2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300

[vman1313]

@SpudRider suggested I make a thread about my 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300, so here I it is.

I bought my 2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 in March and I have put now over 5,500 miles on her. Before I give my opinions and findings of the bike I will preface with the fact that I have owned a 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 250 and a 2002 Suzuki Hayabusa 1300. Yes, I have owned the extremes! I know what power is, I know what NO power is...hahahaha! Having said that, here we go.

PROS & WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE 300:::
1. POWER & MPG: The 300 makes all the power you truly need. It pulls thru all the gears with ease. It can coast at 80MPH on the interstate with power to spare. AND it can do all that hitting 55-70MPG. When I ride on the interstate I get 55MPG - when I get around 69MPG. I have traveled 375 miles in one day thru the Blue Ridge Parkway and other twisty roads on the 300 with a passenger and had no problems.
2. LOOKS: The 300 is all the time mistook for the new 636 or larger bike but more importantly I love the sexiness and lines of the bike. Its my bike so I am the one that has to be happy with it, AND I AM!
3. FUEL INJECTION & SLIPPER CLUTCH: Choke SUCKS!! Plain and simple!! It sucks to have to let a bike warm up with just enough clutch and then sometimes it is miles before it truly warms up. Fuel Injection is just nice to push button and boom, bike is on. The silky smooth throttle is also super nice on the 300. Lastly, the clutch is awesome. Very smooth and forgiving if you downshift too low of a gear.
4. WEIGHT & AGILITY: This is THE MAIN REASON I looked at the 300.

CONS & WHAT I DONT LIKE ABOUT THE BIKE:
These are so miniscule, I hardly think they are worth mentioning but I will anyway.
1. SEAT: Sucks! Its hard and uncomfortable. I took out the foam and put in a tempurpedic pillow in its place and it is a million times better but not perfect yet.
2. EXHAUST PLACEMENT: Once a ride I find myself with my heel of my shoe on the exhaust heat shield. Not sure what happened here, maybe the guy in charge of this had a size 4 shoe size or something. HAHAHA!
3. WINDSCREEN: Many people change these anyway, but my complain is more the floating windscreen. I am sure it serves a purpose but it also cause dirt and grime to build up behind it and of course it is hard to clean. I finally painted the inside of the windscreen to give the black out look and I LOVE IT!! (I thought the clear windscreen hideous.)

Bottomline, the BUSA with its 1300cc engine had power beyond your wildest dreams. It was also a great touring bike but it was too heavy and not nimble at all. The 250 is a great commuter bike but sucky power and outdated looks and ancient technology just kept it from being perfect for me. The 300 is the best of all worlds in my book. Good power, great MPG, light, nimble, good looking, and up-to-date in almost every sense of the word.

Feel free to ask any questions or leave comments. Obviously the above statements are my personal opinion and my findings. Not everyone will agree but thats ok. Different people and opinions is what makes the world go round and round.

Ride safe, ride smart, have fun!!

Below is a link to more pictures:
http://chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=13014

[SpudRider]

Your Ninja 300 is a beautiful motorcycle. Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed review of your bike.

I love dual sport bikes, but I would also like to have a lightweight, fuel efficient motorcycle for touring. Based upon your glowing review, the Ninja 300 is certainly high on my list of potential purchases.

[SpudRider]

I mistakenly asked you to post your thread in the wrong forum. Therefore, I moved your thread to the Other Brands Forum.

[FastDoc]

I wonder if Corbin or Sargent makes a saddle for the 300? I really liked my 250. All it needed was EFI and now you have that too. There are a lot of people who use he little Ninja as a light tourer. It is much more comfortable than it looks. Especially at speed.

[Weldangrind]

If I was in the market, you would have sold me. It sounds great.

I would have never thought of a Tempur-pedic pillow!

[vman1313]

Originally Posted by SpudRider

I mistakenly asked you to post your thread in the wrong forum. Therefore, I moved your thread to the Other Brands Forum.

Thanks...I was more then happy to write up the post. I have learned more from real riders with real experiences then magazines and such.
PS....I kinda wondered when I saw the headings if I was in the right thread but I just did what you asked BOSS MAN!! HAHAHA!!

[vman1313]

Originally Posted by FastDoc

I wonder if Corbin or Sargent makes a saddle for the 300? I really liked my 250. All it needed was EFI and now you have that too. There are a lot of people who use he little Ninja as a light tourer. It is much more comfortable than it looks. Especially at speed.

I believe Corbin already has a seat out but not sure about Sargent. I will look. They are very much worth it but SOOOOO pricey. My temporary fix is working so far but I want to improve it and I really really want to make it a small tourer. Better pilon seat and better rider seat, as well as saddlebags and trunk. We will see what i end up with!