We all have things we want in a bike: Traction control, ABS, horsepower, a fairing, flashy paint, a coffee cup holder. But what do you need? You need a reliable machine that will get you through hard slogging without missing a beat. And one of the least-celebrated dual sports of the past 25 years did that very well—I’m talking about the Kawasaki Super Sherpa, perhaps the most unlikely cult bike of all.

A very basic bike

The Super Sherpa hit Asian markets in the mid-1990s, and came to North America by 1999. When it showed up, it was already a bit of an old-school machine, with a very basic design. An air-cooled 249cc DOHC single-cylinder carbureted engine with six-speed gearbox was about as simple as you could get. Max output was 30 hp at 8,500 rpm (or 26 hp at 8,000 rpm, depending who you believe) and 18.8 lb-ft of torque at 7,500 rpm. The bike’s introduction was a bit of a puzzler, because Kawasaki already had the KLR250 in its lineup. Why run two 250-class duallies?

可能是因为超级夏尔巴人有三大广告vantages. It was lighter (282 lb wet weight, vs. 295 lb for the KLR). It had an electric start, while the KLR was kick-only. And while the Super Sherpa was no muscle bike, it had a claimed advantage of 5 hp over the KLR250. Some other buyers might have also appreciated the Super Sherpa’s slightly lower seat height (32.6 in vs 33.7 in). At 2.3 gal vs 2.9 gal, the Super Sherpa carried less fuel than the KLR250, but that was the only spec where it really lagged behind.

And when you compared it to the other 250-class bikes on the market at the time, the Super Sherpa looked even better. It split the difference between the weedy Suzuki DR200 and the torquey-but-dated DR350. Even Honda’s XR250L claimed less horsepower, (although its suspension was probably better than the Kawi’s non-adjustable fork and rebound- and preload-adjustable shock). Yamaha’s Tee-Dub already had its own cult of fat-tire enthusiasts. That left the XT225 as the machine that probably closest resembled the Super Sherpa—and by the late 1990s, the Serow had been out for a decade and a half already, and didn’t make as much power as the Kawasaki.

The Super Sherpa didn’t have to be anything great in 1999—it just had to be better than everyone else, and that wasn’t hard.

A rare machine

But riders in 1999 were even bigger horsepower junkies than they are today; it was the age of the sportbike, with the era of the TV chopper just around the corner. Ewan and Charley hadn’t convinced the world to head for the horizons. Dual sports were not cool. And in Kawasaki’s own showrooms, the Super Sherpa saw competition from the KLR650, which was arguably at the peak of its popularity then. And of course, it bled some sales off to the KLR250 as well.

I’ve only seen a handful of these machines on the road in my life, and I think these factors are all the reason for it. If Kawi brought this bike out today at a price comparable to the rest of the 250-300 competition, I expect there would be a lot more interest. It would be one of the simplest and lightest Japanese dual-purpose bikes on the market, and that alone would be a massive selling point.

它的卖点利益活着n these bikes, too. It’s getting nigh impossible to find a small-capacity dual sport without liquid cooling or EFI, and while many riders want those features, others don’t, and that makes the Super Sherpa super-appealing to them. I’d argue that, in 2023, the Super Sherpa is now a cult bike, sought out by those riders who can find nothing equivalent on the market today. This, despite not being a real standout in any category.

Tough enough for the hard stuff

The Super Sherpa is also popular because it’s a great get-the-job-done bike. Not a race machine, but if you’re a competent rider, you can get just about anywhere on this machine. Case in point: One of my friends, a female rider, used a Super Sherpa for her Continental Divide trip. Upon her return, she was at the Fundy Adventure Rally when another participant’s brand-new Eurobike refused to start. She gave him the keys to the Sherpa, and he took off on the day’s 500 kilometers of trails. He might have finished quicker had his high-strung enduro actually started, but that’s the point—it didn’t, and the Super Sherpa proved the advantage of reliability over performance.

Plus, I bet he found it a lot easier to ride, too.

That’s often a selling point for the machine; easily manageable power and a low seat height making it easy to ride. Like the XT225, you often see the Super Sherpa with a female owner, and that’s the case with the bike here, as seen on ADVrider’s Flea Market forum.

This bike here

Here’s what seller @ClanArmstrong says in his advert:

2009 Kawasaki Super Sherpa
Bought this for my wife last year but she’s decided riding is not for her. We’ve put less than 300 miles on it. I changed the oil when we got it.
Mileage 8,289
Front tire is practically new.
Rear tire needs to be replaced soon. I have a brand new knobby that goes with it.
12 volt DC plug.
Small tank bag.
Happy Trails Rack and saddle bags. (I want to keep these for my bike! LOL)
Great bike, great condition, previous owner took care of his motorcycles. Runs good, could stand to be rejeted (stock runs a lean) but its fine as is the wife got 102mpg on her first and only tank. Needs a rider! Located in Westminster, SC. $3000 . Will consider trades on a 4×4 pickup truck, extended or crew cab. Single cab won’t work for us. Particularly looking for a 10th gen f150, or 1st gen Tundra.

It looks in great shape! See the adhereif you have any more questions. And don’t forget ADVrider’s Super Sherpa Thread, which goes all the way back to 2007. If you need more advice, you can definitelyfind it there.