The Kawaii-saki - Life with my Kawasaki Ninja 300

Prelude

I ne'er truly had that defining moment, the 1 that makes a idiosyncratic autumn caput implicit heels for everything automotive. For me, it wasn’t astir choosing to emotion vehicles; it was much similar I was calved into it. Even successful my earliest memories, I had a sizable Hot Wheels postulation and spoke to my yellowish integrative tricycle arsenic if it were a person alternatively than a portion of plastic. Growing up with a begetter who could lone clasp a speech if it was astir a conveyance meant that rejecting the allure of automobiles was ne'er truly an option.

Learning to thrust our Yamaha RX135 astatine the property of 10, conscionable a fewer weeks aft I had the trainer wheels removed from my bicycle opened up the adjacent frontier of my life. How my begetter had the assurance to fto his smaller than mean 10 twelvemonth aged thrust his prized possession without maine ever asking? I volition ne'er cognize neither undertsand but that's however it worked successful my family. Never truly had the accidental to not beryllium a cogwheel head.

The archetypal clip my begetter fto spell of the handlebar and I was the 1 changing gears, I retrieve going "Yup, this is what I volition beryllium doing for the remainder of my life".

I ne'er fto my youthful exuberance let maine to bash thing moronic connected the motorcycle and extremity up successful a ditch (touch wood) not due to the fact that I was particularly mature oregon calm headed but alternatively partially due to the fact that the thought of "hurting" my motorcycle owed to my stupidity made maine sick successful the tummy AND my dada had done capable of that successful his younker and listening to his stories was capable for maine enactment distant from walking successful his footsteps. Point being I had physique up capable spot implicit the past decennary for the pursuing acceptable of events to instrumentality place.
Circa 2019, I had been riding the RX for astir 10 years and I was successful the archetypal twelvemonth of my undergrads (mechanical engineering, obviously) erstwhile my dad, arsenic accustomed without maine ever asking, goes "We should astir apt a caller bike?"
Sure? wherefore not? I wouldn't caput riding a motorcycle which does not bash powerfulness wheelies successful 2nd cogwheel and astatine slightest has disc brakes.

The Search

My riding acquisition of 10 years astatine that constituent was made up wholly of a azygous bike. A 2005 Yamaha RX135 (with precise abbreviated stints connected the Aprilia SR150 which my dada had gotten for himself) and what I had failed to recognize is that
A 2 changeable 135cc motorcycle is simply a profoundly frustrating motorcycle to upgrade from. We initially presumed a sporty 150CC motorcycle would beryllium a bully upgrade truthful we trial rode the quintessential 150CC bike, The Bajaj Pulsar 150 and well, that was underwhelming. I initially thought it was broken. Where was the prime up? wherever was the feeling of intensity? It definite is simply a precise comfy motorcycle but it felt similar I was riding a instrumentality which was fractional arsenic almighty arsenic the noisy 2-stroke from the 90s.
We realized precise rapidly that if we wanted to upgrade, we had to truly determination up the CC/HP class. By a lot. Let maine database retired the database of bikes considered successful accelerated occurrence below-

• MT15 : Great motorcycle but felt similar a parallel upgrade astatine champion (will astir apt get this 1 purely for the metropolis present that the RX is simply a store prince).

• Duke 200 : A beauteous instrumentality but disliked the vigor management, the representation it carries and mainly, felt similar the RX135 already satisfied the manic acceleration itch.

• Duke 250 : Honestly thought it was a tad boring and lacked character.

• Benelli TNT300 : The motorcycle which made america realize, if we were upgrading, it conscionable had to beryllium a twin. Acoustically unmatched and had astir bought 1 earlier the woody fell through.

• RE Twins : Aesthetically pleasing but deity are they heavy. It felt similar I was wrangling a Hathi coming from the RX. Credit wherever it's owed though, exceptional engines and would not caput owning 1 present that I americium utilized to heavier bikes.

We were down to our last 2 options, it was either going to beryllium a Yamaha R3 oregon a Kawasaki Ninja 300/z250 and lad was it a hard choice. It took america astir fractional a twelvemonth of checking retired each azygous enactment connected the resale market. Whichever motorcycle we recovered with due documentation was going to beryllium the 1 we bought location and arsenic destiny would person it, an acquaintance had bought a Ninja 300 from his member who had near the state and helium was leaving the state himself. Barely a 1000 km connected the odometer with zero blemishes. It had to beryllium excavation and little than a week later, it was.

The Ownership Experience

The babe Kawi was brought location and successful the twisted mode beingness works, the lockdown struck a literal time later.
Once the lockdown was implicit though, we rode and went everywhere. The Ninja present has done a small implicit 11k KM, not a batch but bully capable with a highway/city ratio of 75/25 and present are my pros and cons-

The pros:

• Great physique quality. The localized mentation of the motorcycle is not arsenic large arsenic the erstwhile gen but it's inactive leagues amended than the average. The overgarment prime is conscionable beautiful.

• The engine. This motorcycle lone has 2 wheels and an motor arsenic its diagnostic acceptable and lad is that motor something. Wanna bash 30kmph successful 5th gear? spell ahead. 150 successful 6th each day? beryllium my guest.

• Chassis. The little halfway of gravity, airy value and unthinkable chassis dynamics means you astir apt volition not beryllium overtaking immoderate duplicate cylinder bikes connected the consecutive but successful the corners everyone volition beryllium watching you alert past them with ease.

• Aesthetics. Subjective but It's not excessively big, not excessively small. A understated plan which mightiness beryllium boring to immoderate but works for me. I get the unusual "Sweet motorcycle bro" present and determination but I consciousness comfy parking it successful nationalist without fretting excessively overmuch astir it getting unwanted attention.

• Heat management. The vents are aimed distant from the rider's legs truthful determination is perfectly zilch vigor you person to woody with adjacent successful Bangalore postulation connected a sunny day.

• Refinement and Mileage. Zero vibrations and that is not hyperbole with large mileage excessively if ridden well. The lowest I person gotten is 18KMPL during a "track" league and the highest, during a hypermilling league from Bengaluru to Hassan, wherever I got 35KMPL with the mean being astir ~27KMPL. Go past 8K RPM and ticker the mileage trim to the 'teens though.

• Slick Transmission: Nothing much to beryllium said. No nonsense, nary clunky shifting oregon mendacious neutrals. Just a emotion pat and into the cogwheel she goes.

• The rider's triangle. Super comfy with the quality to transverse state without your backmost crumbling to pieces. More sports tourer alternatively than sports bike.

The Mediocre:

• The lights. They're not atrocious but I bash privation they were better. The debased beam is large but the precocious beam is strictly 'meh'.

• Braking. They're are a spot spongy and the brushed beforehand suspension means determination is an uncomfortable dive and a spongy consciousness during hard braking. Going to experimentation with alloy braided lines and antithetic brake pads erstwhile these are worn out.

• The Maintenance. Higher broadside for definite but not atrocious capable for it to beryllium a con. The work interval is technically 6 months/6000km kilometers but 1 year/10k works excessively (costs maine astir 5k-7.5k per service). Very casual to support the motorcycle yourself excessively truthful honestly not arsenic atrocious arsenic it whitethorn sound. The spares are besides readily disposable and the localized versions person decently prized parts. The work prime is large though truthful chiefly not inexpensive but volition not pain a spread successful your pocket.

• The windscreen is useless unless you're elf sized.

• The beforehand suspension. Have tested it retired connected aggregate 300s but it's conscionable a spot excessively brushed and the information that it is not adjustable makes it a con for me. The brushed beforehand and the sharper rear shocks means that the motorcycle dives conscionable a spot excessively overmuch during braking concern and during corners with undulations, it conscionable feels a spot off. The flip broadside is that it goes implicit bumps successful a mode nary sports motorcycle should but successful my sentiment it's a sports motorcycle and I wouldn't caput feeling a spot uncomfortable during atrocious roads truthful that it stops with much confidence.

The Cons:

• I perfectly loathed the crushed clearance. The bottommost would scrap connected each hump unless you were highly cautious and with a date? The motorcycle would 100% scrape connected each hump. Imagine being a assemblage going kid with a Kawasaki Ninja and having to either accidental nary oregon commune the roads bash not person immoderate bumps whenever a miss asked for a ride. A due Achilles' bottommost of the motorcycle though has been sorted retired now. More connected this later.

• The beforehand fender design. The mode it has been designed means each of the gunk and mud gets decently deflected from getting thrown towards the headlights and alternatively gets sniper targeted towards the radiator. It took a portion for maine to recognize this and present my radiator has this precise bully mud cover. I hatred this.

• Features. What features? No 2 ways astir this. This motorcycle has 2 wheels (with ABS, convey god) with an motor and perfectly thing else. Coming from a RX135, I could not miss thing I had ne'er had. I rode the RS457 and it made maine consciousness similar I was riding the motorcycle from Akira. The Ninja 300 is simply a modern sports motorcycle with the property of a modern retro. Experience biking similar it is 1999 I guess?

• The alternator. It's truthful puny it is comical. Kept the motorcycle switched connected with the motor disconnected for a fewer minutes? accidental goodbye to the battery. The kicker is that the tiny alternator besides means you fundamentally request to redline the motorcycle for efficaciously an hr to complaint the artillery backmost up.

The ownership acquisition has been pleasant with nary surprises. Timely wide servicing and the motorcycle conscionable works. I spot the motorcycle to the constituent wherever I tin aftermath up time and caput to Leh, Kilimanjaro oregon to get groceries without worrying astir a thing.

The Ground Clearance Gremlin

I ended gathering my woman who loved the motorcycle but I ever had to virtually program retired the way and the determination to filter retired roads with monolithic roadworthy humps oregon atrocious potholes, which was not sustainable. That combined with Namma Bengaluru roads dilatory devolving into a cratered Dakar rally wannabe hellscape meant thing had to alteration and Bengaluru was not going to budge. After a elemental hunt recovered retired a TeamBHP-ian (Thanks Paavan Shetty) had the aforesaid contented connected his Ninja and made suspension linkages which raised the motorcycle and fixed the issue. Ordered his 174mm GC kit and now?
The motorcycle which could not grip basal roadworthy humps present has mild offroading abilities!
Pillion + luggage and a cartoon similar roadworthy bump? Some mild off-roading to scope the last presumption point? A portion of cake.
The accrued raised rear does mean it corners a spot amended and the seating is simply a tad spot much committed. Handlebar raisers planned for my dada who dislikes the newer position.

Rubber Talk

The banal tyre is simply a MRF, bash not retrieve which ones, bash not attraction and if anyone plans connected buying a Ninja 300, the archetypal happening I would urge is for them to thrust to the nearest tyre store and get a brace of Metzies oregon Apollos (or thing better). The quality betwixt the banal tires and the brace of decent ones is conscionable nighttime and time and is possibly the champion upgrade you tin marque to the bike. I had to up-size the rear to 150 conception Apollos due to the fact that I could not root 140 sections from anyplace (not adjacent definite if they marque it) but if I could, I would support the banal size. Up-sizing is precise communal connected this motorcycle and I bash not deliberation it's a worthwhile change. There is hardly immoderate alteration if immoderate successful grip levels but what you tin surely consciousness is the accrued rotating wide which makes the motorcycle a tad spot sluggish. If I can, I would beryllium reverting to banal size erstwhile my existent brace wears retired provided I tin find bully tires. (Recommendations appreciated!).

Upgrades/Additions

Apart from a brace of framework sliders, I bash not truly spot myself making immoderate changes to the dynamics of the bike. I judge the engineers who made the motorcycle knew what they were doing and determination is nary constituent successful meddling with the delicate equilibrium they person acceptable up (except for the GC, which I was compelled to alteration and beforehand suspension). I would upgrade the beforehand suspension to get a somewhat firmer daze if I could but that's easier said than done arsenic astir of the aft marketplace options are a spot shady and deficiency the details I would request earlier making the purchase. The motorcycle is bony banal but for the linkages and a PPF coating for present with the accidental of getting grip barroom raisers and amended brake pads+lines successful the aboriginal but I americium connected the obstruction astir that arsenic I would beryllium taking the motorcycle to the way (MMRT oregon Kari) and the raised handlebars mightiness marque it hard to tuck in.

Closing Thoughts

Would I urge the Ninja to idiosyncratic successful the marketplace for a twin?
Yes! er- Maybe?
For a lakh more, you get the RS457 which is simply a amended motorcycle successful astir each aspect, isolated from possibly reliability and adjacent that's a possibly considering Aprilia bash not marque inherently unreliable bikes either.
For a small lesser, you get the KTM 390 twins which mightiness person much tech and is much almighty but you suffer a cylinder.

There are a multitude of options successful the marketplace now. When I bought the motorcycle fractional a decennary ago, It was either a Ninja, the R3 oregon the Benelli TNT300.
Today? we person a 40 BHP motorcycle starting astatine 1.8L INR, We person Triumphs, An introduction level Aprilia supersport, a caller procreation of the R3 and immoderate cannibalism successful the signifier of the Ninja 400/500.

PS: Despite trying to support this constitute up arsenic unbiased arsenic I could, this conception is going to person immoderate idiosyncratic bias truthful carnivore with me.

There is nary moving distant from the information that you are inherently paying ~4.3L INR on-road present successful Bangalore for a motorcycle which is implicit a decennary aged but what this motorcycle person is heart. Lots and tons of heart.
In a satellite wherever caller property unapologetic exertion often overshadows seasoned demure and elegance, the Kawasaki Ninja 300 stands arsenic a testament to the allure of simplicity and spirit. Though the babe Kawi whitethorn beryllium past successful today’s fleet, its property does not diminish its essence, rather, it continues to connection a blend of reliability and passionateness for those who question an entry-level duplicate with a bosom afloat of racing dreams, enduring charm and wanderlust. Sometimes, possibly we should commencement looking beyond the spec expanse to get reminded that existent greatness is not bound by clip but by the heart of the ride.

On a much realistic enactment though,
LOCALIZE THE DAMN NINJA 400 KAWASAKI.

A fewer parting shots!
Cheers!