ZigOpinion: The Baby Ninja Is Too Expensive, Here’s What Kawasaki Should’ve Done

Kawasaki has just launched the 2022 Ninja 300 at Rs 3,37,000 (ex-showroom India). All it gets at such a steep price is just a graphics update. This dated supersport deserves so much more, and here’s what we think:

Ninja 300: Diminishing Returns Of Kawasaki’s Golden Egg

The Kawasaki Ninja 250 was one of the most potent twin-cylinder bikes in the country in the small capacity segment. It was then replaced by the Ninja 300 back in 2013, which was launched at a ridiculously expensive price tag of Rs 3.5 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)! Despite the high asking price, it was still the most affordable motorcycle from Team Green. That said, its equipment levels were just about decent, and the asking price was mostly for its premium build quality and solid fit and finish. It could just about keep up with the Yamaha R3 and the more powerful KTM RC 390 at the time. 

Later, Kawasaki launched a heavily localised version of the bike in 2019 at Rs 2.98 lakh, making it Rs 62,000 less expensive than before. Despite the hefty price cut, Kawasaki updated the motorcycle with dual-channel ABS (to comply with safety norms), and gave it made-in-India MRF tyres.

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For a brief period, it was the most affordable twin-cylinder motorcycle in the country, but the title was later grabbed by the stonkingly priced Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650. The baby Ninja 300’s price advantage was short lived, and it simply could not compete against modern, feature-packed competition like the KTM RC 390 and the TVS Apache RR 310. It faded into oblivion when the country moved to BS6 norms in April 2020.

Then in May 2021, the BS6-compliant iteration was launched at Rs 3,18,000. The cost of making the lean green machine greener turned out to be a hefty Rs 20,000 premium over its BS4 version. Kawasaki threw in a few new colour schemes but that couldn’t mask the cold hard truth that the bike is still way too long in the tooth. After price hikes over the last two years, the motorcycle’s cost went up to Rs 3,37,000 (both ex-showroom India) in March 2022. 

What The 2022 Kawasaki Ninja 300 Could’ve Been:

Even though Kawasaki launched the 2022 Ninja 300 with new graphics at the same price as before, it still costs Rs 13,000 more than what it cost in February 2022. For such a massive premium, Kawasaki isn’t offering any tangible features.

Adding more goodies such as electronic rider aids, LED lighting and updated instrumentation with smartphone connectivity are welcome, however we believe that would’ve further driven up the 300’s already high asking price. But we also think what the Japanese bikemaker could’ve done is focus on improving the overall ownership experience. 

The brand could’ve thrown in extended warranty and free service packages, which wouldn’t cost the company as much money as adding new features to the motorcycle. This would have ensured that Kawasaki offers a premium biking experience to its customers, not to mention peace of mind when it comes to maintenance costs. Let us know what you think in the comments.