Ninja sneaks up on Honda

In 2010, when Honda introduced the CBR250R with its high-tech features including fuel-injection, ABS and a modern chassis, Kawasaki was forced to take a back seat with the Ninja 250R.

But, refusing to be outdone in 2013, Kawasaki has introduced the Ninja 300 - and Honda has reason to be concerned.

The Ninja 300 offers a seriously re-worked engine, with 47cc more displacement and 50% more power than the Honda.

The bodywork is completely restyled and matches that of the ZX-10R and ZX-6R 636. This undoubtedly makes it a looker.

With extra power comes extra heat, so large openings in the faring allow a decent through-flow of air to disperse warmth away from the rider and a new radiator fan cover directs hot air downwards and away from the cockpit area when the rider is stuck in slow-moving traffic.

There is also a stiffer frame and reworked suspension settings.

A special feature is the smoother operating racetrack-derived slipper-clutch, which eliminates the back-torque that potentially causes rear-wheel hop under hard deceleration in aggressive riding conditions.

Now that the engine has a bit of extra power and torque, the six-speed gearbox has been beefed up and the ratios widened to improve acceleration - there is a shorter first gear and a taller sixth gear.

New 10-spoke alloy wheels, similar to those on the Ninja ZX-14R, shod with sporty low profile tyres, keep the plot together on the road. The rear tyre is 10mm wider than the 130mm rubber of the Ninja 250, offering an enhanced superbike image and better straight-line stability at speed.

The Ninja 300 is also equipped with anti-lock brakes.

The super-aggressive styling of the new Ninja 300 means the motorcycle can easily be mistaken for one of its bigger stablemates.

All-new plastics, an aggressive dual headlight, a floating style windscreen like that of the ZX-10R, and neat mirrors that can easily be folded away all add to the impression that this is a much more expensive motorcycle.

The designers also took great care to use as few visible fasteners as possible, with a combination of hooks, push-rivets and bolts holding the various panels together in a relatively seamless high-quality package.

Large ventilation slots in the faring emulate those of the ZX-14R. The new fuel tank follows a supersport design when compared with the slim one of the 2012 Ninja 250 and a healthy 17-litre capacity tank gives a cruising range on par with larger Kawasaki models.

Instrumentation is also brand new, with a large analogue-style rev counter and a multifunction screen displaying speed, time, fuel level, dual trip-meters, overall distance covered and an economical riding indicator.

White LED backlighting provides for clear visibility at night.

The Ninja 300 brings an entirely new level of performance to the class.