Big-Bore Two-Strokes Are Back: Kawasaki Reveals the KX327

The two-stroke revival just got serious. On 2 June, Kawasaki pulled the covers off the 2027 KX327 and the cross-country KX327X, its first two-stroke model larger than 250cc in more than two decades. This is not a nostalgia piece built from old tooling: it is an all-new, fuel-injected big-bore stroker with a modern aluminium chassis.

A 327cc stroker, reinvented

The headline is the engine. The 327cc liquid-cooled single is pitched to bridge a long-standing gap, offering far more low-end and midrange than a 250 while sidestepping the intimidating, peaky hit that made the old 500s such a handful. A newly designed exhaust valve system, developed specifically for this engine, broadens and smooths the power, sharpening throttle response across the rev range.

Kawasaki's first two-stroke over 250cc in more than 20 years is a statement: the segment is alive, and the Japanese giants are taking it seriously again.

Modern fuel injection, electric start and switchable power modes make it a far more refined machine than the carburetted monsters it descends from, without losing the light weight and the snappy character that draw riders to two-strokes in the first place.

Two flavours: MX and cross-country

The standard KX327 is the motocross weapon. The KX327X is tuned for cross-country, and the differences matter:

Detail	KX327	KX327X
Transmission	5-speed	6-speed
Rear wheel	19 in	18 in
Fuel tank	Standard	8.4 L, semi-transparent
Intended use	Motocross	Cross-country
Price	9,099 dollars	9,699 dollars

Both ride on an aluminium perimeter frame with premium suspension. Kawasaki has not published a horsepower figure, instead emphasising a flat, controllable torque curve and consistent delivery across varied terrain, which tells you exactly who this bike is for.

Why it matters

For years the big-bore two-stroke kept alive mostly by specialists and the Austrians. A mass-market Japanese manufacturer building a fuel-injected 327cc stroker, with a proper cross-country variant, signals that the format has real commercial life again. Deliveries start later in 2026.

It is a dirt-only machine, so it sits outside our road-focused motorcycle rankings, but as a sign of where the off-road market is heading, the KX327 is one of the most interesting reveals of the year.