Kawasaki is set to launch the BS6 upgraded Kawasaki Ninja 300 in the Indian market and according to a media report the BS6 emissions-compliant engine 300cc motorcycle was believed to be originally slated for launch in September-October 2020 but new reports have suggested that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown the entry-level most affordable Ninja from the Japanese brand might be delayed by two months.
Kawasaki suspended its operation in March as per Govt advisories and recently the concerned authorities have given permission in some areas to resume partial operations while the lockdown continues. But the new guidelines do not allow full scale operations and due to new guidelines pertaining to manufacturing industry to contain COVID-19 spread and new policies within the industry to protect the employees as well as its associates combined with the shortage of manpower could lead to the brand’s output to be slightly less than optimum.
The Kawasaki Ninja 300 was discontinued in December 2019 but the new BS6 engine model was spotted testing leading us to believe that the brand is going to give the Ninja 300 a BS6 update. The Ninja 300 in its BS4 avatar was powered by a 296cc parallel-twin-cylinder liquid-cooled 4-stroke 8-valve DOHC fuel-injected engine that produces 39 PS of power and 27 Nm of torque matched to a 6-speed return type gearbox.
The BS6 model is likely to achieve emissions conformity by featuring a new air inlet system and upgrading the exhaust system with new catalytic converters. Though output details on the new BS6 engine are scarce at the moment the motorcycle is expected to retain the power figures but the torque output is likely to suffer by a slight margin. Other features and equipment on the Kawasaki Ninja is expected to be carry forwarded from the predecessor.
The Kawasaki Ninja 300 is a heavily localised model and due to the motorcycle depending on the supply chain which has been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak the motorcycle model is likely to see the aforementioned delays. Other Kawasaki motorcycles such as the 2021 Model Year Ninja 650, Z 650 and 2020 Z 900 are likely to be launched without delay.
The Ninja 300 BS4 is priced at INR 2.98 lakh ex-showroom, India and the BS6 model is likely to be priced similar to the outgoing model to keep up with the competition.
