[abhi7013]

The bike surely looks mean in this colour. The only thing stopping me from buying this bike is the service cost and hence eyeing the R3 or the INT650. Could you share some info on how much the service costs might be on a yearly basis? Thanks ahead and congratulations on your purchase!

[neil.jericho]

Congratulations on the Ninja 300, gururajrv, you certainly picked a very nice colour scheme for your bike! I really enjoyed reading the ownership thread, do share some details and pricing on the headlight upgrade. The output from the new headlight looks fantastic and will ensure trouble free riding at night.

[gururajrv]

Originally Posted by swiftnfurious

What a fantastic closing line.
Nice review - thanks for taking time to write it. You said well about a pre-owned bike. You need extra pairs of eyes to find the right bike. And in my opinion, the first wring of accelerator will tell you if its indeed your bike.
Keep the thread going and wish you miles of safe rides.

Thanks swiftnfurious! You should resume biking again I love cars, no doubt for the comfort and safety it offers. But, biking has been the root and has that unique satisfaction feel when you head out on it. Cars came into my life in the last 7 years whereas bikes came into my life over 15 years now and hence the soft-corner!

Originally Posted by PratikPatel

You may want consider a Pipercross airfliter instead of BMC. While BMC is a reputed brand, its filter is based on cotton membrane which requires frequent cleaning @ 2,500 to 3,000 kms. Pipercross’s foam based filter is a more compatible replacement for the OEM filter. It will require cleaning @ 5,000 kms.

Sure, thanks for the advice. will check that too.

Originally Posted by abhi7013

The bike surely looks mean in this colour. The only thing stopping me from buying this bike is the service cost and hence eyeing the R3 or the INT650. Could you share some info on how much the service costs might be on a yearly basis? Thanks ahead and congratulations on your purchase!

thanks abhi7013. Yes, maintenance seems to be on the higher side. As for now, I have completed 2 services and due for 3rd now. Each service demanded an oil change and overall cost came upto 6,000/- Hence, I have mentioned to set aside 1,000/- every month for maintaining the bike in my thread. However, it depends on the usage as well. I will post detailed experience after this 3rd service.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

Congratulations on the Ninja 300, gururajrv, you certainly picked a very nice colour scheme for your bike! I really enjoyed reading the ownership thread, do share some details and pricing on the headlight upgrade. The output from the new headlight looks fantastic and will ensure trouble free riding at night.

Thanks neil.jericho! For the headlight upgrade, it costed me 12,000/- in total through aliexpress. Yes, I absolutely agree that night rides have turned out to be a boon now. Road ahead gets lit pretty well. Hope Kawasaki realises and upgrades the bike to current gen to atleast have better lighting in stock form.

Thanks,

RV.

Originally Posted by nitinkbhaskar

Many congratulations Gururajrv !!
Nice to see the Ninja with the elder sibling's mod. The black bring out the stealth mode of this machine. Wish you miles of fun on her

Thanks nithinkbhaskar. I have always had a liking towards black bikes and cars. I was lucky enough to get one of the black ninja's. It does maintain the subtle presence and doesn't scream for attention. It gives me peace of mind when I park it in busy areas as people hardly notice the black vs the other standard colors.

[HTC]

Gururaj,
Congrats on your Ninja 300.
You got one of the most sold and trusted two wheeler engines of our times. The twin pot is smooth and can run all day long without any stress. Black looks cool and am sure you will take good care of your steed.

Except lacking storage space( you cant keep even two tomatoes anywhere if you happen to plan grocery shopping with stock ninja) , it is practical everyday bike. Below 5k rpm, it is just like activa. Take it cross 5k rpm, and its twins show their true color with their whining sound.

I have a 250r, and have done 1200 kms in a day. After calling it a day - it is the rider and not the ride which has a limitation. It can go for another 1000kms without any fuss. Its over engineered bike in all aspects. And some of the best thought out components, which you will realise as you come across the reason why they are built like that. No wonder the parts are so expensive.

One advice is to keep an eye on road humps and cows on road. The riding position doesnt give much of a choice to regain control if you go over the badly designed speed breakers without noticing.

Enjoy your ride to the fullest.

Ride safe!

[audioholic]

Finally the long lost ownership review is online I hope you have been having a great time with the bike mate. Wish you many years and many thousand kms of safe and happy riding with the bike. I am sure it is a keeper until you get a strong itch for upgrade. Have the LEDs held up well? If I remember we had to cut the dust cap to let the cooling fan of the bulb out.

[gururajrv]

Originally Posted by HTC

Gururaj,
Congrats on your Ninja 300.
You got one of the most sold and trusted two wheeler engines of our times. The twin pot is smooth and can run all day long without any stress. Black looks cool and am sure you will take good care of your steed.
Enjoy your ride to the fullest.
Ride safe!

Thanks HTC. I will keep a note of your advise

Bike runs absolutely carefree on long journeys. Engine note doesn’t change with miles clocked continuously too. Usually the sound note of the engine changes with single cylinders which isn’t the case with this butter smooth engine. For shopping related stuff, I take my 220 out and reserve Ninja only for office / casual commute.

Originally Posted by audioholic

Finally the long lost ownership review is online I hope you have been having a great time with the bike mate. Wish you many years and many thousand kms of safe and happy riding with the bike. I am sure it is a keeper until you get a strong itch for upgrade. Have the LEDs held up well? If I remember we had to cut the dust cap to let the cooling fan of the bulb out.

Ha ha finally! I somehow got some interest restored to pen down which you’d told me from a long time.

LED’s doing a fantastic job. I took it to my office before the lockdown for nearly a month after you helped with installation and there’s absolutely no complaints with it. No issues with dust cap or condensation inside the unit.

Afterall, DIY expert meticulously installed it

Thanks again for all the help there, buddy! Let’s try to tag along for a ride soon.

Regards

RV

[susheel_kainat]

Congrats on your new acquisition.
By the way, is this localisation applied only on the new Ninja 300 color variants -
Lime Green/ Ebony
Plasma Blue,
Ebony/Metallic Moon Dust Grey

Any idea if the Lime Green variant shown in the Kawasaki,India website also shares this less service cost advantage??
Also could you tell me how many free service and paid service do we have and any idea on the paid service cost?

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by susheel_kainat

Congrats on your new acquisition.
By the way, is this localisation applied only on the new Ninja 300 color variants -
Lime Green/ Ebony
Plasma Blue,
Ebony/Metallic Moon Dust Grey

Any idea if the Lime Green variant shown in the Kawasaki,India website also shares this less service cost advantage??
Also could you tell me how many free service and paid service do we have and any idea on the paid service cost?

All ninja 300 models are localised in India. Whatever colour you choose. Therefore all their parts cost the same. Service costs the same irrespective however.

I don’t think there is a free service option from Kawasaki for any of their bikes.

Congrats RV. Great review of an iconic bike!

[gururajrv]

Originally Posted by susheel_kainat

Congrats on your new acquisition.Any idea if the Lime Green variant shown in the Kawasaki,India website also shares this less service cost advantage??Also could you tell me how many free service and paid service do we have and any idea on the paid service cost?

Thanks Susheel_Kainat. No, there’s no free service concept here trust me it doesn’t really make any difference either. Engine oil is where majority of the costs goes into in each service. There’s not much parts except oil filter is replaced periodically. Besides, localization isn’t a major concern here at all. You can buy the bike eyes closed!

Originally Posted by Red Liner

All ninja 300 models are localised in India. Whatever colour you choose. Therefore all their parts cost the same. Service costs the same irrespective however.I don’t think there is a free service option from Kawasaki for any of their bikes.Congrats RV. Great review of an iconic bike!

Thanks Red Liner +1 on the service costs.
I’m just loving the bike all the more. I don’t really have to ride it. Just a crank to idle it during the lockdown is enough to have me latched onto it! It indeed is an iconic bike. No doubt.

Regards

RV

[nutcracker]

Amazing review. I've somehow been fantasizing about this bike lately.

I bought the KTM 390 Adventure in August. Great bike no doubt, but I'm noticing that I'm using it more for commute than adventure. I am seriously considering selling the KTM, which doesnt even have 3000 kms on the odo yet, and going for the Ninja 300, only reason being that it has 2 cylinders.

Being 2 cylinders means I can absolutely snap through the streets while commuting. The 390 Adv, because of the single cylinder, is too buzzy for daily commute.

I'm wondering, how is the Ninja 300 two up? Is it comfortable for the pillion?

[racer_m]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

Amazing review. I've somehow been fantasizing about this bike lately.

I bought the KTM 390 Adventure in August. Great bike no doubt, but I'm noticing that I'm using it more for commute than adventure. I am seriously considering selling the KTM, which doesnt even have 3000 kms on the odo yet, and going for the Ninja 300, only reason being that it has 2 cylinders.

Being 2 cylinders means I can absolutely snap through the streets while commuting. The 390 Adv, because of the single cylinder, is too buzzy for daily commute.

I'm wondering, how is the Ninja 300 two up? Is it comfortable for the pillion?

You got somethings wrong. Ninja 300 being a twin cylinder is not as punch and torquey like your current 390, rather you need to get it reving 7-8K rpms and above as it makes a majority of its peak power and torque way up in the 10-12K ranges!
Inspite of that the smooth and linear acceleration of the bike + the well laid out gear bands are perfect even for city commuter rides. I bought this for highway rides but turns out I'm using it as a daily commuter rider now.

Pillion seat is pathetic (more of a show piece) and no one really enjoys it except the rider in these bikes. But yes in the sea of faired bikes, R15's, various KTM's, the Ninja definitely stands out and is a unique looker still

[nutcracker]

Originally Posted by racer_m

I bought this for highway rides but turns out I'm using it as a daily commuter rider now.

As a commuter, is the Ninja 300 swift in making manoeuvres in bumper-to-bumper traffic (like the Activas)? Do you feel the weight? Is it over-bearing?

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

As a commuter, is the Ninja 300 swift in making manoeuvres in bumper-to-bumper traffic (like the Activas)? Do you feel the weight? Is it over-bearing?

I have found the bike to be pretty swift in traffic when we have to make quick maneuvers. Its not as easy as the Duke, but definitely far better than say a royal enfield or so. At 175kgs of weight, I have never faced issues in traffic, except that you should never expect to move around stationary vehicles because it has a higher turning radius as well as a wider body. So definitely not like how I can move around my Dio, and definitely not painful.

[racer_m]

Originally Posted by nutcracker

As a commuter, is the Ninja 300 swift in making manoeuvres in bumper-to-bumper traffic (like the Activas)? Do you feel the weight? Is it over-bearing?

A few of my friends who ride the 150cc bikes had taken this for a spin and were shocked upon return when I told them its about 179Kgs odd! (Kerb Weight) Speaks how well balanced and sorted out the ride dynamics and handle weight is.
Being used as a commuter/daily ride now itlself talks that the bike is very usable in traffic and easy to handle.
Only thing you need to accomodate is the slight bigger turn radius and forgoing the tight space squeezing which you can do in scooters and smaller cc bikes.

The only time you will ever feel the weight is if you drop it and have to pick up

[gururajrv]

First ever 200+ kms ride on Ninja 300

Where to?

Vani Vilas Dam, Hiriyur, Karnataka.

How did it fare on the long distance riding?

Effortless! Engine is always ready to deliver what you really need on the highway - that sweet cruiser character and when you want to have fun, just pull the throttle, it zooms past any object in a jiffy.

How did it feel?

Agile, smooth & sharp! Best way to describe is to witness a sharp knife slicing through hot cheese - you get what I’m saying?! that’s how sweetly it handled all type of roads. Be it straight lane, tight corners, pothole filled roads. Throw anything at it, it’ll help you manoeuvre.

Discomfort experienced?

Yes - like I’ve mentioned earlier on, it’s the tires that steals the confidence away when you really want to push it hard in corners. You instantly feel the rear giving up extremely quick and makes you nervous almost the very second you try to be a Rossi while taking on a corner with loads of confidence. That’s when you feel that discomfort solely because of uninspiring confidence the MRF tires are offering. I am not changing it yet at the moment but still have that in my purchase cart in near future. Until then I’ll be cautiously taking on corners as I know the tire limit.

Since me and my friend were occupied with the lovely ride experience, we didn’t click much pictures except for few. Sharing it here on the thread.

Pics below: