Thoughts on the Ninja 300?

[RottNKorpse]

I haven't had a bike in years and I loved my old Ninja. I've had my eye on a Ninja 300 for quite a while and just curious if anyone here has one or has ridden one and what do you think about it?

I had a 250R first and then a 650 but the 300 looks like it might have the best parts of the 250 with a little bit extra power.

Any thoughts?

I mean just look at that sexy beast . . .

[klaviator]

We have a member who has one of these.  JWWR to the courtesy phone.

[Chitza]

If I was in the market, I would have to consider the 2016 KTM 390. MSRP $4,999 and that's with ABS.

[klaviator]

I'd also consider the Yamaha R3.  If you are looking to buy used then the Ninja 300 is the way to go since it's been around much longer.  If you're buying new then the R3 and KTM390 are also good options.  All three bikes get good writeups in the magazine reviews.

[IceCold4x4]

A buddy has a ninja 300 onky negative I found when playing tag on back roads is that the brakes and power are lacking compared to my zrx. Of course the power part I expected. But never thought a 500 lb liter bike would out stop a 300cc bike. I think it's due to only having a single front caliper. Just my. 02

[DachshundUberAlles]

A little bit extra power is what they amount to. If you really liked that 250, then any of the small bikes listed will be OK. If you're thinking that 300 (or 320 or 390) are going to anywhere near 650 land, you'll be wishing you'd bought bigger in right short order. I only have experience with one of these (the Yamaha R3) on a 20 minute trackday session at Barber and thought  enough of it that it has been a serious contender for the track only bike I'm looking to field for 2017. That said, I couldn't see owning one of these smaller bikes for actual road duty for anything beyond around town and minimal countryside rides.
One thing good about these smaller bikes is that they seem to quick sellers if you decide to move it for a bigger option.

[Brian A]

A good review of the 4 options:

Edit to add: I am not going to spend the money any time soon, but I would really like to have a nice bike in this class. It has been said by many, including myself, and I not only say it, I truly mean it: It is more fun to ride a slow bike fast, than it is to ride a fast bike slow.

I have zero interest in today's high HP large displacement bikes. I could hardly manage to use 1/2 their potential.
But a 300cc class bike? I could enjoy ringing its neck all day long.

[RottNKorpse]

Wow, thanks for all the replies. I hadn't heard of KTM or Yamaha having bikes in this class.

I was thinking that I'd prefer to get a used Ninja but I'll certainly look into these other options as well.

Thanks a lot for the video, Brian!

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Edit: that was a really interesting video. The KTM is probably the one I am most interested in but the R3 looks badass too.

I wonder how well these bikes work for tall riders, they didn't address that in the review and I kind of fear that the KTM might be a weird ride for tall people.

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Edit #2: how silly is it that I'm considering to cross out the KTM solely because it doesn't have any color options other than the standard Black/White/Orange?