Ninja 300 and YZF-R3 have a unique charm leaving buyers stunned with high performance and responsive frame under the body. New Kawasaki Ninja 300 is priced at INR 2.98 L making it the most impressive twin cylinder motorcycle of all time. YZF-R3 was earlier called the king of twin cylinder lightweight races but soon after the Ninja 300 price dropped title was lost. Now the buyers are more confused than ever to choose one of these two sport bike both returning great value for the money spent on them. ABS now comes as standard on both bikes at present the Yamaha R3 is available at INR 3.49 L ex-showroom India.
Yamaha R3 is still a more powerful option using a 321cc fuel injector than liquid cool engine producing 42hp at 10,750 rpm and 29.69 nm at 9000 rpm. The engine comes mated to a 6 speed gearbox. Ninja 300 on the other hand comes with a 296cc engine producing 39hp at 11,000 rpm and 27 nm at 10,000 rpm. The engine comes with 6 speed sleeper clutch assisted gearbox. The former is more powerful in terms of power to weight ratio as it was just 173 kgs whereas Ninja tips the scale at 179 kgs.
Japanese motorcycles have been in the market for quite some time but KTM has dominated the segment in India. Finally, after a long wait the quarter-litre motorcycles now get ABS and we pit Yamaha against it classic rival Kawasaki. Well this fight has been going on for quite some time but due to the localisation of Ninja 300 and changes in the Yamaha R3 made it fresh. So, which one of these fully faired quarter litre japanese motorcycles in the battle would you spend your money on?
STYLING:
One will be able to notice that not much has changed on the design front. The Ninja 300 continues with the same styling as in the last 5 years but gets new graphics. It also gets a new colour scheme and yet it looks attractive. It is the same case with Yamaha R3 as it has had the same styling elements and design from the time it was launched however if you notice in detail the blue colour is now darker resembles the shade from the Yamaha's Motogp bike. Both the bikes have started to show their age. However, the 2019 Yamaha R3 has been unveiled and looks promising. But will take another year to make it's way to Indian market. The Ninja 300 elder Ninja 400 is here with a fresher styling that goes along with the new Ninja lineup instrument cluster and switch care the instrument cluster on the Yamaha R3 is an analogue digital unit. It is the same unit we had seen on the earlier motorcycle however this one is housed with extra tail led and the areas that isn't still looks fresh and it is very well integrated while it is easy to read the unit in the tachometer but everything else is included with the digital unit engine temperature, fuel gauge, clock, odometer, speedometer, gear position indicator and fuel consumption, all of these are included in the digital unit. It gets a shift light too which is positioned very well. The quality of the switch is also decent on the Yamaha R3.
ERGONOMICS:
The Japanese rivals have a similar riding posture comfortable and slightly leaned in. Kawasaki Ninja 300 feels smaller as the overall dimensions are lesser than the Yamaha R3. Both the bikes have an accessible seat height but the ninja is 5 mm taller making the Yamaha easy to get on to. On the other hand ground clearance of the Yamaha R3 is better than the Ninja 300. The largest 17 litre fuel tank is more useful on the Ninja than the 14 litre tank on the R3. Pillion comfort on both the bikes isn't the best but the Ninja gets an out of the box grab rail, giving something to hold onto for the pillion on the Ninja. Ninja 300 also gets better rear view mirrors as you can see what's behind. It's a difficult case on the R3 if you have a jacket on.
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| Instrument cluster on Kawasaki Ninja 300 |
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| Instrument cluster on Yamaha YZF-R3 |
PERFORMANCE:
On paper the Yamaha R3 is more powerful an same is the case on the road as well. While both the motorcycles hit the ton in under 6 seconds, the R3 does it slightly faster. The Ninja 300, however being 1.8 BHP and 2.6 Nm less, has a higher redline than the Yamaha R3. Both the twin-cylinder motors rev freely and are very refined. the Yamaha has a punchy low-end and a strong mid-range while the Kawasaki's motor wakes up only in the top-end. both these engines are liquid cooled while the heat dissipation is adequately all, there is not much to differentiate and both the bikes return the same fuel efficiency of 28-32 kmpl.
The Ninja has an advantage with the slipper clutch while both the bikes come with a 6-speed gearbox. The Yamaha has very crisp gear shifts but the clutch feels heavy than that on the Ninja 300. NVH levels are very well contained in both these motorcycles. However, the Ninja feels smoother and calm while the R3 has some vibrations kicking in at the low-end. The R3's engine is more suited for daily riding while the Ninja's motor is made for the track as all the power comes in the top-end. Both the motorcycles sound really good, the twin rumble is soothing while the R3 has a louder exhaust note than the Ninja 300.
RIDING DYNAMICS:
We can say that both the R3 and the Ninja 300 are clones of each other. As both come with a diamond frame, cheap box section swingarm, similar ergonomics and a very similar riding posture. However, it the suspension setup that changes a few things around. Like the Ninja 300 has slightly stiffer suspension setup and this aids for better handling . It also provides better feedback while cornering or riding through traffic. The Yamaha R3 has a softer suspension setup which is more suited for touring capabilities. While this setup is more complaint to Indian roads as well. The footpegs are slightly higher on the Ninja 300 giving it better cornering clearance.
FINAL VERDICT:
One of the few reasons to buy either of these motorcycles is the parallel twin engine which offers great performance. Appealing to the current generation, both the Japanese twin cylinders are hardware rich. Both of them have dual channel ABS while the Ninja 300 has a slipper clutch and is 50,000 cheaper than the Yamaha R3 due to localisation. But the outright performance keeps the R3 appealing for it's price. Picking one of these Japanese rivals is solely on the rider's choice of brand. While Ninja 300 started to show it's age, the R3's update has announced. Getting one of these bikes is purely for the adrenaline rush they offer while being calm and composed.
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