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KTM RC390 vs. Ninja 300 vs. Honda CBR300R vs. Yamaha R3 vs. Ducati Scrambler Sixty2 vs. BMW G310r vs

Which one?

  • KTM RC390/Duke 390

    Votes: 14 19.7%

  • Ninja 300

    Votes: 27 38.0%

  • Honda CBR300R/CB300F

    Votes: 8 11.3%

  • Ducati Scrambler Sixty2

    Votes: 6 8.5%

  • BMW G310r

    Votes: 3 4.2%

  • Other

    Votes: 13 18.3%
  • Total voters
    71
the R3 is the most refined-lighter,more stable,smoother,lower,faster than the others,excluding ktm-if your wife can deal with not having abs it's the way to go.R3 is having a recall right now,but it gets handled in a day so not really an issue.i have a really nice n-250,2 R3's and the ktm 390 right now.my wife can ride the R3 with no mods-it's pretty good stock-brake lines and pads and its good to go.it's hit or miss with the ktm-i have a 2016 with no problems and it's spent a lot of time on track.390 duke might interest her more-same hit or miss but easier to maintain,ride cause, naked.there are some horror stories about the 390's,really not as bad as it seems-i got the 5 year unlimited warranty and i have other bikes:laughing
 
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Roadstergal said:
The 500cc is a little arbitrary, isn't it? A lot of good reliable standard bikes with ABS in the 650cc range. I'd consider a Ninja 650. If that's Just Too Much, used Ninja 300. :p It doesn't carry its weight terribly well, but not terribly badly, either. It's a cheap parallel twin that works.
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If a 650 goes over, it's going over. You can catch a 300 before you dump it. That makes a huge difference when it comes to beginner bikes.

It also helps that the 300cc class is easy on tires, gas, and tends to hold it's resale value. Resale is less of an issue when you want to 'ride the wheels off the bike' and more of an issue when you want to buy the bike to learn on, and pass it along to someone else.
 
ratlab said:
the R3 is the most refined-lighter,more stable,smoother,lower,faster than the others,excluding ktm-if your wife can deal with not having abs it's the way to go.R3 is having a recall right now,but it gets handled in a day so not really an issue.i have a really nice n-250,2 R3's and the ktm 390 right now.my wife can ride the R3 with no mods-it's pretty good stock-brake lines and pads and its good to go.it's hit or miss with the ktm-i have a 2016 with no problems and it's spent a lot of time on track.390 duke might interest her more-same hit or miss but easier to maintain,ride cause, naked.there are some horror stories about the 390's,really not as bad as it seems-i got the 5 year unlimited warranty and i have other bikes:laughing
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I personally thought the 300 was smoother than the R3 but go figure
 
I've already kinda crossed the KTM off my list. Love the way it looks and the low weight + peppy motor, but it seems to be the most expensive while being the least reliable. The market will soon be flooded once people start dumping them on CL before the motors grenade and electronics fail. It's kinda hit-and-miss with those bikes like most Ducatis.

650 is out of the question. I used to ride a 650 Ninja with ABS and it's not the easiest bike to keep up if it starts tipping. Also the Ninja 650 was just super cheap all around and handled like shit.

My wife has never ridden with ABS, but I don't see why I'd buy a bike without it when I can pay the same price for a bike with it. Can't go wrong with some free peace of mind!
 
Ninja 300. Comfortable, proven reliability, fun engine.

I've never ridden a CB 500 but it looks like a solid bike.

I wish the R3 had ABS too. I would buy that over the others. But, Yamaha doesn't understand the moto crowd that wants the added safety. Good on other manufactures for giving us choices.
 
Q: why does that CBR 500R only have the the one front brake? That's only half the brake (and 1/4 the brake pistons) of similar weight bikes with the same front tire size. I'm sure it comes with garbage OEM tires, but I'd be concerned about not getting my money's worth if I put good tires on it.
 
p12madscientist said:
sub'd, im considering the same bikes.

ktm really has peaked my interest. i, too, am concerned about reliability. but there seems to be a number of 390 owners, maybe they will chime in and give their feedback.

also the used market seems to be just a few bikes away from being flooded with rc390s. new ads have been showing up weekly and prices seem to be coming down significantly.
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lots of good ones,few really, really bad ones-people are getting scared and getting rid of them.the 2016's seem to be much better.there is an aftermarket fix if the head gasket goes that seems to work.mine is used for track mainly-i did the suspension,brakes,did some preventative stuff to make it run cooler, and had it tuned.handles better than any bike iv'e ever had and is a lot of fun on the track.on the track its a slow bike that handles great,and is a lot of work because of relatively narrow powerband,you have to shift a lot,it seems like the gearing is always wrong.on the street it's not just one of the faster bikes of the class,it's legit kind of fast.tank is odd shaped and hard to move around on the bike,stock riding position is all day comfortable.seat looks like a plank,but works for me.i did a couple of 300 mile days breaking it in and felt pretty good.bike is light!!-even for the street you will need a rear shock-with a good rear shock front feels much better,but i did andreanis because of track duty.a galfer 320mm rotor and pads improve the braking.finish is pretty rough.fairings split at bolts and paint is coming off foot controls.both are being handled by dealer.i put in engine ice,a better radiator cap,pcv and had it dynoed and it runs much cooler.you have to watch out for fan failure and there is a upgraded spal fan that works well.usual ktm pita maintenance,but for the performance it's worth it.besides the cosmetic stuff i have had no issues with this bike-if i had only one bike would this be it-hell no!!if you are into small bikes and want some performance,this is pretty much it.with a airbox mod,k&n,pcv and stock pipe i'm getting almost 43 hp at the rear wheel.if you like riding twisty backroads you end up going effortlessly faster than usual.i guess to wrap it up,bike is a blast,but iv'e always got one eye glued to the temp guage,and i'm always listening for the fan to come on.:laughing oh yeah,forgot-lots of vibes down low- smooths out very nicely over 4-5000 rpm.also-doesn't have a slipper clutch,but sure feels like it.
 

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jwb said:
Q: why does that CBR 500R only have the the one front brake? That's only half the brake (and 1/4 the brake pistons) of similar weight bikes with the same front tire size. I'm sure it comes with garbage OEM tires, but I'd be concerned about not getting my money's worth if I put good tires on it.
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cost

i wouldnt be surprised if u could still stoppie that bike even on the shittiest tires with the correct braking application. so it doesnt matter all that much.

without the extra heat capacity of extra rotors, it wont feel amazing on track. but that bike doesnt have the HP thatd require insane stopping anyway. plus your avg rider doesnt have the need or skill to do that kind of stopping.
 
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stangmx13 said:
cost

i wouldnt be surprised if u could still stoppie that bike even on the shittiest tires with the correct braking application. so it doesnt matter all that much.

without the extra heat capacity of extra rotors, it wont feel amazing on track. but that bike doesnt have the HP thatd require insane stopping anyway. plus your avg rider doesnt have the need or skill to do that kind of stopping.
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Yeah, I guess it could be worse, you could get the NC700X with the exact same brake that weighs another 50 lbs more.

I don't know what it is with Honda where they have to make a bike that's 20% heavier than the competition. Are they pricing them by the pound? Single disc is making sense to me on the RC390 that doesn't weigh anything. Sounds like a fadefest on a 425lb ride, though.
 
ratlab said:
lots of good ones,few really, really bad ones-people are getting scared and getting rid of them.the 2016's seem to be much better.there is an aftermarket fix if the head gasket goes that seems to work.mine is used for track mainly-i did the suspension,brakes,did some preventative stuff to make it run cooler, and had it tuned.handles better than any bike iv'e ever had and is a lot of fun on the track.on the track its a slow bike that handles great,and is a lot of work because of relatively narrow powerband,you have to shift a lot,it seems like the gearing is always wrong.on the street it's not just one of the faster bikes of the class,it's legit kind of fast.tank is odd shaped and hard to move around on the bike,stock riding position is all day comfortable.seat looks like a plank,but works for me.i did a couple of 300 mile days breaking it in and felt pretty good.bike is light!!-even for the street you will need a rear shock-with a good rear shock front feels much better,but i did andreanis because of track duty.a galfer 320mm rotor and pads improve the braking.finish is pretty rough.fairings split at bolts and paint is coming off foot controls.both are being handled by dealer.i put in engine ice,a better radiator cap,pcv and had it dynoed and it runs much cooler.you have to watch out for fan failure and there is a upgraded spal fan that works well.usual ktm pita maintenance,but for the performance it's worth it.besides the cosmetic stuff i have had no issues with this bike-if i had only one bike would this be it-hell no!!if you are into small bikes and want some performance,this is pretty much it.with a airbox mod,k&n,pcv and stock pipe i'm getting almost 43 hp at the rear wheel.if you like riding twisty backroads you end up going effortlessly faster than usual.i guess to wrap it up,bike is a blast,but iv'e always got one eye glued to the temp guage,and i'm always listening for the fan to come on.:laughing oh yeah,forgot-lots of vibes down low- smooths out very nicely over 4-5000 rpm.also-doesn't have a slipper clutch,but sure feels like it.
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Lol wow... Ninja 300 for two years, cost less, has a slipper clutch. Nothing required but oil change and clean the chain. Lmfao
 
Gawernator said:
Lol wow... Ninja 300 for two years, cost less, has a slipper clutch. Nothing required but oil change and clean the chain. Lmfao
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Yeah +1 on that... that KTM seems like a pain in the ass to me! Plus, getting to/from the dealer for constant warranty service when things fall apart is not exactly fun.

I'd be interested to hear the opinions of the people who voted for the Scrambler Sixty2... just makes no sense to me.
 
I have ridden (and reviewed) all but the Scramster.

From your list:
For street fun? Duke 390.

For track fun? RC 390.

For all around reliability? Ninja 300.

If she is under 200 pounds she might have better luck than I did on the R3.

Have her check out/sit on the Honda 500(s). Not much more kick than the 3-hundos, but overall more capable.
 
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jwb said:
Q: why does that CBR 500R only have the the one front brake? That's only half the brake (and 1/4 the brake pistons) of similar weight bikes with the same front tire size. I'm sure it comes with garbage OEM tires, but I'd be concerned about not getting my money's worth if I put good tires on it.
Click to expand...

F=MA. A bike going 120 MPH has 50% more energy than a bike going 100MPH, and a bike doing 140MPH has double the energy.

Brakes turn momentum energy into heat energy. While the weight of the bike is important, the speed is a huge factor as well.

FWIW, a single caliper and rotor is fine for the CBR500R, so long as you do the appropriate upgrades. The pads, fluid, and rotor will get much hotter than a dual rotor bike, but good race fluid and high temp pads can easily handle it.

Citation: My race GS500 had a single rotor. When I upgraded to a GSX-R front end, I seriously considered removing a rotor/caliper to save unsprung weight.
 
Definitely +1 on the Ninja 300, it's a fun and reliable little bike that's fairly comfortable. I've put a ton of miles and gone to four different states on the little thing, and it doesn't give up. My GF is getting into riding, she's 5'2" and fairly petite, and has no problem handling the Ninja.
 
Gawernator said:
Lol wow... Ninja 300 for two years, cost less, has a slipper clutch. Nothing required but oil change and clean the chain. Lmfao
Click to expand...

almost 10 more hp-40 less lbs-price you gotta pay for performance, at a price point made in india.:laughing
 
ratlab said:
almost 10 more hp-40 less lbs-price you gotta pay for performance, at a price point made in india.:laughing
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It also has 77 cc more displacement .. Would be a great bike if it worked
 
FZ-07 is super light as well. Gear indicator is nice. I still try to shift into a non-existent 7th occasionally.
 
TnT300?

I've read the Benelli TnT300 will be imported to the US. USD fork, and standard tire sizes. Maybe the heaviest in its class?
 
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