2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300 | Gone To The Gym | First Ride

As a Japanese OEM, Kawasaki has never been one to be shy. The company has a long history of groundbreaking motorcycles that not only set new standards for performance, but are also remembered for their audacity. Many of these bikes basically threw convention out the window, and made their own rules when it came to class warfare. The H1 500 and H2 750 three-cylinder two-strokes, the original 1972 Z1, the turbocharged Z1R TC of 1978 and 1983 GPz750 Turbo, the 1984 Ninja 900 and 600R of 1985…the list goes on.

Kawasaki has been continuing that maverick streak lately, with the ZX-14R laying waste to the competition last year by dint of an 89cc increase in displacement. And that philosophy continues for 2013, with both the Ninja 250R and ZX-6R receiving boosts in engine size. While the ZX-6R makes a return to the 636cc displacement (ridden elsewhere in this issue by associate editor Bradley Adams) popularized by the 2003-2006 models, we also got the opportunity to sample the all-new Ninja 300 — Kawasaki’s answer to the incursion of its 250cc territory by Honda’s CBR250R.

Kawasaki chose the mountains bordering the famous northern California wine region of Sonoma County to demonstrate the new Ninja 300’s performance to the American press. The numerous twisty roads in the area provided a superb proving ground to see if Kawasaki’s upgraded lightweight class machine indeed had the goods to go with its new moniker.

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Bigger, Stronger, Faster

The connecting rods are shorter by 2.8mm to maintain a mechanical advantage with the crankshaft’s longer stroke, with thicker ends for greater strength while still weighing the same as the previous rods. The crankcases have new oil passages, with a larger-volume oil pan (2.4L capacity instead of the 250R’s 1.7L) utilizing internal cooling fins to help dissipate heat; the pan not only has nearly half-inch better ground clearance than the previous unit, both the oil drain plug and new spin-on oil filter are accessible without removing any bodywork.

Up top, the U.S. version 250R’s antiquated 30mm carburetors have been finally replaced by a Keihin EFI setup using twin 32mm throttle bodies (which actually taper down from the 40mm secondary throttle plates for smooth throttle response). New injectors spraying a finer 60-micron droplet size feed into a cylinder head sporting reshaped intake ports that are 1mm wider at the port entrance and 0.5mm wider at the valve seat, which incidentally houses 1mm-larger 23.5mm intake valves.

The transmission features an F.C.C. clutch (an OEM Japanese supplier that has been involved in Grand Prix racing) that has both slipper and power assist functions via different engagement cams. While the slipper clutch function helps with avoiding wheel lockup while downshifting, the unique power assist setup offers multiple benefits. Clutch pull effort is lighter due to the reduction in spring pressure needed (including using fewer springs), since the power assist cam actually forces the plates together under power; this also enables the clutch to handle more torque. The transmission gearsets have been beefed up, with the primary reduction gear widened from 10mm to 12mm thick, and the 6th gear gearwheels made from a stronger alloy.

That strengthening has been applied to the Ninja steel semi-backbone frame as well. High-tensile steel tubing said to be 150 percent stronger is used in its construction, with the layout of the main tubes wider with additional gusseting added in critical areas for increased rigidity. Because the frame is more rigid, it allowed Kawasaki engineers to isolate the engine in rubber mounts, significantly reducing the amount of vibration fed back into the chassis (and eventually back to the rider).

Suspension rates have been altered to work with the stiffer chassis. Interestingly, the non-adjustable fork’s compression and rebound damping have been softened, although the internal oil levels have been raised to provide progressive anti-bottoming resistance. Out back, the shock has had both compression and rebound damping stiffened up, along with a new longer (but same rate) spring that allows the preload to be both increased or reduced.

The rear wheel width has increased by 0.5 inches to accommodate a wider 140-size rear tire — bringing it on par with its Honda CBR250R competition — and in a continuing trend within the industry, an ABS version of the Ninja 300 will be available (in fact, all Kawasaki’s sportbikes will have an ABS version available in 2013). The ABS control unit is the latest generation Nissin system that is 60 percent smaller than current Nissin components, and is even smaller than the Bosch unit on the ZX-10R ABS; it weighs a paltry 631 grams (1.4 pounds).

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Huge Fun in A Small Package

No more fiddling with a choke lever to get the Kawasaki warmed up, as the Keihin EFI allows you to simply hit the starter button and ride off. An added bonus is much better fuel efficiency; despite the larger engine and superior performance, fuel usage never dropped below 50 mpg, even when riding very aggressively with a lot of wide-open throttle and five-digit engine speeds. Ridden in a more everyday manner, we could easily see the average owner getting more than 250 miles on a 4.5-gallon tankful.

The additional power pulses of the twin-cylinder engine make it difficult to stall the Kawasaki, and the new clutch is so effortless that you could do it with one finger. Our only complaint is that the engagement point is out toward the end of the lever travel, and the engagement area through that travel is very narrow. Although the Ninja is easy to get rolling from a dead stop, any maneuvers that require some clutch jockeying (such as parking lot U-turns) demand a deft clutch hand.

So does the extra 47cc make that much of a difference? Yes it does, and in a big way. No, the displacement boost certainly hasn’t turned the little Ninja into a 600-eater, but it has definitely resulted in a bike that will eat any of its class competitors for breakfast, and ask for seconds.

The bump in power was readily evident in the canyons, where you no longer have to ride like you’re mad at the shift lever. The Ninja 300 pulls off the slower corners from as low as 5000 rpm, a point that would have you wondering if perhaps one of the spark plugs came off on the 250R if you tried to accelerate from that rpm. Power builds steadily with the new Ninja, but best results if you’re in a hurry still reside at 9000 rpm, with the party tailing off about 1000 rpm short of the 13,000-rpm redline. That power surplus also translates to a top-end speed advantage, meaning that highway traffic passes are no longer filled with hesitation; the Kawasaki easily propelled itself to 100 mph, and seemingly had plenty in reserve (while also remaining impressively vibration-free for a vertical twin), something that certainly can’t be said of the CBR.

But perhaps even more important than the newfound power is the Ninja 300’s upgraded handling. The new Kawasaki is just as lithe and agile as the 250R, only at a pace where the older bike quickly becomes sloppy and nervous, the Ninja 300 is as calm and composed as a monk in meditation. Credit here goes to both the stronger frame and the well-sorted suspension spring and damping rates, as well as the new IRC RX-01R tires. Despite being non-adjustable except for spring preload in the rear, the Kawasaki’s suspension is compliant enough for long-haul touring duty, yet can handle the big hits well and keep the chassis under control during aggressive riding. And just as impressive was the new IRC rubber, which offers agile and precise steering with very good grip and midcorner bump absorption — light years away from the IRC “rim protectors” of old.

Braking from both the standard and ABS versions was excellent, with the non-ABS version exhibiting a nice compromise between novice-friendly response and aggressively sporty power and feel. The standard model’s brake pads are made from organic compounds, while the ABS model uses more responsive sintered metal pads up front, as Kawasaki feels that it can make better use of that response without getting a novice rider into trouble. The ABS is very transparent, with barely any cycling felt while offering strong yet stable braking in all types of stops. And the F.C.C. slipper clutch handled nearly all of our intentional ham-fisted downshifts without problems, with only poor downshifts into first gear causing just a hint of wheel lockup.

Rules? What Rules?

Is the Ninja 300 the new king of the lightweights? We’ll soon find out.

Specifications

2013 Kawasaki Ninja 300