I have waited very long for the Ninja 300 and it has been worth the wait.
I had a long waiting period in my life before I found the perfect machine for myself. The wait had been fruitful as I met the Kawasaki Ninja, which was all set to perform. I decided to buy it soon. Days passed, and one day I discussed with my elder brother about the bike. In a few days, I received the receipt of the booking of the Ninja 250 from my brother. He had booked the bike from the Trivendrum showroom which was around 500 kms away from my home. It was December 2011 and the dealer promised me the delivery within the next two months. I was excited.
One day while browsing the internet, I saw the newer colour schemes for the 2012 Ninja 250R and liked the candy lime green color. Immediately I called up the dealer and enquired about that, but they were unaware about that model. Thus, we decided to wait for that model to arrive. Days, weeks and months passed but nothing happened. I waited patiently and finally mailed Bajaj Auto enquiring about the model but nobody knew when it will launch in India.
I called up the dealers in other states, but nobody knew whether this model even existed or not. All this was indeed a test of my patience. I was in a confusion now. Should I go for the existing model? One thing was for sure. I was not ready to sell the bike once I bought it. I still ride the Kawasaki Eliminator 2002 model which was bought by my brother. So I decided to wait to get the latest model. News was in air that this bike could be launched in August 2012.
I almost forgot about the bike. On August 30, I saw the images of the all new 2013 N250 on the Kawasaki Japan website and I was excited. The next day I called up the dealer but again they had no information on the same. However, I thought my wait was really worth now. In a few days, there came the other bomb from the Kawasaki stable, the Ninja 300, for the European markets. But, the new question that came was which of the two models, 250 or 300, will be launched in India.
I mailed Kawasaki Japan inquiring about this. They replied that the 2013 model will be launched soon, however, they too had no information about it. Tried my luck every where but no results. I was becoming restless. Finally, it was in February 2013 when I got a call from the dealer stating that there is a chance of the bike being launched in March. It was late March, still there was no signs of the launch. In the first week of April, the official statement came – “Launch on April 10”. The Ninja 300 had already arrived at the dealership on 9th April. My wait had been fruitful. I became India’s first owner of the Kawasaki Ninja 300.
I have ridden this bike for over 2000 kms now. I have taken the bike on highways, small town roads and some off-roads too. The Ninja 300 feels awesome and I can say that it is one of the best looking motorcycles in the world in its segment.
• The headlamps, windscreen, fairings, instrument cluster, the wheels – everything looks great.
• The build quality is top notch.
• The Ninja 300 is not too big nor too small. It is just right.
• The engine is powerful enough to make your adrenaline rush.
• It is more torquier than the 250R, the ride in the city is not a mess and requires very less gear change.
• Not much heat produced. The heat is redirected away from the rider.
• Gear change is smooth.
• Good ergonomics, shorter saddle height.
• Good for touring, provided many hooks.
• Engine is smooth and refined.
• Stable in corner and high speeds.
• It’s a normal bike below 5000 RPM and after 5000 RPM it’s a screaming performer.
• Proper sports bike experience.
• Slipper clutch really does its work during downshifts.
• The power delivery is linear all over the rev range.
• Easy overtaking without gear change.
• Fear of hitting the humps when riding with a pillion.
• The seats are rough which may not impress some, but I like it.
• Once you ride it, you are not going to stop riding it.
• Good lighting, greater visibility in night riding.
• Brakes are good.
• Did long stretches of about 500 kms and it never made me tired.
• It’s a perfect practical performance bike which can be used for both commuting and touring and a good performer on the track.
• Fuel efficiency of 25 ~ 28 km/l.
First Ride – The first ride was to Shangumugam Beach in Trivandrum. Unfortunately, on the way, the police stopped me as the headlights were on. I wasted some time explaining about the motorcycle to them. Some asked me if it was the new R15 and others wanted to know its mileage. Few inquired about the price. In the first ride itself I loved the Ninja 300 and its ergonomics and low saddle height. The bike got everyone’s attention by its looks and the Ninja green color. But the most annoying part was that everyone wanted my bike’s headlamp (DRL) to be off.
Break In Period – The hardest thing in the Ninja 300 is the break in period. The first 1600 kms, the RPM was restricted. For the first 800 kms, I did not exceed 4000 RPM. Post 800 kms till 1600 kms, I limited myself to 6000-8000 RPM. The bike was capable of hitting 75 km/hr in the break in period and I completed the break in period within a month. One bike trip to Udupi helped to complete the break in period quickly. It was really hard to maintain the RPM limit on an open highway.
First service – I got the first service done at Mangalore after completing 1000 kms. There are no free services for the Ninja 300. The charges are as follows –
Engine Oil – 10W40 Castrol POWER1 Racing (Fully Synthetic), 2 litres – Rs. 1310/-
Consumables – Rs. 26/-
VAT (Lube) – Rs. 193.72/-
Filter–Assy-Oil – Rs. 444.25/-
VAT – Rs. 64.42/-
Chain Cleaning Charge – Rs. 50/-
Labour Charge – Rs. 600/-
Service Tax – Rs. 78
Cess – Rs. 2.34/-
Total – Rs. 2769/-
I wished to fill Shell engine oil but sadly it was not available there. After the first service, the bike felt much smoother.
Riding Comfort – There are a lot of improvements in the ergonomics compared to the old 250. The higher handle-bars makes it more comfortable. The seat is narrower, which makes the Ninja 300 more accommodating for short riders. The IRC rubber provides good grip and wider 140 mm rear tyre makes the handling better. The acceleration is very impressive. It takes less than 7 seconds to do the 0 to 100 km/hr sprint. It reached a top-speed of about 185 km/hr. To stop the show, the motorcycle is equipped with 290 mm front disc brake and 220 mm unit at the rear, both combined to provide strong stopping power.
The Kawasaki Ninja 300 feels normal below 6000 RPM, but provides enough torque, once you twist the throttle above 6000 RPM, the bike is a screamer and can be redlined with less effort. The Ninja is characterised by its high revving nature. The engine is refined and vibration free but I felt little vibration at 4000 RPM with a pillion. The gear shifts are smooth and it’s more torquier now making less gear shifts which makes riding more comfortable.
The Ninja 300 is very comfortable on highways and riding in the city is not a headache. The generated heat is deflected away from the rider and it’s a great feature for our traffic conditions. When taking the pillion comfort into picture, the pillion needs to lean somewhat. It’s not a problem on the highways but in normal roads the rear shocks seems uncomfortable with a pillion. The integrated pillion grab rails don’t pop out but do the job.
The Ninja 300 is provided with slipper clutch which helps in sudden downshifting. This gives the rider ample confidence to make quick downshifts without having to worry about loss of traction at the rear wheel.
Fuel Consumption – As you all know, it’s not built for higher fuel efficiency, but it gives more mileage than the old 250R. I have got an overall 26 km/l and it’s a good digit for a sports bike.
Verdict – The Kawasaki Ninja 300 is not merely a big bore 250, but an entirely new bike. The Ninja 300 stays ahead in all manners and it’s the bike for an enthusiastic rider. The only thing that makes a rider turn away is its price tag. At Rs. 3.9 lakhs, it’s surely is not the most affordable bike around. But if you are looking for a motorcycle that doesn’t compromise on the pure riding pleasure and performance, nothing comes close to this one.
– Muhammed Anwar
