Picked up my new Ninja 300 this morning!

[Alex]

Originally Posted by dino74

What your opinion of the kick stand mount? Do you think a tracked 300 needs to have the mount cut off?

OK, I just looked at it. To me it looks like it's somewhat less intrusive than the earlier model. There is a kickstand mount that is lower than that bottom frame rail, but it's at about the same level as the folded kickstand itself. Also, it looks like if you tipped the bike all the way left, the exhaust pipe on the bottom would be likely to touch just about the same time the kickstand and the mount would. Racebikes might still take the whole thing off just to be sure, but it looks to me like it will catch less people out on the street. One of the Kawi blurbs I read somewhere talked about increased ground clearance, and I think that's legitimate.

Originally Posted by tnr4

Hey Alex, sorry to keep pestering you, but you're the Guinea Pig! Three other questions: first, how are the vibrations? Second: some dude online said that he kept getting false neutrals all over the place -- have you had that problem? No one else has said it, so I assumed that it was his issue. Finally, what about that whole 'boot on the exhaust' thing. Any melting? I know it's a heat shield, but it looks awfully close for comfort.

Vibrations are lessened at all ranges from the 250. But at some revs, not by much. It seems to me that the buzziest is right around 8000 rpm, and if you go faster or slower it smoothes out. At its buzziest, it feels no more so than my '08, and probably slightly better. No false neutrals yet, the transmission feels solid as can be. My boot does touch the exhaust, but I see no boot melting after riding the piss out of the bike all day, just a boot scuff where the heel rubs up against it. No biggee.

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by Alex

Vibrations are lessened at all ranges from the 250. But at some revs, not by much. It seems to me that the buzziest is right around 8000 rpm, and if you go faster or slower it smoothes out. At its buzziest, it feels no more so than my '08, and probably slightly better. No false neutrals yet, the transmission feels solid as can be. My boot does touch the exhaust, but I see no boot melting after riding the piss out of the bike all day, just a boot scuff where the heel rubs up against it. No biggee.

You, sir, are a patient gentleman.

[choneofakind]

Riding the piss out of it? How did it stack up?

[Alex]

Well.

(Will write more, but currently dealing with plumbing issue that takes precedence....)

[choneofakind]

Good. I'll be waiting for a review.

[Harry9645]

Congrats for your new ride thumbup:

[Boom King]

So Alex, now that you've had it for a few days, what's your take on the build quality on the 300 vs the 250? Those Indonesian folks seems to be saying that the plastics are more flimsy on this new Ninja. Did you give it the good ole' tapping test?

[hirubhaiambani]

Originally Posted by Boom King

So Alex, now that you've had it for a few days, what's your take on the build quality on the 300 vs the 250? Those Indonesian folks seems to be saying that the plastics are more flimsy on this new Ninja. Did you give it the good ole' tapping test?

Tap test is the only thing I'll believe

[Alex]

I'm still scheduling time for a thorough tapping of the bike, leaving no surface untapped.

(plastics are fine. The parts that are easily removable like the black plastic in between the fairing and the gas tank are thin and flexible, makes them pretty easy to pop off without bending/breaking them.)

[Heed]

I wonder how easy it is to install frame sliders on this

[sze5003]

Congrats on the new bike looks awesome! I love the speedometer too. Too bad I don't have the cash to pick one up so my 2009 will do for now. Though once I sell it, its only got two scratches on the right fairings and brake handle, I may take that money and save up to try out the 2013 model.

How much more powerful is it? How's the turning ratio, similar to the 250? I imagine it will be heavier since the 300cc?

[Alex]

It's noticeably more powerful from idle to redline. Not "yank your arms out and shoot the front wheel into the air powerful", but there's never a question of "I wonder if this has more oomph than the 250, it's hard to tell". In the midrange it means that it can smoothly pull from 4k on up. Turning ratio? Not sure exactly what you're asking here. It still is very nimble, and feels just as light. The steering does feel slightly damped and not as instant as the 250, but that's probably due to the rake being slightly more conservative, and the wider rear tire slowing tip-in, even if only slightly. It's a small thing, and it remains a bike that's extremely easy to steer & lean.

[CZroe]

Originally Posted by Heed

I wonder how easy it is to install frame sliders on this

Kawasaki sells some, so I imagine it's easier now that the bike is likely designed for them. They market them as protectors for the engine instead of the frame.

[choneofakind]

How's the top end feel in comparison to your 08? I expected the mid-range to be improved, but the top interests me. (32mm TB's that I'm wondering if I can mate up to my efi system yo! )

[Alex]

Top end feels flat, like the 08-12's. There is no rush to redline like there is on the pre-gens. I'd be interested to see a dyno as well. I don't think the power is falling off as much over 11k as on the new-gens, but it doesn't feel like it's still climbing.

[choneofakind]

Hmmm, that's the same feeling I get with mine since I switched to efi. I have a much more gutsy mid-range, but my top end feels kinda flat. Honestly, my bike delivers power just like my buddy's totally stock '10 model, but more oomph. I need to get to a dyno to see what I can do with the top end.

[Boom King]

Dyno is at 0:31 of this video

Link to original page on YouTube.

[choneofakind]

Those are nice numbers! 34.38 peak, 17.55 max torque, and a nice smooth power curve.

Looks good!

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Hmmm, that's the same feeling I get with mine since I switched to efi. I have a much more gutsy mid-range, but my top end feels kinda flat. Honestly, my bike delivers power just like my buddy's totally stock '10 model, but more oomph. I need to get to a dyno to see what I can do with the top end.

I'd say borrow the wideband O2 sensor and tune your rich mode to a 12.8 AFR. It would also tell you if the TB's weren't capable of delivering a rich enough mixture at higher RPMs

[Jiggles]

That's exactly what I expected the 300's dyno to look like. I think with a quality Area P pipe, air filter and remapping, 40 hp wouldn't be unattainable

[Boom King]

Yup, just like Alex observed; the drop off at the top end isn't as pronounced on the 300 as it is on the 250

[choneofakind]

They're definitely capable. I've felt both rich and lean from this system. They're rich.

The injectors deliver the fuel anyway

but yeah, I want to get my hands on a wideband sensor for one side and assume the other is the same and adjust my open loop map accordingly.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

They're definitely capable. I've felt both rich and lean from this system. They're rich.

The injectors deliver the fuel anyway

but yeah, I want to get my hands on a wideband sensor for one side and assume the other is the same and adjust my open loop map accordingly.

Rent the O2 sensor then, you can use the bungs you already have installed and you don't need to hit up a dyno unless you want to see the actual hp number

[choneofakind]

Yeah I know. That's what I was thinking about doing this summer. Would be more fun than the dyno anyways.

[Surferboy120]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

That's exactly what I expected the 300's dyno to look like. I think with a quality Area P pipe, air filter and remapping, 40 hp wouldn't be unattainable

They also dropped compression on the 300 a point so with little effort and not minding going back to running 91+ octane the bike should make more by bumping compression up. Thats more of a mid grade mod but still its not hard.

I am itching to get my hands on a AreaP full exhaust and ecu management for this thing.

[Jiggles]

Originally Posted by Surferboy120

They also dropped compression on the 300 a point so with little effort and not minding going back to running 91+ octane the bike should make more by bumping compression up.

2fiddy runs on 87

[Alex]

Right, I think he was saying if you went the other way to bump the compression back up (by using smaller gasket, shaving the head, whatever), there's plenty of space to do so, and then you might need to go to a higher octane fuel to keep things happy. If the bike already required 91, there's less room to up compression for more power before things get more stressed.

[Surferboy120]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

2fiddy runs on 87

11.6.1 compression should run 91+ You can run cheap stuff but detonation is not as easily fought off which is why anything above 11 should run 91+ octane.

With the 300 they dropped compression to 10.6.1 so people could run 87 without detonation issues.

[Surferboy120]

Originally Posted by Alex

Right, I think he was saying if you went the other way to bump the compression back up (by using smaller gasket, shaving the head, whatever), there's plenty of space to do so, and then you might need to go to a higher octane fuel to keep things happy. If the bike already required 91, there's less room to up compression for more power before things get more stressed.

Exactly....

[Jiggles]

But so, the ninja 250's compression is 11.6:1 and it runs on and is meant to run on 87. That's what I was getting at. You said "back to" 91 but we were never at 91 to begin with

[Alex]

That's true. 87 was recommended on the new-gens as well. But now we have even more room to play with things before things get closer to detonation or other limits. The static compression ratio isn't the only determinant of whether high octane fuel is required (it's related, but there is no absolute scale that "this number = premium required"). Valve timing, bore size, piston design, materials, and a bunch of other design choices all play a role.

[Surferboy120]

General rule of thumb is that once you hit compression levels in the 11+ range you really need to run premium gas. Once you get into the 12+ then even greater than 93 octane is generally needed.

As Alex stated.. my point is that the 300 with its lower stock compression ratio give us one more avenue to exploit a bit more power from it if desired with little effort.

[Jiggles]

I want a 300 motor in my 250 now....

[menikmati]

Originally Posted by Jiggles

I want a 300 motor in my 250 now....

DIY timezzzzzzzz.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Surferboy120

General rule of thumb is that once you hit compression levels in the 11+ range you really need to run premium gas.

Right, but that's not universal, for some of the reasons I listed. The pre-gen ninjettes had a compression ratio over 12 and still were rated for 87 octane. The new-gen ninjettes with 11.6 also were 87 octane, and now that we're into the 10's with the 300's; they are still rated for 87 octane.

[Jiggles]

I wonder how different the new engine mounts are. I'll see if I can get a 300 engine from rusninja since he totaled his

[rusninja]

Shut up punk i might get my bike back tomorrow they sending kawi teck + a gauge and if gauge is the problem and only problem i should be riding soon :]

[Surferboy120]

Originally Posted by Alex

Right, but that's not universal, for some of the reasons I listed. The pre-gen ninjettes had a compression ratio over 12 and still were rated for 87 octane. The new-gen ninjettes with 11.6 also were 87 octane, and now that we're into the 10's with the 300's; they are still rated for 87 octane.

Totally agree which is why I said generally.

This motor "appears" to have a lot of potential it is very exciting.

[LoD575]

Sweet looking bike Alex.

[rusninja]

Got my bike back instead of 57 miles i have 25 now 5 that they were testing >.> seems like its functioning good hopefully the problems are over. Now i have to train so if you ever set up a group ride alex. x]