Kawasaki Ninja 300

[secn8ure]

I'm going to Kawasaki's USA press launch of a "new sportbike that represents an artful blend of styling, classic practicality with enhanced efficiency and performance enabled by modern technology" in Headlsburg on the 17th. The obscured illustration on the invite looks like the 300. It's just a single day of riding, so I don't think it'll be the 636 (which would probably be at a racetrack along with a street-riding day). So unless this is going to be a 2014 model, EPA must have amended that spreadsheet at Kawasaki's behest as has been noted.

You sir have the coolest job.

 

[a3x]

Someone gave me one years ago. They don't have a whole lot more than that, although the 15 hp number was a joke.

I gave it to someone else about 6 months later. Every time those damned Smart cars passed me, it pissed me off even more.

you know you can shift gears right? both the ninjette and the smart car is capable of going 93mph.you need to beat the smart car to that speed and off you go hahahah.

For beginner riders, the slipper clutch makes sense. It is a beginner bike afterall. When I started on a GS500, the rear wheel hop while downshifting to a stop scared the crap out of me.

no it does not make sense.sure its better than having none.as a beginner rider needs to learn how on anything about the riding.plus im guessing this slipper clutch will be the same as any kawasaki slipper clutch on kawasaki bikes that dont work as good on 1gear. so i dont think they put this for new riders.

 

[Jiggles]

Someone gave me one years ago. They don't have a whole lot more than that, although the 15 hp number was a joke.

I gave it to someone else about 6 months later. Every time those damned Smart cars passed me, it pissed me off even more.

I know the feeling, I hate when 600 and 1000s slow me down in corners

 

[JPK]

For beginner riders, the slipper clutch makes sense. It is a beginner bike afterall. When I started on a GS500, the rear wheel hop while downshifting to a stop scared the crap out of me.

It probably scared the crap out of you exactly one time before you figured out how to avoid having that happen again. Isn't that the whole point of a beginner bike -- to allow you to make mistakes and learn from them without ending up dead? Not sure how masking beginner mistakes helps a new rider.

 

[corndog67]

you know you can shift gears right? both the ninjette and the smart car is capable of going 93mph.you need to beat the smart car to that speed and off you go hahahah.

No need to defend the Ninja 250 to me. I've owned one and I think they suck. Lots of people have themselves convinced that they are the only bike to learn to ride on, anything else and you're taking you life into your own hands.....yada, yada, yada.

You don't need to tell me how fast you are on it, how many bikes you pass in turns, how it will do 100 mph all day long... it's a beginner bike, it's something that most people with any coordination at all, will outgrow in about 2 months.

The 300, I guess they are trying to upscale it a bit. Probably going to lose sales because of the price increase.

 

[Jiggles]

Here ya go Robert

[youtube]Kz03sQeX02c[/youtube]

 

[a3x]

No need to defend the Ninja 250 to me. I've owned one and I think they suck. Lots of people have themselves convinced that they are the only bike to learn to ride on, anything else and you're taking you life into your own hands.....yada, yada, yada.

You don't need to tell me how fast you are on it, how many bikes you pass in turns, how it will do 100 mph all day long... it's a beginner bike, it's something that most people with any coordination at all, will outgrow in about 2 months.

The 300, I guess they are trying to upscale it a bit. Probably going to lose sales because of the price increase.

ohhh..a non ninjette believer.. hahahah

i guess they are...just like the 636.

 

[corndog67]

You guys have yourselves convinced. I'm convinced, too. Crappy handling. Crappy brakes. No power. No "personality" to the bike at all, like riding a blender, a very slow blender. Oh, I'm sure that you can go fast enough to kill yourself on one. But having ridden almost every bike out there, it's way down the list of fun bikes to own.

Just my opinion, no need to get all butt hurt about it. Not my cup of tea.

And that video, put an equal rider on the other bikes, not a bunch of novices riding with an expert, which is exactly what that was, and it would be a non-event.

 

[louemc]

I can see it as a "learner bike", for that first experience(s)...And I'd expect it to be a tad more capable than the 250 was, for that....But I wouldn't choose it, to go into traffic, where the tonnage is so capable of flattening you like a beverage can.

Oh and PS...Are we ever going to see the Japanese, do the decent thing and make these potentally cool bikes in two versions? Just simple for them to do a parts bin thing...and have Race quality suspension/brakes/wheels, (S version like Duacti does).

Sheesh...the actual cost difference, at the factory level, would be pocket change, at the Dealership level.

 

[iceknyght]

I can see it as a "learner bike", for that first experience(s)...And I'd expect it to be a tad more capable than the 250 was, for that....But I wouldn't choose it, to go into traffic, where the tonnage is so capable of flattening you like a beverage can.

I ride my 250 to work (45 miles each way) a few times a week, on the highway doing 80 and am just fine... Been doing it for a year now... Treat it like a little Toyota Corolla (little engine, no 'real' passing power) and it's fine... I also get 50-60 MPG, which is great for the 90 miles a day I have to ride...

The new 300 looks awesome and if I was in the market for a small bike (if I didn't already have mine), I'd definitely think about it... I'll probably end up with a 650 at some point, but that 300 has everything I need (hell, the 250 has everything I need)!

 

[Stormdragon]

Sign the pledge: I promise to never wish for a 400cc sport bike again, because there will never, in a million gazillion years, ever be such an animal.

How about a 350 single at around 350~400 pounds? I may be buying my first KTM in another year. Even if I have to go into hock.

I see this a lot. If KawaHondaSuzuYamaKTAprilHDRoyalEnfield makes this, I'd buy it, it's my dream bike. But then they make it, and all of the sudden, every one that said they were going to buy one, has a reason they don't, it's the wrong color, the grips are too hard, the seat doesn't have the right texture, the rear wheel is 1/4 inch too narrow, etc., etc.

You, are a wise man.

Yes, there is such a massive population of well-educated, discerning motorcycle enthusiasts in the USA that there will be literally dozens of customers lined up to buy high-spec 400cc sportbikes--just as soon as they've been collecting dust and bankrupting dealer floor-planning for two years so they can buy them massively discounted.

Hey, anybody wanna buy a SRX, Hawk 650, Zephyr, or a CB-1? Now?

 

[a3x]

You guys have yourselves convinced. I'm convinced, too. Crappy handling. Crappy brakes. No power. No "personality" to the bike at all, like riding a blender, a very slow blender. Oh, I'm sure that you can go fast enough to kill yourself on one. But having ridden almost every bike out there, it's way down the list of fun bikes to own.

Just my opinion, no need to get all butt hurt about it. Not my cup of tea.

And that video, put an equal rider on the other bikes, not a bunch of novices riding with an expert, which is exactly what that was, and it would be a non-event.

no worries..were not trying to get you to buy one..

"fast enough to kill yourself" can believe you said that,such nice words from a fellow rider

oh no butt hurt....i believe that one mans garbage is another mans dream..besides we ride what we afford..but i disagree with the comment on the video.if they are novices then they should be the one riding the ninjette......"@ the track" theres no excuse going slower than a toy bike.

 

[clutchslip]

Funny you should mention Ninjettes and Smart Cars in the same sentence. The late Gary J, who was well-known for his ability to ride a 250 to the max, was also rumored to drive his Smart Car the same way! Guess it shows that, in the right hands, (almost) any vehicle can be made to "perform."

All well and good, but Gary raced 250s against 250s. He raced 600 and 1000 cc bikes against the same displacement bikes. You can only take this so far. The fact that most people stink at riding in the hills has a lot to do with the 250 mystic, inspired by Gary. On tight roads you don't need much horsepower, so a skilled corner-er will make a minimum powered bike look good. I have been there and done that. But Gary owned a liter Kawi for some dang reason. You figure it out.

 

[corndog67]

no worries..were not trying to get you to buy one..

"fast enough to kill yourself" can believe you said that,such nice words from a fellow rider

oh no butt hurt....i believe that one mans garbage is another mans dream..besides we ride what we afford..but i disagree with the comment on the video.if they are novices then they should be the one riding the ninjette......"@ the track" theres no excuse going slower than a toy bike.

You put a slow(er)(ish) rider on a 250 Ninja, and he's going to go slow. You put a real fast rider on a moped, and chances are, he'll smoke a lot of people that have faster bikes. And I know novices that have GSXR1000s. Just because you can afford it, doesn't mean you can ride it. Plenty of excuses to go slow. Tires weren't warm. Wrong grips. Too much Wasabe at lunch. Old lady is on the rag, and yelled at me this morning. Bad burrito yesterday, looking for the portapotty.

It isn't the bike. And I meant nothing by the "fast enough to kill yourself" thing, you can get killed, again, on that same moped. So that really isn't a shot at anyone or anything in particular. You can get killed on a bicycle or skateboard, it's just a comment about the particular sport we all engage in.

 

[papa911]

Here ya go Robert

[youtube]Kz03sQeX02c[/youtube]

This video is a riot. It's comedy just gets better and better and better.

For the track, the 250 is a great learning tool, and the 300 should be, also.

 

[a3x]

You put a slow(er)(ish) rider on a 250 Ninja, and he's going to go slow. You put a real fast rider on a moped, and chances are, he'll smoke a lot of people that have faster bikes. And I know novices that have GSXR1000s. Just because you can afford it, doesn't mean you can ride it. Plenty of excuses to go slow. Tires weren't warm. Wrong grips. Too much Wasabe at lunch. Old lady is on the rag, and yelled at me this morning. Bad burrito yesterday, looking for the portapotty.

It isn't the bike. And I meant nothing by the "fast enough to kill yourself" thing, you can get killed, again, on that same moped. So that really isn't a shot at anyone or anything in particular. You can get killed on a bicycle or skateboard, it's just a comment about the particular sport we all engage in.

true...or not comfortable going fast.but @ the track one has all the reason to go fast,excluding a cop chasing them.i always thought wasabe and bad burrito made me ride fast.

it just came out kinda weird..

 

[mel3535]

Someone gave me one years ago. They don't have a whole lot more than that, although the 15 hp number was a joke.

I gave it to someone else about 6 months later. Every time those damned Smart cars passed me, it pissed me off even more.

For a lot of twisty backroads 250 is plenty fine if you can really ride it. I would agree with you that it could use more power and that's where the new 300 fits in. I am going to assume that it will weigh around the same and have about 20% more power, that might just be enough to make the new 300 a pretty sweet ride. It's always more fun to ride a slow bike balls out rather than a 600 at 1/3 of it capability. For street use the new 300 makes sense, they are saying around 37-39hp so that means around 32/33rwhp, with a few mods you could maybe break into high 30rwhp with what a 380ish pound bike, and add fuel injection into the mix and you have a nice bike for the streets.

 

[JPK]

For a lot of twisty backroads 250 is plenty fine if you can really ride it. I would agree with you that it could use more power and that's where the new 300 fits in. I am going to assume that it will weigh around the same and have about 20% more power, that might just be enough to make the new 300 a pretty sweet ride. It's always more fun to ride a slow bike balls out rather than a 600 at 1/3 of it capability. For street use the new 300 makes sense, they are saying around 37-39hp so that means around 32/33rwhp, with a few mods you could maybe break into high 30rwhp with what a 380ish pound bike, and add fuel injection into the mix and you have a nice bike for the streets.

Still not sure I see the value proposition based solely on power/weight. You can buy a Ninja 650 with double the HP and 10% more weight, and you don't have to wring its neck on the straights. It's still a very noob-friendly bike that's not high-strung like a SS. Why would you want to start with a 300 and then try to mod more power out of it?

 

[Jiggles]

Still not sure I see the value proposition based solely on power/weight. You can buy a Ninja 650 with double the HP and 10% more weight, and you don't have to wring its neck on the straights. It's still a very noob-friendly bike that's not high-strung like a SS. Why would you want to start with a 300 and then try to mod more power out of it?

The 250 has a good amount of power for the twisties, it gets blown away in the straights but straights are boring anyway. After I wrecked my 250 (my twisty bike) I considered using the 650 for twisty and getting the n1k for commuting/touring. But the 650 just isn't as fun as the 250 in the twistiesso I sold it and got another 250. It's not all about power and I'd rather be wringing out the 250 than riding the 650 at half it's potential.

 

[JPK]

The 250 has a good amount of power for the twisties, it gets blown away in the straights but straights are boring anyway. After I wrecked my 250 (my twisty bike) I considered using the 650 for twisty and getting the n1k for commuting/touring. But the 650 just isn't as fun as the 250 in the twistiesso I sold it and got another 250. It's not all about power and I'd rather be wringing out the 250 than riding the 650 at half it's potential.

I'm not saying that one is "better" than the other - they're clearly different bikes - but if the value proposition is power/weight and fun in the twisties I'd argue that I'd rather try to strip 40 pounds off a Ninja 650 than try to mod another 20 HP out of a 300. You can lose ~10 lbs just by ditching the stock exhaust. If you go with aER6n instead of the Ninja 650 you easily lose another 10 pounds in body work. A few more mods like a Li Ion battery, and you've got a bike that's nearly the same weight as a 300, with double the HP, and FAR more low-end torque. That's a far funner bike in the twisties in my book.