Sherpa is sold, so it can be said that the Sherpa is almost exclusively a Japanese model.
The Kawasaki Super Sherpa was released in 1997 (pictured is the 2007 model). The engine was an air-cooled version of the KLX250’s water-cooled, four-stroke, DOHC, four-valve, single-cylinder engine, and it used a six-speed transmission. Initially, there were two types of front fenders: an up-type and a down-type. Sales for the Japanese market ended with the 2007 model. The “Stockman,” which is not sold in Japan, was created based on the Super Sherpa for transportation on ranches and farms, and is currently based on the KLX230.
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The body colors are medium smoky green, whitish beige, and medium cloudy gray, all of which are earth tones that evoke outdoor scenes.
I was impressed by the tenacity and excellent response at extremely low RPMs.
Anyone who feels nostalgic when they hear the word “Sherpa” is undoubtedly a veteran rider. Kawasaki’s dual-purpose “Super Sherpa” was released about 30 years ago, in 1997. At the time, its rival, the Serow, was still a 225cc model, while the DOHC 4-valve, 250cc full-size Super Sherpa stood out for the lively engine.
Eighteen years after the end of sales in Japan, the Sherpa name has been revived. The absence of the “Super” in the name may be due to the fact that it has less power than its predecessor. It is based on the low-down KLX230 S, and differentiates itself with an outdoor-inspired exterior, body color, and equipment. The price is 638,000 yen, up 44,000 yen from the KLX230 S, and 16,500 yen more than the Honda CRF250L.
This time, I was able to test ride the Sherpa on the same day as the KLX230 S. Despite the addition of handguards and a skid plate, the Sherpa looks slightly smaller than the KLX230 S. This is probably because the shrouds are designed to be compact. Personally, I wondered if the KLX230 S’s shrouds really needed to be so large for an air-cooled engine, but when I switched to the Sherpa, I could clearly see the road in front of me better, and I really felt the benefits of the compact shrouds, especially on forest roads.
The 232cc air-cooled SOHC 2-valve single-cylinder engine’s official output of 18ps is a bit modest, considering that the previous Super Sherpa produced 26ps. In this class, power differences are easily affected by load weight and uphill gradients, but at least when riding unladen on regular roads, it is more lively than the 20ps Serow 250, and it drives briskly, especially in urban areas. What is particularly impressive is how resistant it is to stalling, and the control system has been trained so that you don’t need to use the half-clutch even when your speed drops below 10km/h in low gear. This helped me many times when making U-turns on narrow forest roads, and the excellent throttle response that makes it easy to control traction with your right hand is also a strength of this engine.
The body rigidity is more than sufficient, and it seems like it can withstand high loads.
When switching from the KLX230 S to the Sherpa, the engine vibrations transmitted to the hands feel a little milder, perhaps due to the different handlebar specifications. However, this could also be due to the progress of the break-in period or individual differences, so please take this as a reference only. In terms of handling, just like the KLX230 S, the cornering ability is so strong that it’s hard to believe it’s a full-size trail bike, and even if you switch from an on-road model, you’ll quickly get used to this maneuverability.
The Sherpa comes standard with handguards and guard bars, and to offset the increased steering moment, the under brackets have been changed from steel on the KLX230 S to aluminum. Perhaps because of this, I compared the two on winding roads many times, but I didn’t notice any significant difference in handling. However, the higher the speed, the harder it felt for the KLX230 S to lean into corners and turn, but this may be due to the difference in aerodynamics caused by the different shroud shape.
Well, I once owned a Serow 250 Final Edition and used to travel all over Japan, including Hokkaido, loaded with camping gear. So, based on my riding experience so far, I thought a little about whether the same thing would be possible with the Sherpa.
Let’s start with the negative aspects. The Sherpa’s silencer overhangs significantly, so adding side bags would not only significantly increase the overall width, but would also likely cause a significant imbalance between the left and right sides. Also, while large and small rear carriers are available as genuine accessories, they are designed to be higher or lower than the seat, so some kind of ingenuity would be needed to stably accommodate a large-capacity seat bag.
A bird’s-eye view of the KLX230 Sherpa. You can see that the silencer protrudes significantly.
Next, let’s look at the positive aspects. The Sherpa’s chassis has a high sense of rigidity, both in the frame and undercarriage, so it doesn’t feel as tense at high speeds as the overly flexible Serow. Incidentally, the Serow is prone to shaking at high speeds when fully loaded, so it could be said that the genuine accessory performance damper is essential, especially for camping enthusiasts. As for engine power, there are times when the Serow feels slightly more powerful, with a displacement that is 7.3% larger and a maximum output that is 2 horsepower greater, but when cruising at high speeds, the Sherpa with its six-speed transmission is clearly more comfortable than the Serow with its five-speed transmission.
Another advantage of the Sherpa is its strong braking. The Serow is likely designed to be easy to handle on unpaved roads, but the Sherpa has more than enough braking power and ABS to support the rider in case of an emergency, and even in this respect, the difference in design years is apparent.
This is a photo from when the author went on a camping trip in Hokkaido. The total load was just under 50kg.
The promotional video for the KLX230 Sherpa features impressive camping scenes and dirt road riding, making it a model perfectly suited to such uses. Although the camping boom has died down recently, the Sherpa’s SUV-like styling and body color are likely to make it more popular than the KLX230 S on which it is based, at least in Japan. The biggest concern is that the price is higher than the CRF250L, which has a water-cooled single-cylinder engine, 24 horsepower, and inverted forks, but those who fall in love with the styling will likely not mind the price difference.
Riding position and foot reach (175cm/68kg)
The riding position and foot reach are similar to those of the KLX230 S. The seat height of 845mm is 15mm higher than the Serow 250’s 830mm, but the Sherpa feels like it has better cushioning when sitting. The official weight of the vehicle is 134kg, 1kg heavier than the Serow 250. The minimum turning radius is 2.1m, compared to the Serow 250’s 1.9m.
