We're glad Kawasaki isn't leaving the budget-friendly Brute Force 300 out of the loop when it comes to upgrades. For 2026 it gets new styling, an all new 271cc fuel injected engine and a whole bunch of other goodies to keep pace with its bigger (and more expensive) brothers:

https://atvconnection.com/articles/2...gets-upgraded/

 

Not very informative. In the UK Kawasakis seem to have all but disappeared. The KLF 300s and 400s were quite popular, the CVT models less so. I've no idea why as I never get CVT Kawasakis to work on. So, is the 300 4WD, is it still a re-badged Kymco?

It would be good to have a 250/300 size bike available again. It seems strange that Honda and Suzuki dropped their 250s about the same time for UK markets, though I suspect they decided, due to emissions, liquid cooling and EFI would have to be used in future, and it wasn't worth the development costs, as they can't charge as much for a 250 as a 500.

 

Interesting.. Of course we can only run what the OEM provides in these instances and, naturally, they don't mention whether or not it is a rebranded version of another machine in an official announcement. We do have a bit more on the new engine, however:




Engine
4-stroke, single-cylinder, SOHC, liquid-cooled
Displacement
271cc Bore x Stroke 72.7 x 65.2mm
Compression Ratio
10.6:1
Maximum Horsepower
21.0 hp @ 7,500 rpm
Maximum Torque
16.2 lb-ft @ 6,500 rpm
Fuel System
FI with 32mm throttle body
Ignition
DC-CDI
Transmission
Automatic Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) with centrifugal clutch (H,L,N,R)
Final Drive
2WD, shaft

Kymco does manufacture Kawasaki general-purpose engines under a joint venture called Changzhou Kawasaki and Kwang Yang Engine Co., Ltd. (CK&K) in China but if AI search results are to be trusted, it seems this new mill is an in-house Kawasaki design.

We'll be able to say with certainty once we've encountered one and, in the unlikely event that you get one to work on first, keep us posted!

 

It's not 4wd. Here in the U.S., it's also rebadged as other models too. I think Honda is the only manufacturer that still builds a utility machine that isn't an automatic. And their automatics don't have cvt, they're all dual clutch automatic transmissions. No belts to ever wear out but if they need repair, it's going to be very expensive. CVT belts last a very long time. I've still got the original belt on my 2008 King Quad. I've got a replacement belt, but I've never needed to use it.

 

I am unfortunate enough to have to work on those horrible Honda autos. Fault finding is a nightmare on the electronics. They often don't work properly but don't throw a fault code. 450 to 750 King Quads have the best CVT automatic I have come across and I regularly have to fit new belts to them, 18 months is usual for a machine doing a high milage, no big deal and Gates or Dayco belts are not that expensive, genuine Suzuki ones are. Had to repair another King Quad broken frame this week, 2020 model so "new frame for 2018" didn't fix their problems. Don't know why the Kawasaki autos have never sold well in the UK. I have worked on the occasional Mule.

 

According to Kawasaki's latest release - all three of the Brute Force models will be equipped with EFI (electronic fuel injection) for 2026 and the midsize 450 will now be offered with the same EPS (electronic power steering) package as its bigger brother:

https://atvconnection.com/articles/f...uel-injection/