Two years ago, Kawasaki launched a localised version of the Ninja 300 with a much lower price and the bike went on to be a success for the company. Sources now tell us that Kawasaki is planning to bring the Ninja 300 back to India in BS6 form by around the end of the first quarter next year.
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Launch expected around March/April 2021
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To feature more localisation
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Likely to be priced lower than before
BS6 Kawasaki Ninja 300
In 2018, Kawasaki localised a number of components on the Ninja 300, including the body panels, headlight, brakes, cables and tyres. For 2021, we are given to understand that the company is now working on even more localisation, this time mainly involving components within the engine.
Kawasaki Ninja 300 specifications
The Ninja 300 uses a 296cc parallel-twin engine that produces 39hp and 27Nm of torque. This smooth and high revving motor is paired to a 6-speed transmission that gets a slipper-clutch as standard.
The bike uses a tubular steel frame and has a kerb weight of 179kg. Fuel tank capacity is 17 litres and the tyres are from MRF. The bike uses a conventional telescopic fork and a pre-load adjustable monoshock. Handling braking duties is a 290mm single disc up front and a 220mm disc at the rear, while dual-channel ABS is standard.
Kawasaki Ninja 300 BS6 price
The 2021 model is likely to carry forward without many styling or mechanical changes, apart from the upgrade to BS6. However, given the fact that Kawasaki is increasing localised content on the motorcycle, the price is expected to come down even further.
The BS4 2018 model was launched at Rs 2.98 lakh, which just undercut the BMW G 310 R at the time. For 2021, we expect that Kawasaki will make another significant reduction in the price and that it could be priced below Rs 2.5 lakh. For reference, BMW has also recently revised the price of its 310s, and the G 310 R now costs Rs 2.45 lakh.
More affordable Kawasaki’s for India
The BS6 Ninja 300 isn’t the only relatively affordable motorcycle that Kawasaki is working on for India. In October, we broke the story that the Japanese company is preparing for a W175 launch in India. The W175 is a retro motorcycle sold in Asian markets and through heavy localisation, it will be the most affordable Kawasaki sold in India. Another advantage of the localisation seen on these bikes is much lower spare parts costs than what customers have to pay for Kawasaki’s bigger bikes.
Rishaad Mody
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
