This Kawasaki Tengai was created as a sister bike to the venerable KLR 650. Magazine tests of the time cited the Tengai as a bit better off-road, and most thought it was better looking due to the extra plastic. With that said, many felt that the improvements weren’t necessarily worth the slight increase in MSRP, especially if you were spending more time off-road than on the pavement.
Differences between these bikes include a dual piston front caliper on the Tengai versus a single on the KLR, shorter but thicker forks, and a much nicer instrument panel that was attached to the frame and not the triple tree. In addition, the rear subframes are slightly different and the rear footpegs have a different mounting bracket setup. In other words, be careful when you are shopping for a rear rack system. You’d be tempted to buy one for a KLR because they’re much more prevalent, but it might not fit correctly.
This specific Kawasaki Tengai has a few upgrades, including the critical “Doohickey” engine mod, UFO high fender, Barkbusters, White Brothers exhaust, Renthal handlebars, and more. It also comes with a spare KLR650 engine from 2000 that was bought to do a big bore conversion on, though the stock motor is claimed to be in excellent shape.
Find this Kawasaki Tengai for sale here on ADVRider (registration required) in Springfield, Missouri for $2,500.