August 6th, 2014, 02:35 PM | #1 |
ninjette.org member
Name: gptoyz
Location: mountain view
Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): ninja Posts: 21
|
Opinions after a week of riding the 300
So I helped my gf pick up a ninja 300 last week. I have ridden many, many bikes through the years:
ninja 250r 2008 ninja 250 (some old ass one) fzr 600 owned nc30 owned cbr600f owned cbr600f4 cbr600f4i owned rs125 owned ducati 748 00 owned rc51 sp1 owned rc51 sp2 owned ninja 636 03 owned gsxr 1000 06 owned gsxr 600 06 owned gsxr 750 06 owned This bike has impressed me greatly! The FI system stands out as the single greatest part about this bike, other than the true supersport styling. I hate, hate, loathe, despise carbs and jets. It was annoying sometimes to find my engine flooded because some jack ass went to twist the throttle while the bike was parked. Also carb'd bikes would run like crap high up in the canyons where there was a huge disparity between the environment at the top and at the base. The 300 motor is just enough to not make freeway rides less scary when compared to the former 250s. Merging on to uphill on ramps to the freeway were always an adventure even with WOT! Let's just say, I have been spoiled by riding 1000 twins and 4s, which you can basically run around all over town in 2 and 3rd. At the same time, I know the little 300 motor won't get me into too much trouble with LEOs like a gsxr 1000 which feels like it's just walking @ triple digit speeds. I have to say my biggest complaint about this bike is the ridiculous throttle pull and the buzzy nature of the engine. Once the owner has learned how to tame this bike, I'm definitely going to toss on either an R1 or R6 throttle tube. The stock throttle tube has to be like 1/3 or even 2/3 lol. 1 minor complaint I do have is that the bike doesn't have enough brakes, but I guess coming from modern dual caliper radial mount front brakes to a single caliper/rotor I have to expect a forgiving setup for a beginner bike! What would have been forward thinking is if kawsaki had made the front rim symmetrical and put mounting bosses for a left front caliper so that a second rotor could be mounted in the future to upgrade to a true plug and play dual rotor/caliper system. On a couple of occasions I found myself praying that I had slowed down enough for turns because I had already missed the turn in/apex that I would have normally hit on any modern 600. I really hope that the Ninja 500R get's a similar styling, equipment update like the ninja 300 so that Kawasaki can take the fight to the Honda CBR500R!!! |
1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
August 6th, 2014, 02:48 PM | #2 |
wat
Name: wat
Location: tustin/long beach
Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 5
MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14
|
better lines and pads brings the brakes up to par and will gladly pull the rear wheel off the ground. the throttle definitely is about two thirds too long. shorter turn throttles are pretty common. i have a really big cam on mine so its nice and short
__________________________________________________
|
|
August 6th, 2014, 02:54 PM | #3 |
ninjette.org member
Name: gptoyz
Location: mountain view
Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): ninja Posts: 21
|
line wasn't the problem, I was looking to carry speed - carrying speed is fine but when it was time to stop, there was simply not enough mU
yes, tossing on pads and grippier tire will improve, but it simply doesn't have the stopping power of a dual rotor, dual caliper setup. The stopping was so flat on the ninja 300, no dive what's so ever even on the crappy stock forks. on my gsxr race bike I use vesrah srjl so I know what good brakes feel like. This was not a case of boiling fluid or brake lines expanding, it just didn't have enough force to stop the bike from going forward fast enough. |
|
August 6th, 2014, 03:02 PM | #4 | |
Inline 4!!!
Name: Danny
Location: MA
Join Date: May 2014 Motorcycle(s): 2008 CBR600rr, 1987 KLR 250 Posts: A lot.
|
Quote:
__________________________________________________
Be careful. Remember you are invisible |
|
1 out of 1 members found this post helpful. |
August 6th, 2014, 03:27 PM | #5 |
ninjette.org dude
Name: 1 guess :-)
Location: SF Bay Area
Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 7
|
The stock brake pads on the 300 are quite gentle, requiring quite a bit of effort to get any decent braking force. As you mention, maybe good for a beginner to prevent unintended front locking/diving, but not so great for more experienced riders. The pads are much more gentle than the ones they put on the last-gen 250, which were pretty good right out of the box.
Spending $30 on more aggressive pads will make a significant difference in the braking feel on the 300; it's well worth it. Sure - going with a larger rotor, or throwing on a front end with dual rotors, can improve the performance at the limit, but people race these bikes all day long with the stock setup without scaring themselves silly.
__________________________________________________
Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered) |
3 out of 3 members found this post helpful. |
August 6th, 2014, 06:55 PM | #6 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Aaron
Location: Winder, GA
Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 Ninja 300 Posts: 718
|
If you're on a non-ABS model, the stock pads aren't even metallic; an upgrade to sintered pads would certainly make a difference, as has been mentioned. That being said, you can lock things up even with the organic pads.
|
|
August 6th, 2014, 07:16 PM | #7 |
Que Buenos Son!!!
Name: Ryan
Location: Grovetucky, OH
Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): Aprilia Shiver 750, Husaberg FE 450, Ninja 300 (sold), xr100 Posts: A lot.
MOTM - Nov '14
|
SS lines and H-H sintered pads up front make a big difference. If that's not enough it's easy to upgrade to a better caliper and radial mc. Remember these bikes barely get into the triple digits, you don't need a two rotor setup.
__________________________________________________
Don't do something because it's easy,.. Do it because it's not! If you aren't going forward, then you're falling behind. "Drive it like you stole it"!!! |
|
August 6th, 2014, 08:22 PM | #8 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Aaron
Location: Winder, GA
Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 Ninja 300 Posts: 718
|
Also, aren't two-rotor setups more about heat mitigation than outright braking power?
|
|
August 6th, 2014, 10:29 PM | #9 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Genesis
Location: Paradise Valley Village, AZ
Join Date: Jan 2014 Motorcycle(s): SC28 Fireblade Posts: 463
|
Hopefully the Ninja 500R comes out next year, that would be a fast bike. I gotta say, the 300 is a nice bike. Stock for stock, the Ninja 300 is the better version of the Ninja 250R. Although not much, the extra little power & FI makes the difference.
__________________________________________________
94 900RR 04 BMW Z4 2.5 M Package 01 R170 AMG Sport Package |
|
August 7th, 2014, 09:00 AM | #10 | |
Inline 4!!!
Name: Danny
Location: MA
Join Date: May 2014 Motorcycle(s): 2008 CBR600rr, 1987 KLR 250 Posts: A lot.
|
Quote:
It's not just the FI and extra power, the bike itself looks a lot better, much more sportier and often confuses people of it being a zx6r. Very awesome bike, it also made a few improvements in places often over looked such as the seat, kick stand, etc.
__________________________________________________
Be careful. Remember you are invisible |
|
|
August 7th, 2014, 05:51 PM | #11 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: gptoyz
Location: mountain view
Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): ninja Posts: 21
|
Quote:
heat spreading would be if you distributed the current braking size to 2 calipers/pistons/rotors/pads that were 1/2 the size of the current single brake side setup |
|
|
August 7th, 2014, 07:50 PM | #12 | |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Genesis
Location: Paradise Valley Village, AZ
Join Date: Jan 2014 Motorcycle(s): SC28 Fireblade Posts: 463
|
Quote:
I have a pumped up 250R, so the main thing that caught my eye about the 300 was the FI & extra torque. I really want to get a 300, but I already have a 250. It would only make sense for me to get something bigger. My 250 will be the track toy since it's cheaper to maintain. I wish I started with the 300, but maybe it's better that way, since the RC390 & Ninja 500 might come around next year.
__________________________________________________
94 900RR 04 BMW Z4 2.5 M Package 01 R170 AMG Sport Package |
|
|
August 7th, 2014, 08:20 PM | #13 | |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Aaron
Location: Winder, GA
Join Date: Jun 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2013 Ninja 300 Posts: 718
|
Quote:
Anyhow, not important! Glad you liked everything else about the 300! |
|
|
August 19th, 2014, 01:54 AM | #14 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: gptoyz
Location: mountain view
Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): ninja Posts: 21
|
Quote:
|
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Opinions on Kevlar laced riding jeans? | Roark | Motorcycle Gear | 44 | November 7th, 2014 02:27 PM |
A week of riding TN, GA, NC on my 250 | scorch | Ride Reports | 15 | April 25th, 2014 12:05 PM |
First week riding on the street/Hwy.....ever! | trugracie | Ride Reports | 3 | April 5th, 2014 02:01 PM |
[topix.net] - AMA roars into final week of riding smart | Ninjette Newsbot | Motorcycling News | 0 | April 21st, 2012 11:20 AM |
[motorcycle.com] - Safe riding being promoted at Bike Week | Ninjette Newsbot | Motorcycling News | 0 | March 2nd, 2009 07:20 PM |
|
|