Shifts on the six-speed gearbox feel positive even when you don’t bother to pull the clutch for upshifts. It has a top whack of over 160kmph and accelerates from 30 to 60kmph in third gear in 3.32 seconds, 40-80kmph in fourth in 5.23 seconds and 80-100kmph in fifth in 3.23 seconds. It races to 60kmph from standstill in 3.21 seconds on its way to the 100kmph mark in 6.84 seconds. The rate of acceleration also matches the note and the motorcycle feels lively from 10000rpm and reacts to every little throttle input. A mild buzz is felt on the handlebars and the foot-pegs as it nears the red-line but that is not really a grouse. The twin-cylinder putter transforms into a muted scream as you go past 7000rpm and when you hit the power band, it becomes vocal, almost sounding like a big four-cylinder. It comfortably potters around 3500-4000rpm in sixth gear and if you are lazing to downshift, it will slowly spool up after you open the throttle.
It might not have the best numbers to boast in its segment, but it certainly can compete for the most refined motor. The twin-pot 296cc mill that powers the Ninja 300 churns out 38.5bhp of power at 11000rpm and 27 Nm of torque at 10000rpm. The twin-cylinder motor is torquey and allows you to potter around at low revs without having to shift all the time and that, along with the light clutch, makes it a breeze. It doesn’t heat up much even in heavy traffic and a couple of kilometres of open road is all it needs to cool down. But the Ninja doesn’t bounce around and that gives a confidence-inspiring comfortable supple ride. What it cannot soak is largely muffled into a thud rather than a crack.
It soaks up almost all of the road undulations, little cracks and sneaky potholes. The suspension setup is rather plush, a little towards the softer side. Finding anchor around corners is intuitive. You can go all the way back when crouching on the long straight, with your elbows tucked in or you can go all the way forward to brace the meaty tank when you grab on to the brake hard. The large seat allows you to move around a lot. The riding posture is aggressive but just not enough to be hurting your wrists and back. Supersport motorcycles and comfort aren’t really made for each other. You can even have a BMW G310R streetbike at almost the same price as the Ninja 300 ABS. It thus sits in a sweet pricing spot between the locally manufactured single-cylinder fully-faired motorcycles like the KTM RC390 and TVS Apache RR310 and the likes of the twin-cylinder imports like the Yamaha YZF-R3. At Rs 2.98 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), it is the most affordable Kawasaki in India thanks to the heavy localisation. The Ninja 300 is available in four colour schemes, Candy Plasma Blue, Lime Green/Ebony, Moon Dust Grey and Lime Green. The engine is mated to a six-speed gearbox and is assisted by a slipper clutch. The engine weight has been reduced using sleeveless cylinders, lighter pistons and a redesigned head, crankcase and oil pan. The Ninja 300 delivers 39bhp and 27Nm of torque from its 296cc, liquid-cooled, DOHC parallel twin engine. It also gets an analog digital meter, fuel gauge and pass-light switch which was missing in the Ninja 250R. The front cowl gets a different twin headlamp setup, inspired from the much bigger ZX-10R. The Ninja 300 sports an aggressive styling that takes cues from the higher-displacement Ninja models. Introduced in October 2013, it has proved to be a worthy successor to the Ninja 250R. The Ninja 300 is Kawasaki’s smallest faired offering in the iconic Ninja series.
0 kommentar(er)
