Kawasaki was speculated to launch the brand’s smallest supersport motorcycle, the Ninja 300 in its BS6 avatar this festive season. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown that disrupted the supply chain, it has caused delays in plans for the brand to reintroduce their most affordable and most popular motorcycle. The brand discontinued the motorcycle almost a year back and at the beginning of 2020, a test mule of the motorcycle which was rumoured to be the BS6 compliant model was spotted testing in Pune close to ARAI (Automotive Research Association of India) leading us to believe that the motorcycle with a BS6 engine was undergoing its final validation tests. But, the motorcycle never made its official debut in BS6 avatar inside the showrooms.
Now, our sources who wish to remain unidentified have confirmed that the Ninja 300 in the new BS6 avatar is expected to make it to Kawasaki dealerships in the first half of 2021. The Kawasaki Ninja 300 will not only come with an upgraded powertrain to make it conform to BS6 standards but it is also expected to receive upgrades such as LED lighting, subtle changes to the bodywork, new decals, new colour options and possibly a new instrumentation cluster. All of this however, is speculation till we get an official confirmation. Also, the bike will more or less look similar to what we are used to.
The new BS6 compliant powertrain is also likely to receive changes to its intake system, new sensors and exhaust system. The displacement is likely to remain the same but the motor is likely to be tuned to compensate for the loss of power due to the suffocating emission norm requirements. The outgoing model was powered by a 296cc liquid-cooled parallel-twin-cylinder 4-stroke 8-valve DOHC engine with electronic fuel injection that used to produce 39 PS of power and 27 Nm of torque matched to a 6-speed return type transmission. The new engine is also expected to retain the race-derived slipper-assist clutch.
In related news, Kawasaki has introduced the 2021 Ninja 250 in the Japanese market, available from December 2020 onwards. The changes on the 2021 Kawasaki Ninja 250 are limited to its colour and graphics only and no changes to the mechanical bits are observed. The 2021 Ninja 250 is offered in two colour options – KRT Edition and Metallic Carbon Grey. Also, the design language of this particular model is in sync with other BIG Ninja models sold by Kawasaki, unlike the Ninja 300 in India which is a very old product now.
