Reference Auto

The iconic Ninja 250R has been a runaway success for Kawasaki and now the Japanese two-wheeler major has changed its design to a more contemporary one with the new look Ninja 300 but the steep price could come as a bump even though the 300 is loaded with features.

The Ninja 300, which was launched recently, is priced at Rs 3.5 lakh, around Rs 50,000 more than the 250R and this steep rise could prompt prospective buyers to go for a rethink before buying it.

There is no doubt that Kawasaki engineers spent sleepless nights in giving the Ninja 300 a great new and unique look, and in fact, have done a commendable job on this front.

The 300’s designing is very aggressive and it surely looks like a new-age sports bike.

There have been other solid modifications made on the Ninja 300 too. The 300 comes with a new liquid-cooled fuel-injected 296 cc parallel twin cylinder engine, which is offered with a longer stroke.

There is also a fresh aluminum die-cast cylinder, which makes the Kawasaki 300 lighter by 600 grams and a new cylinder head along with a fresh 2-into-1 exhaust system, which helps in enhanced sporty performance as well as torque delivery. Use of aluminum has made it possible to cut weight of the Ninja 300.

Belting out 39 PS of power at 11,000 rpm and 27 Nm of torque at 10,000 rpm, the new Ninja 300 weighs 174 kg, which makes it a perfect new-age sports motorcycle.

Bajaj Auto managing director Rajiv Bajaj, while rolling out the Kawasaki 300, had said, “We conceived Bajaj Probiking eight years back with the aim of making it the automatic destination for bike enthusiasts looking for sports bikes. In addition to our KTM range, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 is a step forward in achieving that objective.”

The new compact design of the Kawasaki 300 has been done keeping in mind the placement of the radiator fan, which helps in transferring hot air away from the rider, a major problem faced in humid regions such as India. This would provide adequate relief to riders during the summer months.

The Ninja 300 also comes with features such as race-bred FCC Assist and Slipper Clutch Mechanism for back-torque limiting, a fresh digital instrument cluster along with broader tyres. But at this price, Kawasaki is not offering any ABS, which could be a big stumbling block in sales of the Ninja 300.

So, the Kawasaki Ninja 300, with its fresh looks and litany of features, may become a big draw but the price could be an impediment in its sales, which may not be as good as the Ninja 250.