The Kawasaki Ninja 300 has been instrumental in crafting a solid brand image of the Japanese motorcycle maker in India. Several media reports suggest that the motorcycle’s BS-IV version was discontinued last month. The BS-VI version of the motorcycle has now been spotted near ARAI’s Pune campus.
The Kawasaki Ninja 300 is the bestselling Kawasaki in India thanks to its attractive price of INR 2.98 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). Kawasaki has discontinued the Ninja 300 in most markets and replaced it with the Ninja 400, and India is one of the last few markets where it still sells this old motorcycle. However, with high levels of localisation and an attractive price tag, the company continues to receive strong demand for the old model.
This is possibly why Kawasaki seems to have decided to upgrade the Ninja 300 to meet the stricter emission norms. Of course, the R&D involved in upgrading the motorcycle to meet BS-VI norms will be huge and expensive, but sources close to the development suggest that the company is hoping to breakeven due to the high volumes registered by the product every month.
Powering the Kawasaki Ninja 300 is a 296 cc parallel-twin, liquid-cooled mill coupled to a 6-speed gearbox. This engine can produce 39 PS of power and 27 Nm of torque in its present, BS-IV iteration. The output figures of the BS-VI version are expected to be slightly lower. We also expect the BS-VI motorcycle to be slightly heavier (BS-IV version: 179 kg).
Other cycle parts including the suspension, chassis and brakes will be unchanged. We would love to see all-digital instrumentation as the semi-digital unit now looks severely dated. The 300 cc motorcycle will retain the large 17-litre fuel tank and slipper clutch. However, the split headlamp may finally be fitted with LEDs. There are no details present about the price of the BS-VI Kawasaki Ninja 300. However, we would not be surprised if it's anywhere around 10% more expensive than the old model.
