Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs rivals: price and specifications compared

The Ninja 300 is the most affordable twin-cylinder sportbike on sale in India currently.

The Kawasaki Ninja 300 has been refreshed for 2025 with some minor cosmetic tweaks. Here, we’ve pitted this longstanding small-capacity sportbike against its rivals on paper.

Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs rivals: engine & output

Ninja and R3 have peaky, twin-cyl motors

Engine & output
	Kawasaki Ninja 300	Yamaha YZF-R3	KTM RC 390
Engine	296cc, twin-cyl, liquid-cooled	321cc, twin-cyl, liquid-cooled	373cc, single-cyl, liquid-cooled
Power	39hp at 11,000rpm	42hp at 10,750rpm	43.5hp at 9,000rpm
Power-to-weight ratio	217.88 hp per tonne	248.52hp per tonne	252.91hp per tonne
Torque	26.1Nm at 10,000rpm	29.5Nm at 9,000rpm	37Nm at 7,000rpm
Gearbox	6-speed	6-speed	6-speed

It’s no surprise that the Ninja has the least peak output here, owing to its smaller engine and since it’s a small-capacity twin-cylinder engine, all of it is made high up in the rev range. It’s a similar story for the R3 as well. The RC 390 is the odd one out with a single-cylinder engine and even though it uses the previous-gen 373cc KTM engine, its peak output is comfortably the highest. The Kawasaki and Yamaha with their twin-cylinder engines will be smoother and have a more pleasing sound in comparison to the bigger single-cylinder engine on the KTM.

Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs rivals: weight & dimensions

R3 is the lightest bike and has a low seat too

Weight & dimensions
	Kawasaki Ninja 300	Yamaha YZF-R3	KTM RC 390
Kerb weight	179kg	169kg	172kg
Seat height	780mm	780mm	835mm
Ground clearance	140mm	160mm	153mm
Fuel tank capacity	17 litres	14 litres	13.7 litres
Wheelbase	1405mm	1380mm	1347mm

The Ninja 300 is by far the heaviest bike here, weighing a full 10 kilos more than the Yamaha R3. It does have the biggest fuel tank, but even so, the weight delta isn’t on par with the other two. Both the Japanese bikes have very manageable seat heights in comparison to the RC 390’s rather tall 835mm perch. But with just 140mm of ground clearance, you’ll have to be careful with the Ninja 300 on our roads.

Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs rivals: suspension, tyres & brakes

Ninja’s componentry is showing its age now

Suspension, tyres & brakes
	Kawasaki Ninja 300	Yamaha YZF-R3	KTM RC 390
Suspension (F/R)	Telescopic fork / Monoshock	USD fork / Monoshock	USD fork / Monoshock
Tyres (F/R)	110/70-17 / 140/70-17	110/70-R17 / 140/70-R17	110/70-R17 / 150/60-R17
Brakes (F/R)	290mm disc / 220mm disc	298mm disc / 220mm disc	320mm disc / 230mm disc

The Ninja 300 is well over a decade now and that shows in its underpinnings. Its basic steel diamond frame, right way up telescopic fork and bias-ply tyres are some obvious giveaways of its age. In terms of hardware, the RC 390 has the edge with its radially mounted front brake caliper, bigger brake discs and slightly more adjustability in its suspension than the Yamaha and the Kawasaki.

Kawasaki Ninja 300 vs rivals: features

KTM is the most feature-rich machine

Features is an area where the KTM RC 390 has the other two beat fair and square with a bidirectional quickshifter, colour TFT display, traction control and switchable ABS available. The Yamaha R3 sold in India is a generation behind the latest model that’s out internationally and doesn’t even get a slipper clutch. The Ninja 300 was recently updated with projector headlights and a taller visor but apart from that is more or less the same bike it was in 2013.