India Kawasaki Motors has just launched the much-awaited Z300 in the country. The bike was unveiled some time ago at a private event in Bengaluru. The company just posted three (almost) identical videos of the same event and then announced official prices will be revealed on 19th October.
However, the price announcement has been hush-hush and Z300 is yet to be listed on the official website. Not a lot is revealed about this motorcycle, for some reason. That said, the launch price is Rs 3.24 lakh (Ex-sh) and it will directly take on rivals like KTM 390 Duke and TVS Apache RTR 310, even though the closest twin-cylinder rival is Aprilia Tuono 457.
Kawasaki Z300 Launched
After a long wait and a big suspense, the prices of are out. It costs Rs 3.24 lakh (Ex-sh) and it is now positioned as the entry into the Z world. It is based on the mighty popular Ninja 300 and it borrows Z900’s overall aesthetics. We can see the connections to Z900 from the triple-pod LED headlights.
Speculations suggested that Kawasaki would price Z300 under the Rs 3 lakh mark, considering the extensive parts sharing with Ninja 300. For context, Ninja 300 has been priced at Rs 3.34 lakh (Ex-sh), making it just a Rs 10,000 delta between the two. Z300 lacks the extensive bodywork and the supersport fairing, but gains on a fully-digital LCD instrument cluster.
This looks much more modern than the semi-analogue digital cluster from Ninja 300, but the rivals all offer much more sophisticated TFT clusters with a plethora of features and technology, all of which Z300 lacks.
Screaming Twinner Engine
Where Kawasaki Z300 pulls ahead over its similar displacement rivals is in the engine department. It borrows Ninja 300’s creamy smooth 296cc parallel-twin engine with 39.4 bhp at 11,000 RPM and 26.3 Nm at 10,000. This screaming engine is mated to a 6-speed gearbox, just like in the Ninja 300 and is mounted on the same platform too.
Bike rides on 17-inch alloy wheels at both ends and is suspended on telescopic RSU front forks and a rear mono-shock. Braking department consists of single disc setup at both ends and dual channel ABS is offered as standard fitment. There are two colour options – Green and Black.
